Track Creatures, Survey Wrecks, and Explore Vents All Around the World’s Oceans
Today, developer sqr3lab is breaching from the ocean to announce that its deep-sea exploration simulation game, subROV: Underwater Discoveries, is coming soon to Windows PC via Steam Early Access. Brought to life by a one-man development operation, subROV: Underwater Discoveries recreates the experience of deep-sea exploration without some of the complexities of a true-to-life simulation. Soon, players will take control of their submarine Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV), and embark on dives based on locations all around the world!
In subROV: Underwater Discoveries, players chart unknown regions, sample hydrothermal vents, find shipwrecks, study aquatic species ranging from fish to coral, and more! Experienced through the mysterious depths of the ocean, the game blends realism with intuitive controls to create a truly one-of-a-kind approachable sub-simulation. An ocean full of wonder awaits!
subROV: Underwater Discoveries is developed by former Frontier Software developer and sound designer José Luis González Castro, with support from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and with partial funding from a National Science Foundation BIO-OCE grant. The game is inspired by José’s search for a novel setting to tinker with sound design and his fascination with ocean exploration. José quickly realized there was a Marianas Trench-sized gap in the simulation genre, and set out to create a game that could capture the wonder he felt, and show people what lies beneath the surface of our oceans.
“Deep-sea expeditions, like those from Schmidt Ocean, are an invaluable resource to communicate scientific progress, as they allow people to see discoveries being made in real-time. They are an indirect experience, though,” said José Luis González Castro, Founder of sqr3lab. “With subROV: Underwater Discoveries, I wanted to give people agency to recreate these dives themselves, and hopefully get them excited about ocean exploration.”
Key features of subROV: Underwater Discoveries include:
- Sim-ply Submarining: Take control of an oceanographic vessel, complete with a full-ocean-depth rated ROV, and an array of advanced tools including sonar, AI-assisted scanner, articulated arm, temperature sensors, landers, sediment corers, and other scientific equipment.
- Choose Your Own Ocean Adventure: Every dive tells a story. Each dive has loose objectives, but you’re always able to explore freely to your heart’s content
- Ocean Master(y): The ocean is full of mysteries waiting to be discovered! Rendezvous with ocean buoys and download scientific data and information on new points of interest. Build up your findings gallery, gain experience from completing objectives, and climb your way up the ranks from trainee to Dive Master!
- Creatures of the Deep: From black corals to glass sponges, chimaeras to sperm whales, there are dozens of aquatic life forms to encounter and study! Each one is accurately modeled — with many being brought to a videogame for the first time ever — to make the diving experience as true to life as possible.
