Steel Diver

Steel Diver
Packaging artwork released for all territories.
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD Group No. 5 Vitei
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Takaya Imamura
Producer(s)	Tadashi Sugiyama
Composer(s)	Atsuko Asahi Toru Minegishi
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)	JP May 12, 2011 NA March 27, 2011 EU May 6, 2011 AUS May 12, 2011
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Steel Diver (スティールダイバー, Sutīru Daibā) is a video game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a side-scrolling action game in which the player controls a submarine via a set of touch-screen based levers and wheels. Shigeru Miyamoto described it as being "almost like you have your own submarine pet in an aquarium".^[1] The game is followed up by a download-only, free-to-play entry called Steel Diver: Sub Wars.

Story

In the year 19XX, a 'power-hungry rogue nation' invaded several nearby countries. A secret organisation known as the 'Steel Divers' was formed from various countries' navies to combat this threat. The Steel Divers travel through various areas including Arctic and jungle settings and are eventually tasked with destroying the enemy stronghold.

Gameplay

Steel Diver consists of 3 main modes: Missions, Periscope Strike, and Steel Commander. Missions is further broken down into 2 modes: Campaign and Time Trials. The main gameplay occurs during Campaign. In Campaign, the player uses sliders and dials on the touchscreen to manoeuver a submarine through side-scrolling levels displayed on the top screen, sinking enemy submarines, battleships and avoiding naval mines and depth charges as required. There are seven missions available, playable with different subs and difficulty modes, which usually involve goals such as eliminating enemy fleets or infiltrating enemy bases by reaching the goal in a time limit. Time Trials features the same gameplay style and controls, however the levels are shorter and are not connected to the story, instead being solely to achieve a fast time through a complex path. Periscope Strike mode is played after every successful mission or can also be played separately, or as part of Steel Commander. This mode sees the player moving the system to rotate a periscope to fire torpedoes at enemy ships. Steel Commander is playable against the CPU or a human opponent via Download Play. It is a strategy game in which the two players command a fleet of battleships and submarines and try to sink each other's fleet.^[2]

Development

At the E3 2004 trade show, Steel Diver was first shown as a playable tech demo for the then-upcoming Nintendo DS. The concept of a sub game, however, was, according to Miyamoto "Long before that" and stems from Miyamoto's desire to make a flight sim.^[3] Even though he had created Pilotwings which has some similar aspects to the genre, Miyamoto was not fully satisfied with its simulation aspects.^[3] He noted that a true flight simulator players "should be flying a huge passenger aircraft instead of, say, a fighter jet." ^[3] He also noted that a submarine was similarly big and bulky and thought that the subject might work for a simulation game.^[3] He had considered developing the game for a system before the Nintendo DS, but soon realized that the control system for such a game would be less than ideal.^[4] Even though the tech demo at E3 2004 had good buzz Mayamoto was unable to expand on the idea until late in the DS's life due to scheduling conflict.^[4] When a team was finally able to be allocated to the project the 3DS specifications became known to him at which point he felt the game would work better as a 3DS title.^[4]

Six years after the DS demo Nintendo revealed the game at E3 2010, as a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS.^[5] The game was developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division in cooperation with the external company Vitei.^[6] It was released in North America on March 27, 2011, where it was one of the first games for the Nintendo 3DS. However, it did not make the Japanese and European launch window. The game was released in Europe on May 6, 2011, and in Japan and Australia on May 12, 2011.

Steel Diver: Sub Wars

Steel Diver: Sub Wars
Artwork released for all territories.
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD Group No. 5 Vitei
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Takaya Imamura
Producer(s)	Tadashi Sugiyama
Composer(s)	Kenta Nagata Atsuko Asahi Toru Minegishi
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)	WW February 13, 2014
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

In June 2013, it was announced that Nintendo is working on their first free-to-play game, which would be based on Steel Diver, to be released by March 2014.^[7] This was ultimately revealed to be titled Steel Diver: Sub Wars during the Nintendo Direct on February 13, 2014, which released after the event for the Nintendo 3DS. Sub Wars is a first-person game featuring a free-to-play online multiplayer mode and two levels of the single player campaign, with additional features and missions available to the paid version.^[8] Reviews have been mostly positive.

Reception

Steel Diver has received mixed reviews. As of June 2011, Metacritic's aggregate score is 58/100.^[10] IGN gave Steel Diver a 7.0/10, praising it for its addictive gameplay, but gave caution that the slow paced strategy is not for everyone.^[11] Contrarily, Game Informer gave the game a 4.00, praising its music and sound, but criticizing the multi-player and the knob-moving game play during a time limit and chaotic levels. Official Nintendo Magazine awarded it 61%, criticizing its lack of content, saying, "Wait until the price dives for the depths before you consider a purchase."^[12]

See also

• Radar Mission

References

External links

• Official website
• Official Australian site