Submerged: Hidden Depths - A Reference Guide

An illustrated reference guide for exploring the Hidden Depths. Learn what Submerged has in store for you, find maps, take a crash course in immersive audio, track achievements, or even learn how to back up your saves.

Introduction

Submerged: Hidden Depths is a short, combat-free, accessible third-person exploration game, and the continuation of the widely acclaimed 2015 game Submerged. Prior knowledge of the series is welcome, but optional.

Much has happened in the seven years since the original, but Miku and her younger brother Taku have found reason for a new adventure! While amazing visuals are assured, this reference guide should help you find if Submerged: Hidden Depths is right for you, or even where to find a penguin! This guide is intended to act as a companion resource to the game, but if instead you are looking for step-by-step guidance, please consider Csontzuzo's thorough walkthrough.

Although care has been taken to avoid discussing elements specific to the story, even looking at someone else's map of an exploration game can be its own kind of spoiler. Use caution then when considering the material beyond the General Information below as most sections will contain maps or references to things you may have yet to encounter.

Please leave a comment if you have questions or concerns about Submerged: Hidden Depths that aren't addressed below.

General Information

Submerged: Hidden Depths is a game about exploration told through two stories: one which explores the history of the submerged city you're in and another about the personal history of the player characters, siblings Miku & Taku. The city history is revealed by finding single-image Diaries, and personal history (via the main story) is advanced by finding Seeds, both of which are found around the city. All locations can be visited in any order and at any time, so play however it suits you.

• Nothing that happens in the story part of the game will affect your ability to explore.
  
• You cannot fall, get hurt, miss a secret or achievement, or screw anything up. If your character does get stuck, a "Restart Area" option is available in the menu that will return you to the beginning of that area without losing your progress.
  
• There is no jump button, so just move forward and your character will jump, climb, swing, or slide automatically when they need to.
  
• There are no timed elements in the entire game, although animals in motion can only be (optionally) identified while they are close enough for a prompt to appear.
  
• All achievements can be earned in a single playthrough.
  
• There isn't a "New Game+" mode, but you can continue exploring and earning achievements after completing the story.

Gameplay Tips

• Remember that your character will walk forward in the direction they are facing, and not necessarily the direction you are pressing.
  
• Most areas are designed in a circular but linear way to avoid making players have to backtrack. Use this to your advantage to easily return to the start of an area after exploring.
  
• Collectible counts for a given area are listed on your map. A message will pop up to say, "All Nearby Objects Discovered" when you've collected the last object in an area.
  
• Any Diaries available in a given location will be added to the map automatically when you disembark there.
  
• Bringing a Seed to a nearby Black Plant will always return you to The Dome. Be sure to finish up any business you have before doing so if you aren't planning on coming back.
  
• You can still find everything easily without using the telescope, either via Lookout towers or getting off your boat at new places.
  
• When your boat is attached to anything with a rope, you will always be moving (and can only move) in the correct direction.

Saving Your Game

Submerged: Hidden Depths utilizes a single save state linked to your Steam profile via the Steam Cloud. Although the menu has options to save when you exit, the game also saves every time you get on or off your boat, pick something up, or open the menu.

If you wish to back up your save manually you can find the files you need here:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\SubmergedHiddenDepths\Steam\Saved\SaveGames\

Although it is not officially supported, to make a manual back up of your "save file" you will need to preserve both SUB_SG_0.sav and SubProfile.sav from the location above. Restore a backup save by replacing both files while on the game's main menu (not while just paused) and then restart the game. Be warned that I ran into some issues doing this, so juggle your saves at your own risk.

Changing The Language

According to Steam user EddieK74, the game language can be changed in the Steam client before starting the game. To do so, right-click the title in your Steam library, select Properties, and then click the Language section. If you want to learn about the language used in the game, please support EddieK74's fantastic guide which directly translates Submerged: Hidden Depths' runic alphabet!

