Expedition drawing closer. Need to inspect vehicles before heading out. Environments are expected to be treacherous; a malfunction could mean failure or worse.
It’s been a little over a month since our announcement, and it’s been incredibly fun to see everyone's reactions. We’re closing in on 10,000 wishlists and it's super heartwarming that so many people are interested in Crathos Deep! All the excitement is really pushing us to make the best game we possibly can.
In the coming months, we will be going through the wreckfinder's logbook to give you a deeper insight into the various features and world of Crathos Deep. In this first entry, you will get an overview of the two key vehicles you will use on your deep sea expeditions.
Orca — Swift and Heavy
Orca inspection complete. Hull integrity was found to be satisfactory. Rudder tuned for more precise steering.
In Crathos Deep you are a wreckfinder: a marine investigator who specializes in determining the cause of maritime disasters. This time around, you're hired by a news outlet to find out what happened to the secretive research organization — known as the E.S.F — operating in underwater stations in the Arctic depths. A whistleblower has made it known that the organization is trying to cover up an accident at their facilities, and it’s your job to verify and investigate that lead.
First and foremost, you have to find these research stations located in the extremely remote region of Crathos Deep. And to do that you use your trusted, industrial-grade submersible Orca to navigate. It’s been tuned and tinkered with for years in order to excel at this very particular task.
We want piloting the submersible to feel heavy in just the right way. Deliberate, yet mobile and precise when you need to dodge between the jagged rocks and hanging icebergs. Much like the orca it was named after.
And like an orca, it can use a form of echolocation. Not a lot of light is able to peer through the thick ice sheets, and the darkness will only grow thicker as you descend. When the diminishing visibility shrinks the world around you and there is tricky maneuvering to be done, you can look to your Echoeye — a tool that provides you with a 3D scan of your surroundings. No matter the visibility.
Crathos Deep is not a simulator-type game, but we do want to provide the tools and mechanics that you would expect as a submarine-pilot. One leading an investigative expedition at that.
Fin-dus — The Little Drone That Could
Check up on Fin-dus has been thorough. Propeller calibration is successful, maneuvering in narrow and confined spaces vastly improved. The mechanical arm is now able to manipulate even heavier objects.
Meet Fin-dus — your expeditionary ROV drone deployable from your sub. It is small and nimble, and able to get inside even the tightest spaces. Use it to navigate its way through narrow air vents and tight hallways claimed by the freezing waters.
As your core interaction tool, Fin-dus is equipped with a mechanical arm so you can make your way through various obstacles you might encounter. You can grab and interact with heavy-duty doors, latch onto and pry open hatches, and use Fin-dus’ mechanical strength to clear away various physical obstacles.
Inside the flooded research stations you’ll come across, there will be different documents and traces left by the researchers that will hint at the cause of the accident. Uncovering and engaging with these will push you further in your investigation and add missing pieces to the puzzle.
Check up Completed.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed getting a deeper look into the vehicles at your disposal. Keep your eyes peeled for more logbook entries in the future!
Happy Holidays!