Underwater
And predictably enough, the underwater setting also owes its roots to Mario, with this particular one originating from the very first Super Mario Bros. game on the NES itself. Again, like the ice setting, the underwater setting made sense in platformers, because the water’s viscosity and inherent buoyancy and resistance really messed the traditional notions of platforming up, making for some tough levels. But now, underwater settings have started to crop up a bit more frequently, although thankfully, unlike the previous two,
they almost always make sense in context. So while it’s true that Zelda has made liberal use of this setting, particularly since the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time, it has always justified its usage. Bioshock made an excellent and pseudo-philosophical plotline thanks to its underwater setting. Monster Hunter Tri featured incredibly exciting underwater monster battle sequences. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, flawed as they were, made good use of the underwater setting with the Dive TM. The upcoming Mario Kart 7 turns underwater to mix the traditional Mario Kart formula up. So yeah, the underwater setting is slightly overused- but at least it’s not as abused as the desert and frozen wasteland settings are. I swear though, the minute I see an underwater segment in a shooter, I will scream.
