Insomniac Games’ newest title is Song of the Deep, their deep sea themed metroidvania title that released earlier this week. Song of the Deep follows the adventures of a young girl, the daughter of a fisherman whose father goes missing, and who then decides to search for him at the bottom of the ocean by crafting herself a submarine.

It’s a heartwarming tale, and it is one that is worth seeing through to its end- but given the game’s structure, that might be hard for a lot of people, who may find themselves stuck, and at a loss as to where to go to next. If you’re one of those people, stuck, then you’ll find this guide useful. This is a complete video walkthrough of the entire game- however, be mindful that this walkthrough will spoil the entire story for you, so if you’d rather experience that story for yourself? Well, it’s best to not risk watching the walkthrough.

Song of the Deep opens its scene much like a fairytale story and continues that children’s book theme throughout the game. A young girl named Merryn lived for the tales her father told her of his adventures out at see; and one day on his trip he went out and never returned home to his daughter. Merryn believes her father is still lost at sea and decides to make it her duty to go out into the dangers waters and find him. She builds a submarine from spare parts and sets off on an adventure told through vivid visuals and a voice over that is always lurking close by.

"With its charming story told throughout the experience of exploring a whole other world beneath the sea, there’s a whole lot to explore with some of the best 2D art styles I’ve ever seen."

If you’re big on side-scrolling adventures this game may sound awfully familiar. With a fairytale flair and level design, Song of the Deep feels as though it pays heavy homage to Ubisoft’s Child of Light that centers around a very similar concept. Add to that a story teller with a voice over who describes almost every moment along that way, and you have that Bastion style, as well. Along with collecting items, opening locked paths by going back and forth as you progress and unlock abilities along the way and you have some Metroid also. Song of the Deep seems as though it has all these great ideas in one game, but it never accomplishes anything that made those three games so charming and adventurous.

With its charming story told throughout the experience of exploring a whole other world beneath the sea, there’s a whole lot to explore with some of the best 2D art styles I’ve ever seen. The colors of the sea radiate in lustrous hues of purples, blues, greens, grays, and so much many others. The breath of the palette used to visually stimulate the senses is magnificent and never loses your concentration of just how gorgeous this world is. Like so many pirate tales of lost cities, sunken ships, and buried treasures, Song of the Deep gives life to those tales and allows you to not only see what it felt like to hear these stories as a kid, but to actually live them.

"As the theme of this game has been, the enemies are often one dimensional."

Starting out with scrapped together submarine, — the true star of the game– Merryn slowly begins to find new pieces deep under the ocean, building up her tiny water shooter. Eventually, the submarine can become a mini-force that can take down enemies, strong walls, harpoon, shoot, and so much more. There are moments when Merryn ventures out of the submarine for short bursts, but don’t expect that to happen too often.

Combat in the game relies on the submarine using a grapple-like device and attacking dangerous sea life such as Jellyfish, mean fish, etc. Devices, as stated before become better and more diverse later on as you discover more and unlock more items such as missiles and more. The mechanics of the combat are good but not great, as aiming and moving with one stick works, but those water mechanics kill a lot of the momentum. As the theme of this game has been, the enemies are often one dimensional. You can try and figure out the best ways to attack them by taking your time, but it almost always comes back as doing the simplest solution: hit them with the grapple; enemy bosses aren’t much different either, which is a major disappointment as some of them look truly terrifying.

"Tighter controls that don’t rely on the realism of the water’s sway would have been appreciated."

Song of the Deep lingers heavily on puzzles that are often too tedious and often have little reward for the amount of time it takes just to do the simplest thing. This all involves the somewhat uninteresting controls that just don’t seem as though they want to cooperate very well. Yes, Insomniac Games understands the flux, tug and pull of water and they incorporated that realism into this game decently. However, taking a game of this magnitude where you have to dive through narrow paths carrying sensitive materials that can go off at the slightest touch will become frustrating and irritating. Tighter controls that don’t rely on the realism of the water’s sway would have been appreciated. Fortunately, the puzzles do evolve later on as you progress through the game and become much more interesting.

Speaking of Child of Light and Bastion, Song of the Deep has similar taste in its music. It’s captivating, forlorn, and heart wrenching keys tug at the heart but never let you think Merryn has or will ever give up hope to find her father. Add to that a thrilling combat sense that lighten things up when danger emerges and you are left with some great tunes.

After dipping your feet in the water of Song of the Deep for a couple of hours, you’ll realize that you just don’t want to stay in for too long. Its thrilling visuals and interesting art-style, mixed with its alright combat and irritating puzzles leave this game stuck in the mud.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Ghostbusters

We know what you’re thinking. “Ghostbusters? The game based on the remake? Are you serious?” Well, the good news is that FireForge Games action title, which supports co-op, will feature a brand new cast of characters. In fact, they seem to be high school students. We can sense your enthusiasm waning but hey, Extreme Ghostbusters had high school students and it was a pretty good show. Yes? No? July 12th is the date so yeah. Get hyped.

