Submerged is an exploration adventure from ex-BioShock devs that takes place in the technology-spattered ruins of a place that's seen better (and less water-logged) days. If you ask me, though, it looks almost... pleasant? Don't know about you, but I'd hang out there.
I love it when a single shot/gif of a game can make me ache to dive into a place. Submerged definitely manages that. Why is everything underwater? What's the deal with that statue? Is that a mechanical crane in the background? Why are trees on top of a tower? Trees, you don't belong up there; you're already tall. Get down this instant.
Here's the full trailer the above shot is from:
And here's what Submerged all about:
"Submerged is an exploration adventure, where you struggle to save the life of your brother after escaping from a terrible past. Trapped in an ancient, half-submerged city and desperate for supplies, you must explore the flooded streets in your simple fishing boat, and scale the ruined buildings that hold the promise of salvation."
"There is a seductive serenity to this vast city, and even a beauty to its decay. But with every passing day, your brother grows weaker, and the memories of the events that drove you here continue to resurface."
The city itself is a balmy pit of ruin, littered with memories and technologies of a (presumably) better time gone by. What happened to its old inhabitants? What exactly were they? The BioShock lineage is strong there, albeit with significantly less foreboding overtones. The game's main characters, though, aren't so concerned with that. At least, not initially.
You play as Miku, seen holding her wounded brother, Taku, here:
Developer Uppercut describes Miku as "not an action hero," but still smart, resilient, and determined. Primary influences include Nausicaa from Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Arya from Game of Thrones, and Ellie from The Last of Us. Most importantly of all, she has cool blowy cloth-y things on her back:
Thanks for that, The Wind.
So it all looks pretty interesting, and to be quite frank mystery is the ultimate Nathan Bait. I definitely want to see more. Submerged will be out on PC, (unspecified) consoles, and mobile early next year, so I won't have to wait long. Here's hoping this one can hook people with the way it plays, too. An alluring scene is one thing, but this is a video game—not a painting.