About Audio Cues

Every type of element in Submerged: Hidden Depths has its own audio signature, and sometimes you will hear many overlapping at once. If you are in the business of collecting, being able to identify the sounds you are hearing can be a tremendous asset as you explore. Consider headphones or otherwise making sure you can hear the audio well before exploring so you can appreciate and benefit from this immersive new gameplay element.

If you are just boating around, listen for the call of different creatures who might be swimming (or flying) nearby. If you hear bubbling and a small melody, look around and see where you can dig for an ancient relic. Or maybe you hear kind of staticky wind chimes; that's an upgrade for your boat!

When you're exploring inside there are other sounds to listen for:

Seeds
On their own, you can identify Seeds by listening for a steady mid-high tone with a female vocalizing. When carried, they play a slow music box melody that accelerates as you near a Black Plant.

Diary
If you hear a high-pitched ethereal tone you are probably near a Diary. As you get closer, you can begin to hear a marimba melody and paper rustling.

Style Fragment
While hunting for seeds, if you hear what sounds like a violin played backwards then keep an eye out for a conch shell with Style! Check the section below to learn what they can unlock.

Flowers
You can recognize the Flower in each major location when you hear a playful xylophone melody.

Remnants
What's left of that which came before you, you can identify human Remnants through their steady droning, echoes from a different time.

Black Plant
Overgrown and insatiable, you know you are nearing the Black Plant when you hear its gurgling, rhythmic pulsing. I try and come up with concise descriptions for these sounds, but this one really sounds like a giant's footsteps slowly vibrating the ground...

Buoy
The low tolling of a buoy can point you in the right direction if you ever get lost!

Seeds & Location Info

There are 9 major locations with Seeds in the city, excluding The Dome which is Miku & Taku's home. They can be visited in any order, and can be teleported freely between after visiting them in turn. Each location has its own peculiarities, but they all share common elements. Each contains a shrine with a Seed, has four pictogram Diaries and nine collectible Style fragments to find, a unique flower you can harvest for a Garden in The Dome, and -- excepting the Mandanhall Public Library -- a different kind of exotic animal Remnant!

Helpful Steam user Chazz the Elder points out that major locations containing Seeds and Diaries can be easily identified at a distance, and without using the map, by ragged red pennants hanging from a high point over each area. Look for arrows on the buoys floating around the perimeters of these main locations to help guide you to each entrance.

The table below lists the amenities available at each location:

Location	Style	Animal	Flower	Diaries	Shrine
Columbia Gardens	Bun (Hair)	Penguin	Teal	45-48	Hair Driers
Jastra Incorporated	Reed (Boat)	Deer	Fuschia	17-20	Televisions
Lilliput Power Plant	Braids (Hair)	Crab	Orange	25-28	Neon
Mandanhall Public Library	Yacht (Boat)	-	Yellow	53-56	Alarm Clocks
The Marinelli	Tinny (Boat)	Bear	Blue	33-36	Computers
O'Higgins Village Condominiums	Celebration (Clothing)	Lizard	Violet	09-12	Vacuum Cleaners
Siachen Cathedral	Formal (Clothing)	Seal	Purple	01-04	Telephones
Thwaites Center	Climber (Clothing)	Squirrel	Blue/White/Yellow	09-12	Radios
Vattna Hotel	Triple (Hair)	Frog	White/Violet	41-44	Circular Fans

Collecting all Seeds and the collectibles nearby will earn you the Botanist, Conclusion, and Outfitter achievements.

Diaries

There are 56 total Diaries in the game. Each one reveals a pictogram depicting a point in the city's history. For each sequence of four collected, a summary of an important event is revealed. While you can find 4 sequential Diaries in each of the 9 main areas, the rest are scattered around the city to find as you explore.

Getting off your boat at any building will automatically reveal any Diaries it contains on your map. They also emit a high-pitched ethereal tone when one is in the area that escalates to a marimba melody with paper rustling as you get closer to the table they are on.

