Stranded Deep is part of May’s lineup of free games for PlayStation Plus. It’s a survival game that’s done the rounds on PC, consoles, and streaming platforms before. Now seems like an odd time to be getting into it, but then there’s never a truly great time to get into yet another survival title. This one is slightly different though. You’re not completely abandoned on an island with nothing. It’s akin to Subnautica, giving you an archipelago to explore, and that’s slightly more exciting than just another survival entry.
You’re thrown into Stranded Deep after a mysterious plane crash. Exactly the same as the opening to quite a few games I can think of. The difference here is that you’re not restricted to one single island. You’ve got a big area of the ocean to work with, and it’s littered with all sorts of goodies. You need to survive, so you need to be able to eat and drink, which are your first priorities. The game has some ingenious solutions to this, and it’s a satisfying gameplay loop to get into. Moving on from that though, you want to explore the islands and wrecks around you so that you can potentially escape.
Obviously, the plane wreck from your crash is your main source of parts. However, there are also shipwrecks to explore around the area. The issue is, sharks have moved in to make their homes in these wrecks as well. It’s not the best situation for someone that is trying to actively get out of the area. You’re hemmed in by dangerous open waters, storms, and the aforementioned toothy monsters. Pretty much everything is working against you, but if you persevere then you’ll be able to break out soon enough.
I really love the idea of this game. I’ve never played it, but I think May might be the time to do so. I love survival games, and I love games that allow you to explore the ocean. It looks like a really interesting game and one that I’ll enjoy. That’s why May is almost certainly the time for me and other survival fans to jump into Stranded Deep for the first time.
