Imagine a deep-sea twist on Tetris, where instead of clearing lines, you’re constructing an ever-descending underwater metropolis. Podvodsk, a free and experimental game created by Four Quarters, the minds behind Loop Hero, plunges players into precisely that scenario.
If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Tetris (seriously?), consider this: You’re tasked with building a sprawling, tiered city beneath the waves, supported by a seemingly buoyant platform on the surface. Each building piece you place costs resources, but also generates points based on its strategic placement. With each new addition, the screen steadily scrolls downwards, intensifying the challenge.
Residential units thrive when located near specific building types. Factories, for instance, perform best when nestled against the chasm walls, optimizing their mining operations. Business sectors, always desiring a bit of space, prefer a buffer from other developments – financial analysts appreciate their solitude, even hundreds of feet underwater. Seaweed farms naturally prosper near abundant seaweed sources, while scaffolding provides a cost-effective, though unscored, foundation.
Bunkers are particularly appealing; they can be integrated directly into the rock face, earning points based on the connections with other bunkers nearby. Creating a vertical chain of bunkers gives the feeling of transforming a humble reef base into a full-blown underwater utopia. Science centers, meanwhile, accumulate points with each downward scroll while visible, incentivizing their placement as far down as possible. Finally, city centers provide three free buildings, a valuable boon for expansion.
While the variety of building types might seem limited, the game cleverly utilizes these variations to create significant strategic depth, complemented by appealing pixel art. The primary challenge might lie in the reliance on random draws. To mitigate this, Podvodsk is best enjoyed in Tactical Mode. This feature allows players to hold a building piece for one turn, enabling more thoughtful planning – perhaps using scaffolding to strategically reposition a seaweed farm closer to a rich kelp deposit.
The scoring dynamics evoke memories of the board game Seaside, though Seaside remains firmly on dry land. For those concerned about supporting a Russian developer, given the current conflict in Ukraine, it is important to note that Four Quarters has publicly condemned the war.