01-10

01: Siachen Cathedral
02: Siachen Cathedral
03: Siachen Cathedral
04: Siachen Cathedral
05: Between Siachen Cathedral and O'Higgins Village
06: West of Siachen Cathedral
07: Between Siachen Cathedral and Mandanhall Library
08: SW of Jastra Incorporated
09: O'Higgins Village Condominiums
10: O'Higgins Village Condominiums

11-20

11: O'Higgins Village Condominiums
12: O'Higgins Village Condominiums
13: West of O'Higgins Village
14: NE os O'Higgins Village
15: NNW of The Dome
16: West of Columbia Gardens
17: Jastra Incorporated
18: Jastra Incorporated
19: Jastra Incorporated
20: Jastra Incorporated

21-30

21: SE of Jastra Incorporated
22: SE of The Dome
23: NNW of Thwaites Center
24: ESE of Thwaites Center
25: Lilliput Power Plant
26: Lilliput Power Plant
27: Lilliput Power Plant
28: Lilliput Power Plant
29: East of Lilliput Power
30: North of Lilliput Power

31-40

31: NE of Vattna Hotel
32: SE of Vattna Hotel
33: The Marinelli
34: The Marinelli
35: The Marinelli
36: The Marinelli
37: SE of The Marinelli
38: NW of The Marinelli
39: SW of The Marinelli
40: NW of Columbia Gardens

41-50

41: Vattna Hotel
42: Vattna Hotel
43: Vattna Hotel
44: Vattna Hotel
45: Columbia Gardens
46: Columbia Gardens
47: Columbia Gardens
48: Columbia Gardens
49: Thwaites Center
50: Thwaites Center

51-56

51: Thwaites Center
52: Thwaites Center
53: Mandanhall Public Library
54: Mandanhall Public Library
55: Mandanhall Public Library
56: Mandanhall Public Library

The map below shows the locations of all 56 Diaries. Finding them all will earn you the Historian achievement.

Exploration

Landmarks

You can find a circle of glowing orbs near each of the unique Landmarks you find. Interact with that circle to identify its Landmark. Find all 10 to earn the Visitor achievement.

Lookouts

There are 10 tall lookout towers scattered around the city that can be climbed to quickly spot collectibles nearby. Look for the mysterious eye symbol to identify them, where you will find a convenient elevator to the top! Start a fire atop each tower to have its nearby collectibles added automatically to your map. Interacting with each one will award you with the Cartographer achievement!

Boat Upgrades

There are Broken boats littered around the city that can be instantly salvaged to allow you to "Boost" for a little longer. You can find them by listening for wind chimes on the sea. Find all 26 to get the Shipwright achievement along with maximum Boost time.

Relics

What's that bubbling sound? Dredge priceless antiquities from the deep anytime you spot a circle of bubbling water, then take them back to The Dome to display in the Gallery. Finding all 20 nets you the honorary Salvager achievement!

Creatures

There are 20 kinds of non-human Remnants for you to encounter as you explore the submerged city. At least half of these creatures will be in your direct path while uncovering your personal story. When they are nearby, use the interact key when prompted (default key: "E" or controller button: "A") to log the creature in your Journal.

If you are having trouble finding one of the rarer creatures circling the outer perimeters of specific locations, try switching directions or even just staying still.

	01	Humpback	SW part of the map
	02	Orca	Outer perimeter of Columbia Gardens
	03	Shark	Outer perimeter of Lilliput Power Plant
	04	Giant Squid	Outer perimeter of Vattna Hotel (only visible from above)
	05	Dolphin	Common
	06	Manta Ray	Common
	07	Flying Fish	Common
	08	Swordfish	Common
	09	Pelican	Common
	10	Puffin	Common
	11	Beluga	Outer perimeter of Thwaites Center
	12	Kraken	Outer perimeter of The Marinelli
	13	Deer	Inside Jastra Incorporated
	14	Squirrel	Inside Thwaites Center
	15	Lizard	Inside O'Higgins Village Condominiums
	16	Bear	Inside The Marinelli
	17	Seal	Inside Siachen Cathedral
	18	Penguin	Inside Columbia Gardens
	19	Crab	Inside Lilliput Power Plant
	20	Frog	Inside Vattna Hotel

Interact with each creature type to be awarded the Zoologist achievement.