Furi

Unfamiliar with The Game Bakers’ Furi? It’s every bit as trippy as it is compelling. This third person hack and slash title is comprised of nothing but boss fights, one-on-one duels that rely entirely on skill and your reflexes as you battle for freedom. If that weren’t enough, Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki is in charge of character designs, lending even more flair in the visuals and combat. Keep an eye out on July 5th for its PC and PS4 release.

Necropolis

Harebrained Schemes’ next big game…isn’t a Shadowrun title. That’s cause for attention but Necropolis is more than a deviation from the norm. It’s a third person action RPG set in a labyrinth full of treasure and danger. Not only will the environments be constantly changing but you’ll even encounter other dead adventurers as enemies. If that weren’t enough, up to four players can traverse into the labyrinth together, hopefully holding hands as they die.

Song of the Deep

Insomniac Games’ Song of the Deep isn’t quite what you’d expect from the developer behind Sunset Overdrive and Ratchet & Clank. As its first game with GameTrust, GameStop’s publishing initiative, Song of the Deep sees players as Merryn heading under the sea to rescue her father. With a rudimentary submarine, Merryn will encounter various phenomenon in what’s essentially a Metroidvania-esque adventure. Song of the Deep will be out on PS4, PC and Xbox One on July 12th.

I Am Setsuna

An RPG on the theme of sadness may not necessarily tickle your fancy but I Am Setsuna – which is out on July 19th for PS4, PC and PS Vita – will channel the golden age of RPGs as per Square Enix. How will that translate to the West? Regardless, it’s an old-school RPG from Square Enix’s new Tokyo RPG Factory. That’s reason enough to check it out.

Obduction

If you’re a fan of the Miller brothers and their Myst series, then Obduction is a return of sorts. Cyan Worlds’ first person adventure title sees the player kidnapped by aliens and exploring several foreign worlds in an attempt to return home. Along with the traditional puzzle solving that we love (and loathe) Myst for, Obduction is set to feature the same visually arresting locales and laid-back exploration that its predecessor is known for. Time will how well this plays out in 2016 but you can play Obduction yourself on July 26th to find out.

Monster Hunter Generations

Released in Japan under the name Monster Hunter X, Monster Hunter Generations will be heading to North America and Europe on July 15th for the 3DS. Along with the trademark combat that the series is known for, Monster Hunter Generations will feature different hunting styles for weapons, new Hunting Arts (which essentially act as special moves that have to be charged up every once in a while). And really, it’s a Monster Hunter title. If you love those games, you’ll love this.

10 Second Ninja X

10 Second Ninja X is a fast paced sidescroller in which you need to complete each level in 10 seconds. Don’t expect any hand holding and checkpoints – what does this look like, a walk in the park? The game has 100 levels with 40 levels remastered from the original game to essentially create a brand new experience.

Man, Insomniac have been on a roll lately- after a string of disappointments near the end of the previous generation, they rebounded with the Xbox one exclusive excellent Sunset Overdrive, and they followed that up with Ratchet and Clank earlier this month- two of this generation’s best and most distinctive games were both by them.

And they aren’t stopping any time soon, either- Song of the Deep, their next game which is a Metroidvania adventure set underwater as a girl searches for her father, is going to be launching in just a few months. It’s slated for a July 12 launch, and it will be made available digitally on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

It’s a gorgeous, atmospheric game- and if Insomniac’s recent efforts are any indication, then it will play great, too. You can check out a video on the game below for yourself, and see what you think. Let us know in the comments if you intend to buy it.

True to their tease, Insomniac have revealed their newest game today- and as the tease had hinted, it’s a game that has to do with what lies beneath the surface of the sea. It’s called Song of the Deep, and it is Insomniac’s ‘passion project,’ a game that follows the adventures of 12 year old Merryn, who builds her own submarine to try and find her father, who she believes is lost under the sea.

The game has a gorgeous storybook animation style, and basically seems to be a fairytale unfolding on your screen- with Insomniac’s tech savvy and their inimitable sense of style both shining through in the first teaser trailer for the game.

Song of the Deep is going to be a platformer Metroidvania- and like other Metroidvanias, it’ll have a combination of puzzle-solving, world exploration and combat, though Insomniac made it very clear that combat will actually be de-emphasized in the game.

“[Merryn’s] not a killer. She never hurts a human over the course of the story, but if she’s just destroying things along the way, it didn’t feel like it fit the tone and the mood and who she was,” Insomniac’s Chief Creative Officer Brian Hastings told IGN. “She’s the hero because she’s smart, because she’s persistent and because she’s resilient. How do you get that across as a character? How do you have the player feel that? A lot of that was, you need to explore, you need to solve puzzles, you need to use your mind in order to get through.”

It sounds like a fascinating premise for the game- and it is something that, as Insomniac themselves have said multiple times, has the potential to induce some surprise and delight for the player. Song of the Deep is out on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC later this year. It will be available for $15, and will primarily be a digital release, though in the US, you can get a physical copy of the game at GameStop.