Depths

Venture down into the deep ocean and survive to uncover secrets long lost. Humanity's future might be at stake. Depths is a 2D adventure game that provides a fun experience, allowing the player to embark on a quest to restore a flooded world and learn more about ocean life at every level of the sea. 

Depths also aims to raise awareness about the importance of climate change and ocean clean up efforts. Upon monetization, a portion of proceeds will go to organizations that are actively implementing solutions to these issues. 

The Story

You wake in an abandoned laboratory, unsure of the last time you fell asleep. Your room is dark and dreary but today the gloom is offset by a clamor outside of your door. You rise to the sounds of screaming and shouting as heavy footsteps rush past your room. Adrenaline floods your veins as you rush to arm yourself and heed the call to escape as a frantic voice shouts orders over the intercom.

You run outside and then you hear it, otherworldly sounds fill the air. Aliens have invaded the fortress of Nautio Templum,  the last human settlement above the surface of the ocean. You fight back feelings of despair and rush for the escape submarines.

As you run, you are awash with curiosity. You do not remember much but you do know that you were never allowed to go beyond the fortress’s walls. You were not even allowed to go beyond the doors that were bolted shut to feel the sun on your skin. You had never seen the sun for yourself, you’ve only heard of it from the stories of elders long gone. As you run, defeating any alien that you can, memories come to you in waves.

They say that somewhere there are machines, spinning and churning to reduce the amount of CO2 in the air. They say that in fifty more years or so, the water levels will start to  go down because of the bioengineering that took place before the Resource War. They also say that  in 300 years, we will enter a new war, fighting for land to start anew. You offer a sad smile, after what has happened at the fortress today, even a dismal future such as that seems unlikely. 

Your thoughts remain cloudy as you reach the escape submarines, keeping your eyes straight ahead to ignore the bodies of the fallen besides you, feeling grateful that you do not recognize any of the faces and feeling fearful that your forgotten memories may contain information of who they were. You open the hatch and shut it, unwilling to look back at your concrete prison. You want more than this, you want to learn the secrets of the world you are trapped in. You want to have hope, true hope.

You flip the switch, activate the submarine and venture into the depths of the ocean.

You find strange creatures in the ocean some passive and others aggressive, seeking to destroy your submarine. You manage to maneuver past them until you encounter a creature that is unlike the others. This creature has skin made of metal and a cannon aimed directly at your vessel. Upon defeating the swordfish, you venture into an abandoned domed city. Deep within, a dark presence lingers.

A cultist, one of the Dwellers who believed that the Great Flood was punishment for mankind’s willingness to ignore nature, resides within, claiming to be the product of humanity trying to overstay its welcome. The faith of the Dwellers has become near and dear to the cultists heart and he makes it his mission to warn you not to venture further. 

You hear the words of the cultist but you refuse to listen. Instead you challenge the cultist hoping to defeat him. Nothing will stand in the way of the hope you have in your heart. 

Notes from the Developers

This is an early prototype of Depths. The game is still under development. If you play our game please let us know! We would love to hear your thoughts. 

Depths was developed by Ashley Hart, David Mason, Joshua Claybaugh, and Thomas Smith.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Troy Crawford for the music he produced for us, Justin Esguerra for the music and sound effects he provided and Jessica Reed for the concept art that inspired the design of the alien enemies. 

We would also like to thank Dr. Heinrich and Dr. Leinecker for advising us during the senior design process at UCF and our three committee members.