S.O.N.A.R. - Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready - Surprisingly Deep Asymmetrical Co-Op, Proximity Chat Chaos
I’m a sucker for co-op games, especially the 4-player variety—that’s the sweet spot. I also love games that require coordinating as a team, especially in asymmetrical roles. That might seem hyper-specific, but there are a lot more games coming out that fit that description than you'd think.
S.O.N.A.R. – Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready, or SONAR, is a 1-6 player sub-operating game. It's not the first of its kind, but it's leaning into the proximity chat crowd that loves chaotic, "meme-able" moments. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that. But I think that undersells what SONAR actually is.
Maybe the complication is where the chaos comes in, but there's a decent amount of coordination required for any amount of success. You have to man an entire submarine, for starters. Everything requires manual manipulation—loading torpedoes, bilging flooded rooms, repairing hull damage, piloting, spotting, sonar, etc. all require someone to man them, often two people working in conjunction.
Though it’s possible to work the entire submarine solo, it’s definitely not ideal. Heck, we were having a hard time covering all the stations with our four-man crew. With enough practice, it probably isn’t as overwhelming. But to start, just being successful took us a few failed starts until we figured it all out together.
Despite the number of ship systems, any one system isn’t complicated to operate. Instructions are practically written on everything you can operate. The sonar, for instance, has a key that helps you determine the sound pattern for any contact you might get. Similarly, the periscope has a picture of a ship silhouette so you can mark them accurately—which is done per the player’s input, not automatically.
So you can absolutely mark an enemy submarine as a whale by accident. But this isn’t a hardcore simulation, and it’s not overly difficult to man any one station. Having everyone work in concert is another issue entirely.
There are multiple different mission types to play—so you’re not always just sinking ships or hunting subs. But sinking ships and hunting other subs is definitely some of the most fun gameplay. There are individual missions you can take on as a crew or solo, with leaderboards to match your crew size. There's also a PvP mode that pits two crews against each other, as well as an open-world mode that allows you to sail around a large map completing tasks, buying fuel, and snagging upgrades.
While it’s a blast with friends, and despite its multiplayer modes, SONAR wasn’t a long-term game for our group. It was fun for the couple of sessions we put into it, but it’s not quite fun enough to come back to beyond that. However, if you’re looking for an asymmetrical crew-based co-op game, SONAR is a surprisingly good time.
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