Deep Sea Adventure
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Everyone wants the treasure at the bottom. No one wants to consume air. Then someone grabs something — and the race to the surface begins.
What it's about
There's treasure. The problem is the air you're all breathing
Six explorers share a single rickety submarine — and a single air supply. Everyone wants to go as deep as possible, where the treasure tokens are worth more. But the air starts to decrease the exact moment someone picks something up. And those with full hands move slower.
In Deep Sea Adventure, Oink Games celebrates the series' 10th anniversary with refreshed components and two new rules that change everything: you roll three special dice and choose two — but you can use all three together, consuming an extra unit of shared air. Every choice you make is also a choice you make for others.
A game by Jun and Goro Sasaki that has sold over 300,000 copies in ten years. Now in Italian edition thanks to Ghenos Games.
The deeper you go, the more you earn. But if you don't return to the sub, you lose everything — and drown, dragging others with you.
The secret of Deep Sea Adventure in one line
The temptation is always to use all three dice together: a faster turn, but everyone's air decreases. Someone will scream.
From the game experience
Deep Sea Adventure
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat's in the box
Small box, big adrenaline
3 special dice
The new dice with asymmetric values (0/3, 1/3, 1/2) — you choose two, or you use all three together. The risk is always yours, the air belongs to everyone.
48 treasure tokens
Face down, unknown value until you return to the sub. Those at the bottom are worth more. Those you lose in the abyss are worth zero.
6 Explorer pawns
Six greedy divers, only one submarine. Colored pawns help even younger players track their position in the ocean.
Shared air indicator
Only one marker for everyone. It drops when someone collects a treasure, it drops even more when someone decides to use all three dice together. The pressure is collective.
In half an hour, someone will be left at the bottom. The others will laugh at them all evening.
🎲Components8 types · 66 total pieces
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Going down. All together, no rush.
Treasure tokens are arranged along the path. Those at the bottom are worth more, and for now no one has taken anything yet — the air is full, intentions are pure. Everyone pretends to want to go to the bottom before collecting anything. No one trusts anyone.
Someone gives in. The air starts to drop.
The exact moment someone grabs the first token — and flips it without looking — the air gauge drops. Everyone turns to him. Someone mutters a curse. The race has begun, even for those who were still calculating.
Someone uses all three dice. The table explodes.
Before the roll, a voice announces: I'll use all three. They move further — but the air drops even more. Others stare at them. Someone imitates them. The gauge is already halfway. Anyone holding two tokens moves at a snail's pace towards the surface.
The air runs out. Someone doesn't make it.
The gauge hits zero. Anyone who hasn't returned to the sub must drop everything — all treasure is lost to the ocean. They score no points. They watch others return laden. The round is over, but those lost tokens will be felt in the final count.
Third round. Treasures are counted, blame is assigned.
After three rounds, points are tallied. Someone has won. But the conversation isn't about the winner — it's about who overdid it with the three dice in round two, who took three tokens convinced they'd make it, who was one roll away from the sub when the air ran out. Excuses are already prepared.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Four quick decisions, three rounds per game. Explained in five minutes, played in thirty.
Before rolling, decide: do you want to use the three special dice by choosing the best two, or do you use all three — but consuming an extra unit of shared air. The declaration is public and irreversible.
You roll the three special dice, select (or sum) and move your pawn. For each treasure token you hold, subtract 1 from your movement. With three tokens, you might not move at all.
You land on a token: you can pick it up without looking, or leave it there. If you are on an X space (token already taken by someone else) you can discard one of your treasures to make space.
At the start of the turn, the air drops by as many points as the total tokens held by all players still diving. The greedier people are, the less time they have. Using all three dice together further accelerates the drop.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
The air is everyone's, the fault is yours
The oxygen supply is shared. Every token you collect makes it drop for everyone. Those who misbehave drag even the more cautious companions down with them. Social tension guaranteed.
Three dice or two: an act of faith
Before rolling, you can choose to use all three special dice instead of two. You move further — but consume extra air that everyone pays for. The table stops every time someone announces it.
Three dice, choose two
Special dice with asymmetrical values (0/3, 1/3, 1/2) always give you a choice. There is no null roll — there is a roll you didn't expect. Variance is part of the design.
Tokens flipped without looking
The value of the treasure you hold is unknown until scoring. You can bring home something valuable — or something worth zero. The risk is blind until the end.
Those with full hands move slowly
For each token you hold, you lose 1 movement point. With three treasures in hand, you might not move at all. Greed has an immediate mechanical cost visible to everyone.
Three rounds to catch up
The game is divided into three rounds. Those who lose everything in the first round can recover in subsequent ones — and the treasure pool refreshes each time, always making the highest value tokens available.
How it ends
Whoever returns with the most treasure wins. Whoever stays under, struggles.
After three rounds, the tokens brought to the sub are revealed and their values are summed. Simple — unless greed made you forget to return.
Victory
- Return to the submarine before the air runs out
- Sum the values of the tokens revealed at the end of the three rounds
- Whoever has the most points wins — even if they took fewer treasures
Drowning
- The air runs out and you're still underwater
- Drop all treasures: they're worth zero, they return to the pool
- Participate in the next round — but the gap widens
Deep Sea Adventure is one of those games that ends in twenty minutes and is discussed for an hour. Small box, big fuss.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Deep Sea Adventure
Is it worth it compared to the original Deep Sea Adventure edition?
Yes — and not just for the three new dice. The option to use all three adds a real decision to each turn: do you want to risk consuming extra air in exchange for greater movement? This question transforms each round from pure push your luck to something more interactive and provocative. The components are also updated. If you own the old DSA, this edition is still worth discovering. If you've never played it, this is the version to get.
Does it work well with two players?
Yes, it works even with two — but the game is best with four or more. With fewer players, the pressure on the air is less and the social dynamic fades. With five or six people, every decision becomes a political act. If you often play with two, keep it as a quick and enjoyable filler, not as a central experience.
Is it suitable for children?
The box indicates 8+, but in practice the game works better with older kids and adults. The social tension — understanding when to risk, when someone is sabotaging everyone's air, how to react — requires a reading of the table that young children struggle to develop. As a filler for an evening with friends or family with kids aged 12 and up, it's perfect.
How long does a game last?
On average 25-35 minutes for three complete rounds. With six players in the first game, it can go up to 45 minutes. It's a filler by design — short enough to play twice in a row without getting tired.
Is it compatible with the original Deep Sea Adventure?
Yes. This edition includes the original dice and is fully backward compatible. You can play with the basic rules, with the new three-dice rules, or mix the modes. It doesn't replace the old game — it contains and expands it.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes. This is the Italian edition distributed by Ghenos Games. The rulebook is in Italian. There are no texts on the cards or tokens, so language is not a barrier — but it's still nice to have the instructions in your own language.
Deep Sea Adventure is a push-your-luck board game for 2–6 players (ages 8+, ~30 min duration). Designed by Jun Sasaki and Goro Sasaki, published by Oink Games, distributed in Italy by Ghenos Games. Main mechanic: push your luck with dice rolling and selection. Players share a single submarine and an air supply while searching for unknown treasure tokens on the ocean floor. This edition adds three special asymmetrical dice (values 0/3, 1/3, 1/2): choose between two results or use all three while consuming extra shared air. Backward compatible with the original edition (2014). Italian edition. Available on FroGames.it.
Deep Sea Adventure
Frequently Asked Questions
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