Sub-Verge is an atmospheric narrative puzzle about a sinking sub and it’s terrifying

I’m partial to a summer dip in the sea, but I’m wary of it, that watery abyss hued blue. It’s all power and tumult, life-giver and life-taker. The thought of electing to plunge deep below the surface in a rickety submarine makes me wince. That’s probably why Sub-Verge, an atmospheric narrative puzzler from developer Interactive Tragedy, had me on edge for its short but eventful playtime.

As a diver encased in a leaking SubVee submersible deep underwater, you’ll meet a crew of bickering renegade divers. All are suspicious of you, but are divided about whether to punt you back to the surface or drag you down to their underground base. The self-elected head diver, the jobs-worth harping on about ‘directives’, and more – there’s a rich cast of characters all vying for your attention. 

The game plays out in dialogues where you steer the conversation by extending handles to the divers in specific orders. In the later part of the game, you’re juggling the opinion (or lack of) of eight different divers. Botch the order and you’ll hit a stalemate, wasting time as water trickles into your sub. There’s only one solution to this puzzle and time is ticking.

The core aim is to settle on a consensus whatever that may be by manipulating and leveraging alliances, betrayal, fears, agendas, and emotions. What unfolds is a series of conversational puzzles that test your reasoning skills but also your aptitude for persuasion. Every solution is in the dialogue itself, a maze of interpersonal dynamics and relationships. Sense a seed of conflict between two divers? Use it to your advantage. Sometimes the person strong enough to take action is your best chance for survival regardless of their position or argument.

While these quarrels and spats are underway, there’s a darker danger lurking in the water, a clawed eldritch monstrosity known as the Krake. The divers fear it, so you probably should, too. To boot, there are surface-dwelling allies beaming down clues and advice to help you. And as you get deeper into these conversations and dilemmas, you can choose to rebel, side with the Below or the Surfacers with multiple endings to discover.

It’s incredibly tense stuff even though much of Sub-Verge’s interactivity comes down to sparse mouse clicks. Add to that a suitably discomforting ambient soundtrack to heighten the game’s unique, claustrophobic atmosphere. It’s out today for PC via Steam and I highly recommend giving it a whirl if you’re partial to narrative indies that push the boat out. Just don’t let the conversation get too deep, quite literally, as the game’s clever tagline implores.