Insomniac Games has revealed Song of the Deep, an action-adventure video game starring a young girl on a quest to find her father, who has gone missing under the water.
Described by Insomniac as a “Metroidvania” — shorthand for comparing the genre’s mechanics with that of Metroid and Castlevania — Song of the Deep was inspired by Insomniac Games CCO Brian Hastings’ daughter and is based around a rather simple message: “no matter who you are, you have the ability to overcome adversity when you don’t give up.”
The actual game itself sees the protagonist, Merryn, exploring an underwater world via submarine that she can upgrade with new abilities and equipment as she goes along. Along the way, she must fight and outwit critters and other obstacles that get in her way as she quests to save her father across different areas.
Here’s how Insomniac describes the game:
Merryn waits all night for her father to return from his fishing voyage. He never does. After a vivid dream showing her father trapped under the sea, Merryn is determined to save him. This unlikely heroine builds a small submarine from spare parts and sets off to rescue him. Along the way, she’ll make friends, discover lost civilizations and ruins, and upgrade her submarine to explore even deeper. The terrain and monsters of the deep are daunting, but Merryn’s courage, intelligence, and love for her father will help her overcome adversity.
One interesting aspect behind all of this? GameStop, the retailer, is publishing Song of the Deep — which is not something the company is typically in the business of doing. According to IGN, GameStop has no creative control over the IP, but it's handling all the marketing and promotion. It will also be selling tie-in merchandise in its stores closer to release.
Song of the Deep is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in summer 2016.
