GDC 2011: Steel Diver Hands-On (Nintendo 3DS)
By:
Andre Segers
|
March 3, 2011, 4:55 pm

Many Nintendo fans have been clamoring for new a new IP from their cherished company and Nintendo has finally delivered with the submarine game, Steel Diver. And yet, it seems many fans have already cast this one as an impending ship wreck, which is a shame as they might be missing out on a gem.

 

 
Originally designed for the Nintendo DS, Steel Diver wound up being shelved by Nintendo until the 3DS brought new life to the concept. Basically, the game is divided into two halves. The first is a side-scrolling underwater adventure, where you control your Submarine by using various controls on the touchscreen. These controls include a pair of levers that dictate how fast you travel forwards and backwards as well as ascending and descending.  Joining them is a wheel that changes the tilt of your ship as well as a set of torpedo launchers that can be used to destroy obstacles. You’re basically controlling the submarine indirectly, with every adjustment taking a few moments to fully set in. It lends the game the feeling that you’re actually commanding this ship instead of strictly playing a game about one.

After reaching the end of a level, you’re treated to the second portion of the game: periscope mode. In this fully 3D mode, you physically spin around looking through the 3DS as if it were a periscope to identify and take out enemy ships. Once one is in sight, you’ll have to head it off with some torpedoes, taking into account the target’s speed and the time it’ll take for your torpedoes to deploy.
 

 
In either mode, the presentation is fantastic. For instance, taking damage will cause leaks to spring on the touchscreen’s control panel, which you’ll have to seal by pressing on them with the stylus. In addition, the 3D effects are very convincing, particularly in periscope mode where the screen is overlaid with the outline of a periscope appearing up close, and  the actual action taking place far in the distance. The graphics during this mode are also impressive, as the rocking tidal waves and water spray created by surfacing subs really conveyed the nature of the dangerous waters we were in.

There’s also a strategy Battleship-like multiplayer component, but we didn’t have a chance to check it out. Keep an eye out for Steel Diver when it launches in the US alongside the Nintnedo 3DS on March 27th.
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