We analyze the new Capcom for Switch, a curious metroidvania that takes us to the ocean depths after its arrival last year at Apple Arcade.
Announced as part of the many novelties of the latest Nintendo Direct of the Big N, it was coming to the Nintendo Switch eShop that same day Shinsekai: Into the Depths, a platform action adventure and court action set in the deepest oceans to in charge of Capcom and that made the leap to the hybrid console after its exclusive launch in Apple Arcade in September 2019, along with the debut of Apple's à la carte games service. Now, and after almost half a year, Capcom's surprising commitment to a genre unusual in the Japanese company debuts in the Nintendo system in digital format at a price of 19.99 euros. Is it worth diving into its colorful and cold underwater universe? Let's see in our review if Capcom's new for Switch convinces fans of metroidvania-style adventures.
Survival and underwater exploration
Shinsekai: Into the Depths proposes to dive into the most dangerous and unexplored ocean depths in the skin of the only known survivor of a humanity that has succumbed to a kind of new ice age that has frozen the entire surface of the planet. And apparently the only way that is still safe from the relentless advance of the ice is underwater; Or so our long-suffering protagonist believed, who has managed to adapt to the harsh conditions of the deep ocean to stay alive. And it is that as soon as we begin our journey several kilometers below the surface, we will be in danger due to the umpteenth stroke of an ice threat that does not seem to have a brake, forcing us to leave our unexpected refuge to stay alive. From this moment on, an adventure begins that already arouses the player's interest, partly due to an unusual post-apocalyptic context and a simple but elegant introduction, very effective visually and that introduces us to a narrative that will be developed from convincing way over the 6 to 8 hours it can take to complete the trip.
Capcom delves into the depths of the oceans with a classic 2D platform adventure with a true metroidvania-style set design; and not only for its formal approach, since its development invites us to explore, improve skills, equipment and weapons and collect key objects to continue opening a mapping as suggestive as it is extensive, clearly delimited by the upper, quieter area and the lower , where nerves and claustrophobia will win whole due to the increased pressure of water, which can end our lives if we do not pay enough attention.
Altogether, it seems like a video game that has a lot of originality, both in approach and in execution, although perhaps it is too overwhelming for those who do not feel comfortable in the typical underwater phases of classic platforms; basically because the whole video game is about that, about staying in the ocean depths under pressure. Although beyond this particularity, Shinsekai: Into the Depths offers many more layers, never better said. So much so, that equipped with our weak diving suit, we will be forced both to fight for our lives and to excavate the ocean floor, either inside narrow grottos or before imposing ocean walls, in addition, of course, to seek pieces that enhance our capabilities in the deep ocean.
And it is that survival becomes our main objective and not always in the face of the threat of dangerous animals from the depths. Ice, always advancing, or our own ability to manage the diving suit and oxygen bottles, will soon become our main concerns. A bad jump, a fall from too high or too much exposure to ice can weaken our protection, very often, fatally and definitively. This is when the improvements to our suit come into play, either to withstand the highest pressure from the deepest areas or to increase oxygen reserves, represented by different bottles in the different state meters; and it is that with a simple false step we can ruin one of our bottles, thus limiting our movements.
Although at first all the handling of the different systems of our suit can be somewhat confusing and convoluted, after a time of adaptation we will begin to adopt different mechanics to try to preserve our physical integrity. In this sense, Shinsekai: Into the Depths itself is somewhat more complex than other similar bets and will require some adaptation time and patience on the part of the player; Of course, once this small initial bump has been overcome, the gaming experience becomes much more bearable and challenging. So much so that factors such as the remaining oxygen, the ability to drive for longer jumps, the integrity of the suit itself, the pressure and others become our main adversaries, beyond the already mentioned underwater creatures and several final bosses, that also surprise with their presence at certain moments, yes, very few, leaving much more space for exploration and the platforms themselves than for direct action.
The metroidvania factor comes into play from the moment we need to go back and revisit previously unlocked areas to recover a certain item or upgrade, all after unlocking a new ability that allows us to access previously closed areas; It is the typical backtrack design that has given such good results in other works of the genre and that in this case has been carried out quite successfully. At no time does it become tedious to have to go back and we are encouraged to do so in order to continue evolving our diver; In this sense, Shinsekai: Into the Depths is perceived as a remarkable example of how to mix all these elements to give rise to a pleasant and challenging title, at times and from the beginning, perhaps in excess.
And is that such is the complexity of the different elements to pay attention to that sometimes can be done a little uphill; Although the rewards are notable at certain times (with the odd twist at the story level), many players seeking a somewhat more enjoyable development may be outmatched, either by the continued need to be aware of all kinds of attributes of the protagonist, from weapons to equipment, through continuous improvements on which our progress will depend. Taken together, Shinsekai: Into the Depths can convince the most seasoned in the metroidvania subgenre, but all this in exchange for a somewhat high level of demand and with certain concessions to the repetition of mechanics, such as the collection of minerals to improve the suit; And so over and over again.
Colorful and threatening ocean
Its staging is somewhat irregular and reveals its origin as a mobile video game. Although its artistic section is curious, many of its graphic characteristics do not live up to what is expected from an adventure of this type in desktop systems. While in its portable version it can even be attractive, once on the television (especially on large diagonal screens) it denotes a certain negligence in aspects such as textures, modeling or some animations. Altogether in very colorful and that helps to evoke pleasant sensations, especially in the backgrounds and environments, quite beautiful and well-kept; Special mention for certain effects typical of underwater depths. But little else to highlight in this regard; Shinsekai: Into the Depths offers a graphic section that only complies, without being bad in any way. Regarding the soundtrack, it offers melodies that adapt to the action shown on screen, always with the underwater theme as the backdrop. He knows when to raise tension and when to offer calmer themes. The sound effects, moreover, perfectly match his personality. Finally, the texts are localized to Spanish with the odd mismatch.
CONCLUSION
Shinsekai: Into the Depths comes to Switch as an interesting 2D metroidvania of three-dimensional environments with an atmosphere with a lot of personality and equally peculiar mechanics, perhaps with too many constraints for players less accustomed to the genre. Its development does not end up being as varied as we would like but instead it offers an adventure that can be played well. Where it does give away its origin is in its staging, in some aspects somewhat simple, although in others, such as the setting or the funds themselves, it is very competent.
THE BEST
- Fun and challenging gameplay
- Great underwater setting
- Exploration, improvements, backtracking …
WORST
- … excessive repetition of mechanics
- Certain visual aspects with room for improvement
- High level of demand at startup
Well
It meets the expectations of what is a good game, it has quality and does not have serious flaws, although it lacks elements that could have taken it to higher levels.
