Deep Fear

Deep Fear is a survival horror video game where players take on the role of John Mayor fighting mutants that are overrunning the Big Table underwater research base. John and other characters and enemies are portrayed using 3D models, while the environments are pre-rendered and shown through fixed camera angles. John is controlled through both traditional tank controls, or with full analogue control using the Saturn's 3D Pad gamepad. The player navigates the Big Table, completing missions by finding certain characters and mission-related items, managing ammunition and resources such as first aid kits, and fighting enemies scattered through the environment.

Combat relies on guns, with John having limited movement while his weapon is drawn. New weapons can be found at lockers scattered through the Big Table, which also allow the player to restock ammunition. John can also carry one powerful "Special" weapon at a time. A key mechanic in-game is that each area in the Big Table has a limited air supply, which is depleted over time and decreases quicker with gunfire.

A space capsule from Project Mercury, presumed lost for forty years crashes into the Pacific Ocean. A US Navy submarine picks up the capsule and brings it to the Big Table, an underwater research facility. Four months later, Emergency Rescue Service member John Mayor, recently transferred to run safety drills and currently suffering from a cold, investigates with his submersible pilot Mookie after contact is lost with the submarine's crew and it crashes into the Big Table's Navy area. The crash was revealed to be due to crewmembers mutating into hostile monsters.

John and Mookie pick up Gena Wiseberg, a researcher alongside her pet chimpanzee Anthony, and a sick officer of the submarine before the submarine fell into a chasm. The submarine officer later transforms after John disembarks and kills Mookie, sinking the submersible. The infection spreads onto the Big Table, mutating both the living and dead into monstrous creatures. Wiseberg discovers that Mayor's cold is preventing him from being infected.

Deep Fear was co-developed for the Sega Saturn by System Sacom and Sega CS2, later known as Overworks. The CGI graphics were created by Highwaystar, while game studio ISCO was in charge of movie production. Rieko Kodama, who had worked on multiple Sega projects, was invited to assist on the project as co-producer by Noriyoshi Ohba. Deep Fear was her return to leading game development after a period in management, and she enjoyed the experience of working with external developers and staff.

System Sacom put together a team specially to design the game. Kodama described the game as a science fiction take on a "Mansion Mystery", a genre popular in Japan featuring mysteries set in a Western building. The goal was to evoke fear and horror from the environment as well as the monsters. Executive producer Youji Ishii stated the team's wish to emulate the gameplay of Resident Evil (1996), while co-director Kunihiro Shirahata cited John Carpenter's movie The Thing (1982) as inspiration for the narrative.

Deep Fear saw positive reviews from Japanese and European publications, but English language reviews were more mixed. Reviewers frequently compared the game to Resident Evil, with some reviewers calling Deep Fear a poor imitator.

Japanese magazine Famitsu highlighted the tension created by the enclosed corridor environments, though one reviewer found controlling Mayor difficult. Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) likewise praised the tension created by the environments. GameSpot's James Mielke found the oxygen mechanic and underwater setting a refreshing take on the survival horror formula of the time. Edge appreciated the plot-driven progression, but disliked the lack of tension and felt the gameplay was hampered by the game's other issues.