Steel Diver got "mixed or average" reviews on Metacritic receiving a metascore of 58/100 based on 55 critic reviews. Prior to the game's planned release in Japan Nintendo delayed the game, due to the 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami. Shigeru Miyamoto explained that the project never went anywhere, and has been in "development" for six years, eventually being revealed once more at Nintendo's E3 2010 showing for the Nintendo 3DS. Steel Diver began as a tech demo for the Nintendo DS in 2004 simply titled "Submarine". The game's main mode features three different types of playable submarines, including the Manatee ND-01, a sub that has the capability to shoot missiles upwards, the Blue Shark ND-03 which can shoot two missiles, and the Serpent ND-05, which can shoot four missiles, but is more difficult to manuever. Simply use the stylus to rotate the wheel at the bottom of the Touch Screen. Nintendo actually advises customers to move their body along with the 3DS, saying this in an official press release: " The gyro sensor for the Nintendo 3DS system allows players to control the periscope view by rotating their bodies." However, Periscope Strike can be played without rotating the 3DS. Because of the need to move the system, the 3D will often get out of focus unless the player moves their body along with the system. The game's Periscope Mode is sometime criticized as being too much of a hassle, especially in 3D. Once they find an opposing player's unit, they enter the Periscope Mode and attack them. This is extremely different from the other modes and plays like a tactical strategy game where players must move their ships and submarines in the ideal location and subsequently attack the opposing force. Finally, Steel Commander is the game's two-player, local multiplayer game. Tapping the touch screen in this mode will fire torpedoes down the center. Unlike the Mission mode, Periscope Mode's camera can be move by rotating the 3DS (which utilizes its built in gyroscope). There will be new codes for every other YBA update.
These codes can be redeemed in the settings by entering the code into the box where it says ENTER A CODE TO REDEEM HERE. The items received have a different color to the originals and have different names. Periscope Strike is another mode that has the player seeing through a first person perspective. Codes were introduced to the game on January 29 - January 30 and can be used to get items and effects. In Time Attack Mode, players are required to get through the level within a set time. Once the submarine is damaged by an opposing force, players will have to plug the leaks by using the touch screen. In the Missions mode, players can use the touch screen's interface to control several different aspects of the submarine, from the speed, depth, pitch, and offensive measures. Each level features different paths that the player can choose to take and enemies that fire missiles.
The player uses the touch screen to direct submarines through several different ocean locations, with the majority of the action taking place on the top screen. The game is controlled on the touch screen, which is made to look like the control panel of a submarine.