From Favor Games, the creators of the upcoming sci-fi animal adventure Bridge of the Wild, comes the equal parts fun and frightening deep sea survival mystery Deepest Trench. Regardless of its cooperative capabilities, my deep-seated fear of the still and foreboding depths of darkness lying at the bottom of our biggest body of water made the experience a pulse-pounding period of paranoia, even with the potential for a partner to keep me company.
The tranquility of floating near-weightless in the majesty of the sea’s chilling embrace was offset only by the sustained suspense forged by the necessary critical tasks and progressively grim realities of the situation at hand, turning the water into a metaphorical menacing miasma of monstrous proportions. With that said, its emotional and narrative depths weren’t quite so deep as the trench itself.
Deepest Trench provides players with the opportunity to undertake the high-pressure mission solo or with a friend in splitscreen, which having played both, I personally preferred splitscreen co-op far more than solo. As a single player you must switch back and forth between characters to complete puzzles and engage in combat, while maintaining both of the characters’ oxygen levels and tools/key items. The main gameplay loop revolves around exploration, self-defense, and cooperative puzzle solving where both protagonists play a vital role in progressing through each increasingly intricate area.
The storyline follows ex-Navy SEAL Master Chief Robert Wilson and his ex-lover and Deep-Sea Mechanic Specialist Maria Santiago as they are both found to be uniquely qualified and forced to work together to perform repairs on a classified government research facility at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
During this covert operation the reluctant pair must utilize strategic problem-solving skills while navigating both the treacherous waters filled with blood thirsty predators, as well as the awkward hostilities of a broken relationship. Their back and forth bickering and banter was humorous and provided a bit of levity in an otherwise tense scenario but felt like unbefitting behavior for such qualified professionals.
Regardless, it served as a narrative device to allow for growth between the characters in similar fashion to other splitscreen co-op titles like It Takes Two and A Way Out, though much like their initial cooperation, this growth felt forced. As the story progresses, players are provided a great deal more insight into what diabolical military research was being conducted in the Deepest Trench facility, and the more they learn about the atrocities that had been committed in secret by their own government, the closer the characters became in their single minded drive to escape the danger of what they had uncovered.
Deepest Trench features third-person movement and combat mechanics that allow for relatively fluid traversing of the various interior and exterior environments and also includes a couple of submersible piloting sections that require tandem control cooperation to maneuver effectively. The multitude of puzzles were fairly simple once they were understood and mostly featured synchronized lever pulls, locating fuses and keycards, plugging in electronic equipment, and locating missing power sources for a handful of different machines throughout.
These puzzles were broken up with tool usage like power drilling grates off walls to allow passage through the flooded ventilation systems, using saws to access locked rooms, and even welding torches to repair the many depressurized sections of the facility. Couple that with a handful of incredibly dangerous enemy encounters with Great White sharks, eels, anglerfish, a Megalodon, and a handful of other surprising and altogether imaginative enemies that I won’t spoil here, and you’ve got yourself a pretty interesting adventure to say the least.
The story was gripping throughout the first few acts, regardless of the sub-par voice acting that somehow added to the charm in the same manner as the retro classics that many of us grew up with and included fun references to other properties like Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Suicide Squad to name a few without getting too specific.
Heck, the entire relationship sub-plot and the initial mission to the bottom of the Mariana Trench felt like a direct homage to the film The Meg, only with slight variations to the narrative and tone. With that said, during the final act of the game, there was a tremendous dragging period that followed some of the most intriguing and exciting elements of the game.
The major story beats were finally being revealed, wild boss battles were taking place, tons of enticing exposition was being laid on the players, and then all of a sudden it ground to a sudden halt. During one of the final major segments of the game, players are provided with a choice that determines the ending they get and the eventual fate of their beloved characters. Depending on the decision the players make, the other is thrust into an endless cycle of looping geography as the other player gets to fight, solve puzzles, and complete a very important objective while the other essentially just sits there and watches.
This wasn’t the only problem I had with the game, as nearly every enemy could kill with one attack, even though it took the players multiple shots to down these attacking foes. This became especially problematic when facing groups of sharks that were faster, larger, and deadlier than the two of us combined, and even more so in closed-in spaces where it was already difficult to maneuver effectively to contend with these aggressive beasts. This worked to amplify the already claustrophobic anxiety that accompanied particular encounters but also presented us with an unnecessary challenge that felt as though it was serving to pad the total runtime of the experience.
As I mentioned previously, there are multiple endings that come with their own achievements, so of course we went back in to attempt a second run, this time as a speedrun to score the “complete in under two hours” achievement, but for whatever reason, when we returned to the game to start again, our previous save data was nowhere to be found.
The load option was grayed out and our only choice was to start a new game. Upon starting our new game, as soon as we obtained tools and moved on to the next chapter, our power drills had disappeared from our inventories, rendering us entirely unable to progress and forcing us to restart the game from the very beginning yet again. I’ve tried solving this issue in all the common ways but to no avail as of yet.
Either way, the experience showcased a wonderful soundtrack that helped to set the tone for each unique element the game had to offer, especially during one of the boss fights where the song sounded almost identical to a track from the Resident Evil: Code Veronica score. The music, environments, ambiance, and overall aesthetic were solid and served their purpose to enhance the atmosphere.
The puzzles were simple but not overdone, the combat struggled in the ways I mentioned before but the enemy variety and scare factor were appreciated by a horror fan like me, and the plot was predictable but fun enough to want to see the conclusion. The real problems lied in its disjointed pacing and confused tone throughout. Was it a comedy, a horror, a military/political thriller, or something in between?
It’s still an enjoyable enough indie co-op experience that I would recommend to anyone that fancies underwater exploration, puzzle solving, spooky sea creatures, and cheesy B-movie dialogue. It was a pretty good time all things considered, and for the price I think it’s worth giving it a shot with a friend or loved one. If you don’t have someone in mind, I wouldn’t recommend going in solo unless you’re a glutton for punishment… here’s looking at you Soulsborne fans! Get in there and let me know how you fared against the dreaded project Kraken or any of the many two-person puzzles.
I’m giving Deepest Trench a 6/10, though for the first few acts I was leaning more towards an 8/10, but the back third of the game really knocked that score down a bit, along with the various post-game bugs. It was thrilling enough to finish but after the issues encountered, I don’t think it was exhilarating enough to warrant a second playthrough, even to chase that speedrun and alternate ending.
Deepest Trench is currently available on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam
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