Deep Loot Review

Grinding in games shouldn't be fun. Just the mere word suggests a sense of tedium and monotony. At first, Deep Loot seems like it might veer that way by being a bit of a slow burner. Once you figure it out though, it turns into quite a fun explore-em-up that's easy to dive into (oh yes, I went there) from time to time.

You control a diver as they explore the ocean depths in order to find treasure and fortune, oh and some cool lost ruins. There's no story to be concerned with or anything particularly complex. This is a game solely focused on discovery. Despite its initial appearance, Deep Loot is more of a turn-based game than it appears. Each movement uses up a little piece of your air meter and once you run out of air, your session ends and you float back up to the surface.

Figuring out how to use that air effectively is key to progression. What do you want to focus on during a session? Do you want to kill any creatures in your wake or focus on getting as deep as possible instead? You can mix it up, of course, but Deep Loot works well at encouraging you to prioritize. A series of missions are available to give you some structure, even if it's just a matter of encouraging you to wipe out a particular number of jellyfish. A lot of the fun stems from just exploring, though. There are various surprises littered in the ocean, such as a dilapidated DeLorean and a ruined Statue of Liberty. It's fun finding new things and Deep Loot continues to surprise on this front.

Pretty much everything you do gains you coins, which can be used to buy various upgrades. You can purchase temporary boosts such as an attack or defensive advantage, but coins can also go towards permanent boosts such as a bigger air tank or a new suit that's better in certain scenarios. A lot of things cost a lot of money, which is where the temptation to delve into the in-app purchases grows quite strong. You can buy coins but the better value option is to pick up a coin doubler. Deep Loot isn't too intrusive on this front, but it did make me wish that the game was more generous in exchange for a premium price of $0.99 or $1.99 instead of being free.

Stick withe grinding and none of that will matter, though. As is the way with games like these, the more you play Deep Loot, the more satisfying it becomes. It's an ideal game to play in short bursts as you'll almost always achieve or discover something new.