Feed the Deep Review: A Lovecraftian Roguelite Full of Deep Sea Mysteries (PC)

Designer of iconic mobile games Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride dives into the deep end with his first solo game. Luke Muscat has been providing regular updates on YouTube as he develops Feed the Deep; a Lovecraftian roguelite in which you manage resources, explore underwater caves and survive the abyssal depths in order to appease the threatening entity which lurks below. 

Feed the Deep released on 16th August and is available on Steam for £5.89 ($6.99). 

Story – Floating Cities

Lore is spread across the ocean floor, hidden in books containing the thoughts of various humans who had braved the unknown and perished. We don’t meet any of the characters residing in the floating cities, and aside from the odd briefing at the beginning of each level, Feed the Deep is played in isolation. The panic Feed the Deep fished out of me was impressive considering the simplistic aesthetic and friendly gameplay.

The adrenaline inducing activity of cave diving turns almost therapeutic, and while swimming in silence it is easy to forget the threat of squid-like creatures, who are able to injure and disorientate our lil’ scuba diver. If noticed beforehand, these creatures are easy to evade by simply staying out tentacles reach. For myself, the real panic set in when oxygen was low, causing me to unconsciously push harder on the thumbstick as though I’d swim faster, bump into dead ends and eventually succumb to drowning. 

Lore is scattered across the ocean floor.

Gameplay – Just Keep Swimming

Each level of Feed the Deep has the same end goal – feed the ambiguous ‘deep’, an eldritch creature lurking in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. The core gameplay loop focuses on collecting nearby resources, mainly treasure yanked from cave walls, and then returning to the shop to purchase upgrades. What the shop has to offer varies based on the mission requirements of each level, with an array of powerups which enable you to dive for longer. The most useful purchases can increase the capacity of your oxygen tank, the range of your light and the amount of objects you can pull behind before becoming over encumbered. 

Once you have replenished your oxygen supply, it is time for another dip. If successful in staying alive for a prolonged period of time, you will soon come to learn where each twisting tunnel leads to, perhaps even have a glowstick or two strategically placed on your descent. In some places the narrow passageways can be expanded with the use of bombs. Explosives are useful for opening up new routes and stronger enemies. Explosives are not so useful when your lines become tangled and got caught in the area damage. Which definitely didn’t happen to me. Multiple times. 

The shop offerings differ depending on the level objective.

Try Again

Glowsticks, bombs and the glow in the dark navigation lines are essential for fully exploring the your section of the ocean. However, the procedurally generated and roguelite nature of Feed the Deep means that memorising routes or preserving flare gun ammo may end up pointless when each death results in a new collection of caves. For the most part, I enjoyed this element of challenge. The threat of having to start over forced me to play smart and thoroughly plan ahead, and adding to the increasing water pressure.

A downside to starting in fresh water is regaining a sense of direction. Mission items and jewels can be found almost anywhere, and items that are lost when your tow line snaps can be picked up again later. What are not so easy to find twice are the handheld arcade games, somehow still functioning despite their watery grave. I only came across two of these mini games, though I have reason to believe there are more. Yet another mystery of the deep I may never solve.

Although keyboard and mouse was an option, I am clumsier when using WASD and opted to play using my DualSense. This worked perfectly and inputs were recognised with no delay, although it is worth noting that onscreen UI was designed with Xbox controllers in mind, which could potentially be confusing for those less familiar with controller layouts. Or me when I forget how to aim and shoot.  

Resilient handheld arcade games await your high score attempts.

Audio and Graphics – Spooky But Friendly 

The 2D graphics of Feed the Deep share the same bright and friendly DNA with Luke’s previous tiles, albeit evoking a greater sense of foreboding with the many eyed eldritch entities. The simple art style succeeds in creating a mesmerising water aureole effect, unless the kicking legs of the cutesy scuba diver disturbs piles of silt, in which case your screen is covered in a murky mess.

The soundtrack for Feed the Deep was composed by Cedar Jones, whose previous credits also include Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride alongside developer Luke. Each area and activity in Feed the Deep has its own piece of music, ranging from upbeat jingling and snippets of jazz, to the more intimidating, droning tones which play when you approach ‘The Deep’.

Feed the Deep was reviewed on PC with a key provided by Future Friends Games.