Deep Blue (video game)

Deep Blue^[a] is horizontally scrolling shooter for the TurboGrafx-16 published in 1989. The player controls a submersible fighter shaped as a freshwater angelfish that must fight through waves of mutated marine life.

Deep Blue
Developer(s)	Hi-Score Media Work[1]
Publisher(s)	JP: Pack-In-Video NA: NEC
Designer(s)	Itsuki Imazaki[2][3][4]
Artist(s)	Yasuo Torai[5]
Platform(s)	TurboGrafx-16
Release	JP: 31 March 1989 NA: 15 February 1990
Genre(s)	Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Deep Blue is a basic horizontal scrolling shooter: players collect power-ups and different weapons to fight numerous enemies.^[6] The screen scales up and down allowing more vertical space.

The game features a single life; the Angel Fish can take a lot of hits before it is destroyed, and even regenerates over time. Damage levels are represented by the color of the ship's 'eyes': they start out a solid blue, but when damaged, the eyes blink blue until going to green, then yellow, then red.

However, taking any damage will momentarily paralyze the craft, remove any speed power-ups, reset the weapon to the defeat Pulse Bullet, and remove one weapon power level.

Plot

A hostile alien presence has descended upon the Earth's waters. Using their own bacteria, the aliens have infected and mutated numerous deep sea and marine life forms causing them to enlarge and to follow every alien command. The aliens use their infected marine life to attack the shores of the Earth's continents, initiating an invasion from the deep. Alone, players control the Earth's only defense against the attack, the A.N.G.E.L. Fish Attack Sub.

Development and release

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly	15 / 40[7]
Famitsu	19 / 40[8]
Aktueller Software Markt	6 / 12[9]
The Games Machine	58%[10]
HonestGamers	[11]
Joystick	38%[12]
Marukatsu PC Engine	20 / 40[13]
TurboPlay	[14][15]
Tilt	7 / 20[16]

Reception

Deep Blue was met with lukewarm reception from critics and reviewers alike since its release.

Notes

1. Also known as Deep Blue: Undersea Myth (Japanese: ディープブルー・海底神話, Hepburn: Dīpu Burū: Kaitei Shinwa) in Japan.