Line #106 Main/UnderwaterRuins


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11	[[quoteright:250:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ed2a67f761c9fd1fe697cf7e7f1770e3.jpg]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:250:Its secrets once wrought the greatest artifice ever known. Now crabs loot the rubble to decorate their shells.]]
13
14	Staple of VideoGames and undersea {{film}}s, the Underwater Ruins are a [[SunkenCity city]], temple, ship, or similar place of majestic wonder submerged UnderTheSea or a lake. Typically, the ruins will be Greco-Roman in appearance (lots of columns and arches) to evoke an {{Atlantis}}-like catastrophe. Usually these ruins will be artfully decayed but [[RagnarokProofing remarkably well preserved]]. This setting is a HailfirePeaks of UnderTheSea and TempleOfDoom.
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16	You might see mer-people living in the ruins, or an actual [[UnderwaterCity domed city]] for air-breathers to live in nearby or hidden in the ruins. Expect to find areas with breathable air regardless for heroes to take a breather in.
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18	''Intrepid Travelers Beware!'' These ruins are sometimes subject to DownTheDrain. For partially submerged cities see SunkenCity. For boss fights in video games that take place within these, see UnderwaterBossBattle.
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21	!!Examples:
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23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheCastleOfTheUnderseaDevil'' have the gang exploring the Bermuda Triangle, and the ruins of what used to be Atlantis until it's defense system, an [[AIIsACrapshoot insane AI]], wipes out all life on it.
27	* ''Franchise/LupinIII'':
28	** ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'': [[spoiler:These turn out to be the treasure of the Cagliostro country]], revealed after the lake's water level drops due to a dam break.
29	** ''Anime/LupinIIIElusivenessOfFog'': Exploring the ruined tower at the beginning of the movie also helps Lupin figure out what he has to do in the past.
30	* ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'' has the sunken Protoculture city on Earth, that may or may not have inspired the legends of Atlantis. Hikaru and Misa are able to raise it, only to have the Zentradi and Meltrandi [[{{Pun}} raze]] it shortly thereafter.
31	* ''AudioPlay/StrikersSoundStageX'': Early in, Subaru mentions an underwater ruin that was uncovered when the [[AmusementPark Marine Garden]] was being built. It could be seen from the Crystal Valley underwater tunnel. It's really romantic, the color's really blue and very beautiful, [[spoiler:and it becomes very important later as it turns out that the [[KingInTheMountain Dark King Ixpellia is sleeping there]]]].
32	* ''Anime/TransformersArmada'': The flooded ruins of Atlantis appear, and are later destroyed by a plot device.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Arts]]
36	* Damien Hirst's 2017 exhibition [[https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/apr/06/damien-hirst-treasures-from-the-wreck-of-the-unbelievable-review-titanic-return Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable]] exploits this trope, deliberately creating modern ruins with very modern themes.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Card Games]]
40	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': A few Blue cards feature these, including the land card [[https://scryfall.com/card/mma/219/academy-ruins Academy Ruins]], depicting the flooded remnants of the wizards' school that once stood on the coast of Terisiare.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Fan Works]]
44	* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': Overlapping with LandmarkOfLore, the Yonaguni Monument is barely recognizable on the surface as a built structure rather than a natural formation, until you delve inside it.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
48	* In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', due to Atlantis' force fields only being able to protect the main city from being destroyed by a tidal wave in the prologue, all of the areas of the kingdom outside the city are completely submerged by the tidal wave, resulting in countless Atlantean ruins found both beneath the ocean surrounding the Leviathan's lair (which also includes countless shipwrecks destroyed by the Leviathan) outside the trench containing the entrance into Atlantis and within the caves leading to the main city.
49	* ''WesternAnimation/SamsonAndSally'', a film about marine animals, has brief references to Atlantis. Later in the film, Samson travels to "the city man built" in order to find Moby Dick. This city is apparently a sunken New York.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
53	* ''Film/{{Aquaman\|2018}}'': King Atlan's tomb is located in the middle of an extensive tract of undersea ruins - probably the lost original city of the Atlanteans, although that's never stated outright.
54	* ''Film/BigGame'': Air Force One becomes this, as its wreck lands in a lake and the heroes end up taking refuge aboard.
55	* ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'': There isn't much seen, as the "underwater" set isn't particularly elaborate, but it's implied.
56	* In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', the title character makes his lair in a sunken metropolis that has somehow wound up in a crevasse deep within the [[BeneathTheEarth Hollow Earth]]. It was built by an ancient, forgotten civilization who worshipped him - and the other {{kaiju}} - as gods.
57	* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'': During the second task, the contestants diving into the Black Lake pass through ruins of the underwater [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]] city.
58	* In the Italian BMovie ''Film/IslandOfTheFishMen'', Creator/RichardJohnson is trying to excavate the ruins of one of these, just off the eponymous island. It's implied to be the ruins of {{Atlantis}}, naturally.
59	* The fight between Ultraman Tiga and Darramb in ''Film/UltramanTigaTheFinalOdyssey'' takes place in a set of ruins underneath R'lyeh Island, which looks a lot like Atlantis. Likely intentional, given the show's several {{Shout Out}}s towards the Franchise/CthulhuMythos.
60	* ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'': The flooded ruins of a modern city are seen underwater when [[spoiler:the Mariner shows Helen where he gets his dirt from]]. Presumably, there are a lot more than just that one beneath the oceans that now cover the entire Earth.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Literature]]
64	* ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'': The ''Nautilus'' comes across the ruins of {{Atlantis}}, now deep beneath the oceans.
65	* ''Literature/ConcienciaYVoluntad'': Most of the coastal cities are left underwater due to climate change. This generate a lot of underwater ruins, explored by searchers and adventurers.
