It came out the same day it was announced in a Nintendo Direct -- a mere blip on the radar, even for Nintendo diehards. The relative few who clicked on the OT discovered the appeal of this game, but I suspect many don't realize what we have here. This is good stuff -- really good stuff. A hidden gem that slowly sinks its hooks in you. I played this for 5.5 hours straight. I didn't even realize that much time had passed. This is a completely different experience from Nintendo's other multiplayer staples, Mario Kart and Smash Bros., but I feel people will come to appreciate it in a similar way, if only they try it.
Luckily, it's an easy game to try. Steel Diver: Sub Wars is free-to-play. Which merits some clarification.
Here's how Nintendo handles F2P:
1) In effect, the free version is an unlimited demo. It has two subs (one locked at the start), and two single-player missions. You can play local and online multiplayer, with random people or people of similar skill, in your region and around the world. You play with people from the free version AND the premium version. You can also access Morse code chat -- yes, you can communicate in Morse code, during gameplay, in the multiplayer lobby, and even in a dedicated chatroom accessed from the multiplayer menu. The alphabet of dots and dashes is spelled out on the touchscreen, so you can punch and hold inputs to spell out "P00P" and "THANKS OBAMA" and "SHIET" (that last one is three dots, four dots, two dots, one dot, and a long dash).
2) For $9.99 USD, you can upgrade to the premium version: 18 subs (all customizable with crew members, patterns, custom color schemes, etc), seven missions with three difficulties each (effectively 21 missions, since layouts/enemies/obstacles/time of day change with each difficulty), and access to the shop.
3) The shop, accessible from the premium version, currently has five real-life historical subs available for $1 USD each.
Every ship is well-balanced, so you're not "paying to win." Something is lost for everything gained. For example, the Type VII U-Boat (one of the $1 historical subs) turns a bit faster than the default sub in the free version -- but it also has much shorter torpedo range. You never feel cheap using one of the premium subs, and you never feel at a disadvantage facing them.
So why is it so fun? It plays like a team-based first-person shooter, red vs. blue, 4v4, with no respawn and a spectator camera when you sink. But since you're underwater, you can move in all directions in huge underwater environments, breaching the surface or navigating the trenches. And since your torpedoes are slow-moving, and your sub moves with the weight and inertia you'd expect, you have to guide your shots, and you have to manage your momentum to avoid incoming fire.
There is an element of suspense that almost makes me want to call this "submarine survival horror," since you're constantly scoping your surroundings and pinging your surroundings looking for the enemy, while trying not to expose yourself. You can also use your masker to turn invisible for periods of time, but you'll have to return to the surface to replenish your oxygen if you do so.
You push the Circle Pad up and down to rise and dive; you push X and B to move forward and backwards. You can turn left and right. You can activate a periscope, which can zoom in and out and turn 360 degrees with the D-Pad (or gyro, if you wish). What you'll often do is travel forwards or backwards while scoping your surroundings for enemies. You can tap Y to ping your radar and detect nearby enemies, but doing so can give away your own location. You can activate a map with L; you can fire homing torpedoes with R. Regular torpedoes are fired with A. Everything can also be done via the touchscreen.
The end result is something that starts out atmospheric and immersive as you sail the silent depths, searching for your teammates or the other team, bubbles rushing past you in 3D, the sound of water gurgling in your headphones. The sound is excellent, and the graphics, while simple, grow on you as you play. Then you finally come across a threat -- or the threat finds you -- and the methodical controls create something truly thrilling. You'll see a torpedo coming your way; you'll slam into reverse and turn to nose past it; you'll activate the masker and turn invisible, then thrust forward and rise to the surface for air. Your enemy will go invisible, and you'll look through the periscope to figure out where he is. Then you see the warning: "Torpedo approaching from the starboard side!" You thrust forward and dive, dive, dive, hugging the side of a rock and dipping into a trench so the missile hits the wall instead. You'll round the bend and see your enemy is looking for you -- and then several torpedoes fly out of nowhere and hit him. Not yours, but your teammate, which pinged your location and scoped out the exchange from a half-mile away. While your enemy is engaged, you lock on to his starboard side and sink him.
All of that... played out very, very slowly. But that means every single input counts. You have to think one, two, three steps ahead of your opponents. Going at it alone is risky -- there is some measure of safety if you can find your teammates and sail with them in a pack -- but there is also vulnerability in visibility, and some will prefer to crawl the ocean floor or lurk in the shadows activating their masker every time something moves. Both ways are fun.
I wonder where they'll go from here. This is an excellent F2P model since there's no downtime and you can fully enjoy the core mechanics, without any real disadvantage, just using what the game gives you for free. There are lots of people playing, the lobbies filling up quickly (many Japanese players), and the game notes that if ever there are not enough players, it will fill in the remaining spots with bots. Between that and the single-player, this game will get some mileage. I wonder if they will continue to add new ships and new features -- I'm not expecting TF2 levels of post-game support, but there is potential here for an incrementally enhanced experience.
Likewise, there is HUGE potential for future installments, including a console game. The WiiU might not currently have the userbase to justify a F2P title (although F2P might make the console more enticing)... But certainly, a "Sub Wars U" would make for amazing use of the GamePad, and the extra horsepower of the console would allow for some amazing scenarios.
Imagine a map in the pitch-black darkness of the abyss, forcing players to rely on floodlights in addition to sonar, strategically turning off their lights when they want to get the jump on the enemy. Or imagine a level set in a raging thunderstorm, where the surface is choppy and churned by rain. If Nintendo gave Sub Wars the budget of a Mario Kart or Smash Bros., it could look just as good as it plays -- which would be something amazing, indeed.
So here are my questions to you:
1) Do you think Sub Wars could be nursed into a strong multiplayer franchise for Nintendo, given the right support?
