Review of Steel Diver

Steel Diver has a bad rep, but it truly isn't a bad game. As one of the 3DS's launch titles, Steel Diver sometimes feels more like a tech demo rather than a fully fleshed-out game. The main story mode of the game is a stylus-controlled side-scroller where you must get a submarine from one side of an extremely challenging obstacle course to another. You must defeat each level with each of the the three submarine types: small, medium, and large. This essentially gives you 21 levels to traverse - each mor difficult than the last. In addition to this mission mode, there are also time trial runs on obstacle-littered courses, gyroscope controlled periscope attack levels, and an online strategy attack mode as well. The graphics in Steel Diver are not bad: the side scrolling levels have a beautiful underwater depth to them, while the periscope levels have a nice quality of realism. The music is excellent. Difficulty level is quite high. A strategic mind is needed as well as a quick hand with the stylus. Anyone who grew up on Nintendo's original Game & Watch games will love the game's overall simplicity. I loved Steel Diver, but would recommend purchasing it for no more than $10.00. It doesn't have enough content to support the recommended $40 price tag.