Treasures of the Deep (2025)

"OVER-THE-TOP ACTION UNDER THE SEA"

"Explore sunken ships, battle sea monsters and thwart terrorists in your hunt for history's lost treasures"

Treasures of the Deep (abbreviated as ToD^[1] or Treasures^[2]) is an underwater exploration and action game released for the Sony PlayStation in 1997.

Gameplay

As ex-Navy diver and treasure hunter Jack Runyan, the player is employed by the Underwater Mercenary Agency to carry out dangerous undersea missions, in order to recover lost treasures from the clutches of underwater pirates, and ultimately thwart the plans of the Seismic Corporation, a criminal organization bent on dominating the oceans, led by corrupt businessman Simon Black.

The player pilots one of eight hi-tech subs, armed with spearguns, torpedoes, sea mines, nets, decoy flares and other weapons. They can also freely dive outside of the sub or survey the depths with a remotely controlled vehicle.

Missions range from retrieving ancient artifacts to rescue & salvage operations and destroying enemy installations. Rescuing endangered species and eliminating hostiles remain a secondary objective. With cash earned from successful dives, the player may upgrade to an advanced sub capable of deeper dives, purchase new wetsuits and equipment, or stock on their weapon arsenal.

There are numerous hostile sea creatures, rivaling divers, pirates and other madmen opposing the player. Occasionally, huge sea monsters and bosses are encountered. The player can salvage treasure and equipment from fallen enemies and shipwrecks on the ocean floor. They will also have to upkeep their oxygen supply, and beware of environmental hazards such as earthquakes, whirlpools and strong currents.

There are a number of secrets to find in each stage, consisting of hidden treasure and power-ups, or special interactions with wildlife. Players can set and compare mission records in completion time and gold earnings. Collecting enough treasure will earn the player a chance to try out a mini-game as a shark.

Game features

• 8 different subs
• 3 play modes: Sub, diver and ROV
• First & third-person view modes
• 16 unique weapons & equipment
• 14 dive sites around the world, with total 360 degrees of freedom
• Stereo CD quality music & stereo 3D sound
• Memory card & analog controller compatibility

Development

Treasures of the Deep entered production together with Black Dawn in early 1996, following Agile Warrior F-111X. The games were developed by different teams, with Black Dawn releasing in late 1996, while Treasures was developed over the course of 20 months by a team of 16. Tommy Tallarico Studios produced the music and sound effects for both games.^[2][3]

Treasures of the Deep was inspired by the Manta tech demo featured on the PlayStation Developer's Demo Disc^[4], the 1977 adventure film The Deep and James Bond films, most notably the underwater battle in Thunderball.^[2] The project was headed by Black Ops VP José Villeta, who worked on Agile Warrior as a programmer. Treasures was built upon the Agile Warrior game engine, following a familiar flight simulation formula, but also introducing adventure elements to the gameplay.^[2] Villeta described Treasures as "the best game we've ever done" and a "combination of James Bond with Indiana Jones underwater".^[5]

The game was originally slower-paced with a diving simulator-like feel,[3] that was ultimately changed in favor of a more traditional arcade game. Although the developers strived for realism, they wanted to keep accessible gameplay and controls as a priority.^[2][3] Treasures also introduced a continue feature, whereas their previous games required the player to complete each mission without dying.

Treasures of the Deep pushed the PlayStation hardware to the limit; the game features large, freely explorable environments, numerous entities on screen at once, 3D explosions and various lighting effects. The developers put considerable attention to detail into the sea creatures and entities seen in the game, using sources such as National Geographic footage for reference. However, due to the limited amount of video memory available on the console, the amount of different species and enemies per level was somewhat limited. Special artificial intelligence was designed for certain entities, such as sharks reacting to blood released into the water, and dolphins protecting the player from shark attacks.^[2][3]

Unique digital and analog control schemes were implemented, with the analog controls allowing "smoother maneuverability with minimal buttons", supporting the PlayStation Analog Joystick peripheral. Some of the game programmers were former NASA flight engineers, and used this experience to design the controls and physics of the vehicles. To further enhance the sensation of being underwater, turbulence and currents were simulated, causing the player to sway and drift around when stationary.^[3]

Planned multiplayer mode

It was announced on the official Black Ops Entertainment website that the game would feature head-to-head multiplayer capability, although it was never implemented.

