There are many horror games, more or less scary and more or less demanding. However, finding one that can put a terrible sense of anguish and always keep us on our toes using the mechanics of a platformer and relatively poor graphics are, honestly, very difficult. Hidden Deep, however, does it terribly well. So let’s go explore dark caves full of alien monsters in this Hidden Deep review.
The Hidden Deep review
Hidden deep is an exploratory horror game based on Spelunky and then mix it with elements of The Thing e Alien. Basically, we have to explore a series of dark and monster-infested alien caverns where anything is lethal to us. Not only monsters, but also falls, physics, hitting a wall, collapses, radiation, water and even friendly fire. Not only does the game give us a terrible sense of anguish because we never know what awaits us around every corner, it is also terribly easy to die.
The plot is pretty simple: we are the head of a rescue group that is sent to a submarine base with which there has been no communication for about two years. Our mission is to understand what happened to the staff and, if we find any, recover the survivors.
Inside the game we have a side shot and we move with the typical mechanics of platform games: movement to the right, to the left and jump. Unlike many other platformers, however, our vision is very limited and related to lighting; so it is not difficult to be surprised from behind.
Of course we are armed, and we can even choose between two types of weapons: pistol and shotgun. But be careful, because as in any self-respecting survival horror, aiming is deliberately difficult and ammunition is limited. So, you have to do the math well, knowing that getting to close range with an enemy is always very dangerous and shooting from a distance will force us to use more ammunition.
The rescue team
The rescue team is made up of several members; with the next component ready to take our place as we become overwhelmed by events. During the game there are some levels where you need to use more than one characterIn fact, the characters at our disposal are divided into two categories: scout and engineer. Each with its own specific characteristics.
The scout, who is the character with whom we will open the trail, can use the shotgun as well as the gun. In addition, he is gifted with specific equipment for exploration: a scanner to identify empty spaces beyond a wall or below us, explosives to open new passages and probes to send in advance. Obviously all limited resources. In particular, the explorer has at his disposal a grappling hook with cable that becomes essential to climb walls, cross chasms and descend into wells with safety.
The engineerinstead, it represents a support figure. He is unable to use the rifle and has a less accurate aim than the scout. However, can use a variety of machines that the scout cannot access. These machines range from cranes to heavy haul trucks to excavators. The latter, in particular, make it possible to drill the stone to create new horizontal tunnels.
In those levels where more than one character is used we will be forced to leave a part of the team isolated. It is therefore necessary to be very careful to secure them; otherwise we could go back and find no one else.
The game modes
The game provides two game modes: campaign and challenge.
In campaign mode we are guided through a series of levels following a story. A voiceover from our command center will assign us a series of tasks and take care of the storytelling. At present, only eight levels of the ten planned are available, but let’s remember that we are talking about an early access game.
In challenge modeinstead, we will be faced with very large and complex levels populated in a procedural way with monsters and resources. There are four types of challenges for now: recovering an object, killing all monsters, reaching a reactor, or simply finding the exit.
The interesting aspect of the challenge mode is that the level can be played cooperatively with a second player. Unfortunately, at the time we tried the game, co-op was only available via split screen. Indeed, one of the players has to use a gamepad instead of keyboard and mouse. However, we are confident that a true online co-op mode will be made available via the steam platform in one of the next updates.
A thrilling soundtrack
In the case of Hidden deep, unfortunately, we can’t talk about music. The soundtrackindeed it is made up of only ambient noises but, seriously, contributes a lot to the dark atmosphere of the game. As we move we have as a background to the sound of our steps a dark and incessant sound to remind us that we are in a cave under tons of rock. To this dark noise are added the shrill cries of the approaching monsters and the ticking of the geiger counter which is getting faster and faster near the sources of radiation.
The Hidden Deep review at a glance
Hidden deep is a survival horror game with platforming mechanics inspired by Spelunky, The Thing and Alien. This is an early access game on steam. Therefore, it is neither perfect nor complete. In fact, some levels and enemies have yet to be implemented. But that shouldn’t be upset, because it’s part of being in early access.
Despite the current limitations, the game really does a great job both as a setting, both as mechanics and as a soundtrack. So, we don’t feel like making any significant criticisms, especially if we also consider that it was developed by a single person.
We therefore recommend it to all survival horror fans who are not afraid to start playing immediately and then wait for the rest of the content.