Steel Diver

A seven-year-old tech demo gets its sea legs.


I wasn’t expecting very much from Steel Diver, which launched with the Nintendo 3DS alongside Pilotwings Resort and Nintendogs + Cats. It certainly seemed like the weakest of the three first-party launch titles: its box art was underwhelming; the reviews were mediocre at best; and then there was the inescapable fact that Steel Diver started out as a tech demo for Nintendo’s previous handheld device, the DS. That’s right: it premiered at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

But after playing thought its campaign mode, and sampling its other modes, I can say safely this is a fine game. It won’t win much positive press for Nintendo, nor does it represent the best the 3Ds has to offer, but it’s still an enjoyable, challenging sub simulator.

Steel Diver has a bare-bones, forgettable story about an aggressive rogue nation and an elite fleet of submarines organized to stop it, but this mostly serves as a clothesline from which to hang its submarine missions, which are varied and challenging enough to maintain interest and momentum. There are eight total missions (including a training mission), each of which asks players to navigate one of three submarines through underwater caves, open ocean, and through many hazards, both natural and man-made. At the end of each mission is a Periscope Strike mini-game in which players fire torpedoes at battleships and enemy subs from a first-person point of view. Decals won during these mini-games can be attached to submarines in Mission Mode to boost health, torpedo damage, etc.


Steel Diver is a clever combination of submarine simulation with side-scrolling action. Players control two main sliders – a speed slider and a depth slider – almost simultaneously to steer their subs through each environment and around enemy subs, falling rocks, and depth charges. Two of the subs also provide tilt controls, so that players can angle their vehicles to attack targets above or beneath, or simply glide past angled terrain. Leaks appear on the bottom touch screen, and can be patched up by touching to stylus to the damaged area. Overall, the control interface is very well suited to demonstrating the capabilities of touch screen gaming, which explains why Steel Diver was used as a tech demo so many years ago. Be prepared, however, to move the stylus quickly and thoughtfully back and forth along the touch screen, as you evade danger, fire torpedoes, and maneuver around enemy bosses.


Graphics are where Steel Diver is at its weakest. Submarines and environments are bare and lackluster; they look last generation. Nintendo certainly attempted to make levels look unique from one another, e.g. jungle, volcano, iceberg, but the same blocky, boring textures shine through. Moreover, the 3D effect is wasted on Steel Diver. There is very little to see in 3D that can’t be fully comprehended and appreciated in 2D.


Apart from its main Mission Mode and Periscope Strike, Steel Diver features a turn-based strategy mode called “Steel Commander” that can be played against computer-controlled players or human players via Wi-Fi. Players control a submarine plus several escort ships and supply ships, all of which move across a hexagonal map. Whoever destroys the opposing player’s sub or supply ships wins the game. Steel Commander relies a little too much on luck, but it’s a welcome addition to Steel Diver’s other modes.

Score: 7.0