Black Dawn contains a hidden two-player versus mode in an overhead perspective (Treasures contains a cheat code for an overhead camera angle), while Agile Warrior F-111X could be played cooperatively using a second controller.

Release

Initially scheduled for release in 1997 spring, development time was extended so Black Ops could optimize and expand the game. A port for the Sega Saturn was also planned.^[2] The game was to be published by Virgin Interactive, who dropped the game moments before release. Black Ops then pitched the game to Namco, who were sold on the game upon seeing its trailer.^[5]

Treasures of the Deep was showcased at E3 1997, where the developers were interviewed by The Electric Playground, hosted by Tommy Tallarico.

The game had a notably delayed release in Europe (nearly 11 months), where distribution was handled by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.^[6] Some PAL releases of the game were bundled with a demo disc of the Namco light gun shooter Point Blank, perhaps to compensate for the delay. The game also received French, German, Italian and Spanish localizations.

Cancelled sequel

Upon finishing Treasures of the Deep, Black Ops started negotiations with Namco to develop a sequel, along other future Namco titles.^[3] According to a contact from Game Informer, Black Ops were working on a sequel that would have allowed the player to surface and go on land, featuring on-foot objectives as well, but the game was never finished.

David Goodrich, who worked on Treasures of the Deep as a designer and artist, claims to have been the lead designer on the sequel. However, he was contracted by Activision to work on Vigilante 8 instead.[4] Meanwhile, Black Ops began developing Tomorrow Never Dies for the PlayStation, inspired by the success of GoldenEye 007.

A "Navy Seal game" was in the early design stages during the development of Treasures of the Deep^[2], which evolved into the first-person shooter & fighting game Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror, influenced by the September 11 attacks. It received negative reviews, and has been ranked on lists of worst games for the PlayStation 2. It was among the company's final releases before their video game studios were shut down.

Reviews

Contrary to popular belief, Treasures of the Deep received highly favorable reviews from various publications. It is arguably the highest rated game developed by Black Ops Entertainment, next to some of their sports titles.

Official Strategy Guide

GameFan followed the development of the game, and in collaboration with Black Ops developers and Namco staff, produced a Treasures of the Deep guide book, published exclusively in the US.^[1]

The strategy guide features a detailed walkthrough of the game, hi-res screenshots and renders, cheats & tips, and an exclusive interview with the Black Ops team on the game's development and technology.^[3] It also reveals the names of some bosses and entities not mentioned in the game itself.

Gallery

Development

Advertising

Videos

Media

Promo material

Trivia

• "Treasures of the Deep" was the working title of Name This Game for the Atari 2600.[5]
• Treasures of the Deep is also the name of a 2006 PC game.
• Treasures was inspired by James Bond films, and Black Ops Entertainment would later develop two Bond games for the system.
• Treasures of the Deep was the first Black Ops Entertainment title to not be released in Japan, although it was published by Namco, a Japanese company (Namco's North American subsidiary, to be exact).
• Critical Depth, a submarine combat game from the creators of Twisted Metal, was coincidentally released for the PlayStation around the same time. It has a strikingly similar setting and aesthetic, and features a head-to-head multiplayer mode, which was planned for Treasures.

• 

  In Black Dawn, operation Black Out, there is an advertisement for Treasures of the Deep in the southeast corner of the map, featuring a great white shark and a release date given as "Christmas '97".

External links

• Treasures of the Deep instruction manual
• Official Namco website (archive)
• Treasures of the Deep at MobyGames

References