''Depth'' is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

developed by Digital Confectioners and released for Microsoft Windows in 2014. It is an

asymmetrical Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry (the property of an object being invariant to a transformation, such as reflection). Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in pr ...

multiplayer

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

that pits treasure hunting divers against

sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

Gameplay

The game is a

taking place in underwater environments. Players can either be divers or sharks. Divers escort and defend an automated submersible to collect sunken treasure, utilizing firearms, harpoons, explosives, and other equipment bought with collected treasure, while sharks, with different species having different abilities, "evolve" new abilities by killing and eating divers. Games are won by either side running out of respawns, by divers successfully escorting the submersible to an extraction point, or by sharks destroying the submersible.

Development

''Depth'' began production in 2009, as a student project built as a mod for ''

Unreal Tournament 3 ''Unreal Tournament 3'' (''UT3'') is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Midway Games. Part of the ''Unreal'' franchise, it is the fourth game in the ''Unreal Tournament'' series, and the eighth g ...

'', by a small team led by Alex Quick of '' Killing Floor'' fame. Between 2010 and 2012, the game was ported to

UDK The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...

and became a standalone game. However, development became stalled, due to concerns over gameplay. In 2013, Digital Confectioners partnered with the team to finish development. In 2016, Digital Confectioners bought out the project and have continued development on the title since.

Release

''Depth'' was put on the

Steam store Steam is a Digital distribution of video games, video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve Corporation, Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 as a way for Valve to provide automatic updates for their ...

as a

pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...

on October 16, 2014, and released on November 3, 2014. "The Big Catch" update was released on December 16, 2014, adding 2 new shark classes, 1 new map and a new game type called "Megalodon Hunt."

Reception

''Depth'' received moderately positive reviews from critics.

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

described ''Depth'' as having "an ocean of tense, unique gameplay moments," praising the game's level and sound design and describing playing as both a diver or a shark is a "fast, fun, and frantic experience." IGN criticized the game's lack of game modes and its "skimpy" customization options, saying that they "doubt the longevity of this otherwise ship-shape game."

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

is less favorable, noting low-quality textures, balancing issues and lack of memorable levels, describing the game as shallow. GameSpot did hope that future updates to clean up bugs and add new content could help the game reach its full potential. Both Multiplayer and GameSpot stated that the game negatively draws from the gameplay established in the '' Left for Dead'' series. Independent review site deviantrobot said that ''Depth'' is very similar to '' Evolve'', though that "the game is unique enough that it stands on its own merits and it’s not just to fill the ''Evolve''-shaped hole in your gaming library."

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.depthgame.com
Depth
on ''Steam'' 2014 video games Asymmetrical multiplayer video games Indie video games First-person shooters Windows games Windows-only games Shark attacks in fiction Scuba diving video games Video games about animals Video games developed in New Zealand