Song of the Deep

Lore & Background

Song of the Deep was conceived by Insomniac's chief creative officer Brian Hastings as a passion project, inspired by a desire to create a heroine his daughter could look up to—one defined by intelligence, creativity, kindness, and resilience rather than typical video game tropes. The game was developed by a small team of fifteen people at Insomniac, which Hastings compared to the original Spyro development team in terms of enthusiasm and cohesion. The narrative draws from Irish mythology, and its visual style was influenced by the Cliffs of Moher.

The player controls Merryn, a 12-year-old girl whose fisherman father goes missing at sea. After a vision of him trapped in the ocean depths, she crafts a submarine and gear to explore an underwater world where many of her father's tall tales prove true. The game is a two-dimensional side-scroller emphasizing exploration and puzzle solving over combat, with a narrator describing events from Merryn's point of view. Insomniac worked with Sterling Publishing to release a companion children's book.

GameStop published and distributed the game through its stores and on Steam under the GameTrust Games division. The partnership originated from a conversation between Insomniac's Ted Price and GameStop's Mark Stanley about a year before the game's announcement. GameStop committed to staying out of the creative process, while Insomniac retained full creative control. GameStop also considered using its ThinkGeek division for tie-in merchandise.

Reader's Guide

Song of the Deep is notable as GameStop's first direct foray into game publishing under its GameTrust brand, marking a shift for the retail chain from distributor to publisher. The game received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic, with critics praising its detail and creativity but noting frustrations with boss encounters and puzzles. Slant Magazine gave the PlayStation 4 version four stars out of five, while Digital Spy awarded the Xbox One version three-and-a-half stars. Metro rated the same version six out of ten, calling the puzzles frustrating despite the charming story and setting. By August 2016, GameStop reported 120,000 units sold, with about 80% from retail sales. The game's development by a small team at Insomniac, its focus on exploration over combat, and its inspiration from Irish mythology and children's literature distinguish it within the Metroidvania genre. Its legacy includes demonstrating a new publishing model for GameStop and providing a heroine designed to embody positive qualities for young players.

Did You Know?

• Song of the Deep was developed by a fifteen-person team at Insomniac Games.
• The game's narrative was inspired by Irish mythology and its visual appearance from the Cliffs of Moher.
• Insomniac worked with Sterling Publishing to release a companion children's book for the title.