Achievements

There are 14 achievements to be earned while exploring the Hidden Depths. Progress toward achievements can be tracked in the Journal, while collectible counts for each area are displayed on the left side of the in-game map.

Except for the unmissable achievement for completing the campaign, achievements can be earned at any time during gameplay, independent of story progress.

Unmissable

Conclusion
Finish the Campaign

Optional

Botanist
Collect all Flowers
There is one flower in each of the 9 main locations.

Cartographer
Use all Lookouts
Light the beacons atop all 10 towers.

Costumier
Change Body Style
Styles can be equipped through the Styles tab of the Journal.

Curator
View a Relic at the Home Base
Interact with a Relic dredged from the sea in The Dome's Gallery.

Decorator
Put a Flower in your hair
Add a Flower to the garden in the Dome and then interact with it.

Hairdresser
Change Hair Style
Styles can be equipped through the Styles tab of the Journal.

Historian
Collect all Diaries
There are 56 in all.

Outfitter
Collect all Styles
Unlock all 9 by collecting Style fragments in the main Seed locations.

Refurbisher
Change Boat Style
Styles can be equipped through the Styles tab of the Journal.

Salvager
Collect all Relics
Dredge all 20 from the bubbling deep!

Shipwright
Collect all Boat Boosts
Each of 26 will let you boost a little longer.

Visitor
Visit all Landmarks
There are 10 to find.

Zoologist
Collect all Creatures
And by "collect" they mean interact with them when they appear. No pets allowed!

Disclaimer

All images in this guide contain content that is property of the publisher, Uppercut Games Pty Ltd. Their inclusion here is for reference only, and does not imply the developer's affiliation with or endorsement of this guide or its contents. All map images have been watermarked by M. Doucet, the author of this guide, and may not be re-used elsewhere on or outside of Steam without consent from the author.

[M. Doucet]

@Borum - Updated. Thank you!!

[Borum]

Find all 36 (26!) to get the Shipwright

[kutab_zade]

Thanx.)

[M. Doucet]

@Chazz the Elder - Thank you for confirming the user-selected guide color is applicable to these markers as well. I updated the text to say red, as defaults should still be a safe base reference for those who may manually change these colors in-game. Helpful to know!

[Chazz the Elder]

Confirmed - if you change the "guide color" in the settings, the pennants, the "shelters" on the tops of the lookouts, and the lookout "eye" mark all change color to match. There are likely others as well, but I had only one thing left to find this go-round and that's all the places I looked at...

And... while I don't think there are pennants atop the "seed" structures, they are still easy to find because a "black plant" stretches out from the Dome towards each of them. Follow any black root out from the dome, you'll end up at a buoy that will lead you to a seed that needs help. Once it's reunited, that root turns green right back to the dome.

[Chazz the Elder]

I'm always glad to help! I will point out that you've got a small error - it's a red pennant, at least in my build. The color of the progress cue can be changed from its default red in the game options, and while I haven't yet tried it, it's possible that the progress cue color is also the banner color.

[M. Doucet]

@Chazz the Elder - Thank you for more helpful hints! I added your tips above, which are great examples of visual accessibility. This series is really great for visual cues, and replaying without using the map is a fun "New Game+" substitute.

[Chazz the Elder]

I'll add a few small notes about visual cues: ruins that can be entered, and that contain Diary pages, will also show a ragged red pennant from a high point. The buoys also have wooden pointers that point towards the entrance to the nearest seed area. And Lookout towers have a red "eye" logo, and will show flames or smoke columns from their spires once they have been activated.