I had the opportunity to forward some interview questions to Uppercut Games, which were answered by Ed Orman, one of the three founders. Below you can read the interview.
Tobias (Game-Releases): „Can you please introduce yourself, and your role in the development of Submerged: Hidden Depths?“
Ed: „My name is Ed Orman and I am one of the three founders of Uppercut Games. On Submerged: Hidden Depths, I was in charge of game design.“
Tobias (Game-Releases): „Can you please shortly describe what Submerged: Hidden Depths is about?“
Ed: „Submerged: Hidden Depths is what we call a “relaxploration” game, where we want players to be able to focus on just exploring and being in a beautiful world. It is set in the ruins of a sunken city, and players take on the role of sister-and-brother Miku and Taku as they pilot their boat through the ruins, climbing buildings and solving simple puzzles, looking for clues as to what happened to the city, and what connection the pair have to the black plants that are strangling the buildings.“
Tobias (Game-Releases): „Do you plan a physical release of the game besides the digital version?“
Ed: “We don’t have any plans for a physical release, no.”
Tobias (Game-Releases): „Submerged: Hidden Depths is described on the official website as a standalone sequel to Submerged. Will there be some hidden easter eggs or connections to the first game, or is it totally detached from the first game?“
Ed: „The goal was for new players to be able to jump into Hidden Depths without having had to play the first game, but to also allow players who have played Submerged to continue the journey of the siblings Miku and Taku. The events that occurred between the end of Submerged and the start of Hidden Depths are revealed, so new players can get a sense of where the kids have come from, and what they’ve had to go through.“
Tobias (Game-Releases): „ What did you take with you from the work and the experience on the first Submerged into this game?“
Ed: „We wanted to give players much more to do, and more variety in how they do it. But we have to do that without the game becoming a chore for players – the point of the game is relaxation, after all! So we’ve added a lot of new interactions, and more complexity to the puzzles, but it’s all done with accessibility and ease in mind.“
Tobias (Game-Releases): „The first game didn’t have any fights. Was it planned from the start to make Submerged: Hidden Depths without fights as well?“
Ed: „Absolutely. While the lack of combat in the first game is something that it grew into, we always planned for Submerged: Hidden Depths to carry that tradition on. There are plenty of other games that do combat, and do it well. Submerged: Hidden Depths is meant to be a breather away from those kinds of experiences.“
Tobias (Game-Releases): „Do you plan to release the soundtrack of the game via vinyl or CD after the release via download?“
Ed: “We don’t have any plans, but it would be cool to see a vinyl version! Jeff Van Dyck has returned to score Submerged: Hidden Depths (as well as all of the other audio and sound effects), and he’s done a fantastic job as always.“
Tobias (Game-Releases): „How important is the contact to your community for you and your work?“
Ed: „That really depends on the kind of projects you’re making. For something like our previous game, City of Brass, we put a lot of work into building a community around the game, because it’s the kind of experience that you want to share and boast about your score. With Submerged, it tends to be a much more solitary experience, but we still have people that want to connect with us (and each other) about it.“