2) What do you think of this game's free-to-play model, with the free version, premium version, and ship shop?
3) What do you think of this game's style of multiplayer -- on its own terms, and in terms of how it complements Nintendo's other offerings?
Luckily, it's an easy game to try. Steel Diver: Sub Wars is free-to-play. Which merits some clarification.
Here's how Nintendo handles F2P:
1) In effect, the free version is an unlimited demo. It has two subs (one locked at the start), and two single-player missions. You can play local and online multiplayer, with random people or people of similar skill, in your region and around the world. You play with people from the free version AND the premium version. You can also access Morse code chat -- yes, you can communicate in Morse code, during gameplay, in the multiplayer lobby, and even in a dedicated chatroom accessed from the multiplayer menu. The alphabet of dots and dashes is spelled out on the touchscreen, so you can punch and hold inputs to spell out "P00P" and "THANKS OBAMA" and "SHIET" (that last one is three dots, four dots, two dots, one dot, and a long dash).
2) For $9.99 USD, you can upgrade to the premium version: 18 subs (all customizable with crew members, patterns, custom color schemes, etc), seven missions with three difficulties each (effectively 21 missions, since layouts/enemies/obstacles/time of day change with each difficulty), and access to the shop.
3) The shop, accessible from the premium version, currently has five real-life historical subs available for $1 USD each.
Every ship is well-balanced, so you're not "paying to win." Something is lost for everything gained. For example, the Type VII U-Boat (one of the $1 historical subs) turns a bit faster than the default sub in the free version -- but it also has much shorter torpedo range. You never feel cheap using one of the premium subs, and you never feel at a disadvantage facing them.
So why is it so fun? It plays like a team-based first-person shooter, red vs. blue, 4v4, with no respawn and a spectator camera when you sink. But since you're underwater, you can move in all directions in huge underwater environments, breaching the surface or navigating the trenches. And since your torpedoes are slow-moving, and your sub moves with the weight and inertia you'd expect, you have to guide your shots, and you have to manage your momentum to avoid incoming fire.
There is an element of suspense that almost makes me want to call this "submarine survival horror," since you're constantly scoping your surroundings and pinging your surroundings looking for the enemy, while trying not to expose yourself. You can also use your masker to turn invisible for periods of time, but you'll have to return to the surface to replenish your oxygen if you do so.
You push the Circle Pad up and down to rise and dive; you push X and B to move forward and backwards. You can turn left and right. You can activate a periscope, which can zoom in and out and turn 360 degrees with the D-Pad (or gyro, if you wish). What you'll often do is travel forwards or backwards while scoping your surroundings for enemies. You can tap Y to ping your radar and detect nearby enemies, but doing so can give away your own location. You can activate a map with L; you can fire homing torpedoes with R. Regular torpedoes are fired with A. Everything can also be done via the touchscreen.
The end result is something that starts out atmospheric and immersive as you sail the silent depths, searching for your teammates or the other team, bubbles rushing past you in 3D, the sound of water gurgling in your headphones. The sound is excellent, and the graphics, while simple, grow on you as you play. Then you finally come across a threat -- or the threat finds you -- and the methodical controls create something truly thrilling. You'll see a torpedo coming your way; you'll slam into reverse and turn to nose past it; you'll activate the masker and turn invisible, then thrust forward and rise to the surface for air. Your enemy will go invisible, and you'll look through the periscope to figure out where he is. Then you see the warning: "Torpedo approaching from the starboard side!" You thrust forward and dive, dive, dive, hugging the side of a rock and dipping into a trench so the missile hits the wall instead. You'll round the bend and see your enemy is looking for you -- and then several torpedoes fly out of nowhere and hit him. Not yours, but your teammate, which pinged your location and scoped out the exchange from a half-mile away. While your enemy is engaged, you lock on to his starboard side and sink him.
All of that... played out very, very slowly. But that means every single input counts. You have to think one, two, three steps ahead of your opponents. Going at it alone is risky -- there is some measure of safety if you can find your teammates and sail with them in a pack -- but there is also vulnerability in visibility, and some will prefer to crawl the ocean floor or lurk in the shadows activating their masker every time something moves. Both ways are fun.
I wonder where they'll go from here. This is an excellent F2P model since there's no downtime and you can fully enjoy the core mechanics, without any real disadvantage, just using what the game gives you for free. There are lots of people playing, the lobbies filling up quickly (many Japanese players), and the game notes that if ever there are not enough players, it will fill in the remaining spots with bots. Between that and the single-player, this game will get some mileage. I wonder if they will continue to add new ships and new features -- I'm not expecting TF2 levels of post-game support, but there is potential here for an incrementally enhanced experience.
Likewise, there is HUGE potential for future installments, including a console game. The WiiU might not currently have the userbase to justify a F2P title (although F2P might make the console more enticing)... But certainly, a "Sub Wars U" would make for amazing use of the GamePad, and the extra horsepower of the console would allow for some amazing scenarios.
Imagine a map in the pitch-black darkness of the abyss, forcing players to rely on floodlights in addition to sonar, strategically turning off their lights when they want to get the jump on the enemy. Or imagine a level set in a raging thunderstorm, where the surface is choppy and churned by rain. If Nintendo gave Sub Wars the budget of a Mario Kart or Smash Bros., it could look just as good as it plays -- which would be something amazing, indeed.
So here are my questions to you:
1) Do you think Sub Wars could be nursed into a strong multiplayer franchise for Nintendo, given the right support?
2) What do you think of this game's free-to-play model, with the free version, premium version, and ship shop?
3) What do you think of this game's style of multiplayer -- on its own terms, and in terms of how it complements Nintendo's other offerings?
