Submerged (video game)

Submerged is a third-person exploration game set in a post-apocalyptic world, developed and published by indie studio Uppercut Games. It launched in 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with an iOS version arriving in 2016. The game belongs to the "ecogames" category, which examines the consequences of climate change. In the game, players take on the role of a young girl named Miku. She navigates a flooded cityscape made up of half-submerged buildings, using a rowboat to travel between ruins and climbing the structures themselves. The gameplay focuses purely on exploration—there are no enemies, no combat, and Miku cannot die. The story unfolds in a dystopian future where global warming has caused widespread flooding. Miku and her younger brother Taku arrive in a partially sunken city after fleeing their home. Their father, struggling with alcoholism following their mother’s death, became violent, leaving Taku seriously injured. They take shelter in a clock tower, and Miku sets out in her motorized fishing boat to find supplies. She climbs buildings to locate relief crates that were parachuted in during the crisis. Throughout her journey, she is watched by aquatic beings—survivors of the city who have mutated to adapt to the water. Miku discovers she is also mutating. After finding the final crate and helping Taku recover, the mutants perform a ritual that reverses her mutation, restoring her humanity. The siblings then leave the city behind. The development team, made up of former BioShock developers, drew inspiration from *Journey* and *Shadow of the Colossus*, as well as a *Grand Theft Auto IV* mod that submerged Liberty City. Director Ed Orman noted that while the flooded setting wasn’t initially intended as a climate change commentary, it became relevant as sea levels rise. Originally planned for 2014, the game was delayed to 2015. At launch, discounts were offered to PlayStation Plus, Xbox Gold members, and Steam users. An iOS version, subtitled *Miku and the Sunken City*, came out in 2016, and a Nintendo Switch port followed in 2019. IGN gave the game a 6.8 out of 10, describing it as a non-violent, sometimes beautiful exploration adventure set in a strange, mysterious future.