66	* Franchise/CthulhuMythos:
67	** Most of R'lyeh, where the eponymous Franchise/{{Cthulhu\|Mythos}} waits dreaming, as described in "Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu".
68	** "Literature/TheTemple" deals with the crew of a submarine who encounter some.
69	* ''Literature/DemonsOfTheDeep'' takes place in the ruins of Atlantis, where the hero, upon being cast into the waters after getting captured by pirates, lands in a magic circle that allows him to survive underwater for a single day.
70	* ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'' by James Gurney has the ruins of Poseidos (read: Atlantis).
71	* ''Literature/DreamPark'': Part of the story takes place in a simulation of the underwater ruins of Los Angeles. A minor character comments "This is real. I have been diving here."
72	* ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'': Subverted. It turns out that the ornate ruins on the ascended isle of Leshp [[spoiler:were constructed underwater by Curious Squid, not above-water by people]].
73	* "Lucinda", by Lael Littke, concerns the disappearance of the aforementioned Lucinda six years prior to the story's beginning. It's believed that Lucinda's body was hidden in the remains of what used to her hometown, Lake Isadora, after the buildings were moved and the remaining foundations flooded to create the new lake. The main character and her brother (Lucinda's ex-boyfriend) return to the lake after it had dried up.
74	* In ''Literature/TheMer'', one large Mer settlement is in the remains of an Aztec city on an island that sank after an earthquake and tsunami.
75	* ''Literature/TheMermansChildren'': The island city of Averorn was drowned long ago by a hungry {{kraken}} who was angry that the townspeople had stopped making their usual sacrifices. Tauno, Eyjan, and Kennin travel there in the cog ''Herning'' to loot the ruins. Most buildings have completely collapsed, but a few structures are still partly standing, including a roofless house where a skeleton tries to shelter two others. The siblings are delighted to see burst-open vaults of gold and jewels.
76	* In ''Literature/{{Sirena}}'', the titular mermaid swims over a ruined town that was flooded by an earthquake.
77	* ''Literature/TheVazulaChronicles'': At the beginning of ''A Kingdom Submerged'', Heath is puzzled by the sight of underwater ruins just off the coast of Valoria. It turns out they were built long ago by merpeople who wanted to escape the OverpopulationCrisis in the triple kingdoms, but were wiped out by dragons.
78	* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'': Underwater ruins are the source of the outbreak. Patient Zero was a boy who had been diving for valuables with his father in a drowned township at the bottom of a Chinese reservoir. He returned to the surface with a bite wound and a death sentence for a large proportion of the human race, and his father never returned at all. It's implied by the authorities' reaction that the reservoir was created in the first place to attempt to cover up the (probably bioweapons) site.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Music]]
82	* The Debussy piano piece "La Cathedrale Engloutie" (The Submerged Cathedral), based on a Breton legend.
83	* The cover of Music/WeyesBlood's album ''Titanic Rising'' shows her floating in a child's bedroom completely submerged underwater. What makes it even cooler is that the cover was shot [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ubffJydlw&t=1s practically without any CGI]].
84	[[/folder]]
85
86
87	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
88	* ''TabletopGame/CeruleanSeas'': The ruins of the drylander cities, broken and drowned in TheGreatFlood that covered the world in endless oceans, are still scattered around the sea bed for intrepid spelunkers to explore.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Toys]]
92	* In ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'', the Pit was once a mighty undersea prison meant for the worst criminals of the universe, but after the Great Cataclysm shattered the walls and flooded the place, it turned into these after 1000 years. Also, the surviving inmates are still around, [[BodyHorror mutated by the waters of the ocean into half-aquatic monsters]] that fight for survival in a prison even more inescapable than their old one.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Video Games]]
96	* ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'': Atlantis sank at the end of the campaign, but you end up having to go back in the expansion. It just hasn't sunk ''very far'' yet, so there are a lot of ruins that are just under the surface, and a lot of areas shallow enough to wade through.
97	* ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice'' has the Vale of Tears. It's an UnderTheSea level with Underwater Ruins.
98	* ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'' naturally has a lot of these, mostly acting as dungeons.
99	* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'': In addition to your standard underwater caves and shipwrecks, Edward can use a diving bell to explore some underwater ruins in the West Indies Sea, primarily Mayan in origin. Some other ruins in the overworld are also partially submerged.
100	* ''VideoGame/AtlantisTheLostTales'' has the main character [[spoiler:visit the ruins of Atlantis near the end of the game]].
101	* ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'': Much of the underwater parts of Jolly Roger's Lagoon is an Atlantis-like ruin, in contrast to the nautical port town on the surface.
102	* ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'': The underwater world of Level 5 has some "Atlantis" like pillars for background.
103	* ''VideoGame/BricksOfAtlantis'': Used as the settings. You even get to ''destroy'' some.
104	* The second half of "The Storm" from ''VideoGame/CastleOfIllusion'' is set in an ancient ruin that occassionally gets flooded. The remake even has a statue of WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck for [[RuinsForRuinsSake some unexplained reason]]. The boss of the level is a group of Merpeople that hold the Yellow Rainbow Gem.
105	* ''[[VideoGame/GargoylesQuest Demon's Crest]]'' had one level that was split into above-water ruins and underwater ruins. By playing through the above-water section, you could acquire the Crest of Water, which gave you a form that lacked SuperDrowningSkills and let you complete the underwater section.
106	* ''VideoGame/DensetsuNoStafy3'''s Undersea Ruins, serving as the eighth world, has lots of treasure and a security system to protect against intruders. VideoGame/{{Wario}} makes a cameo in this stage, accompanying Starfy.
107	* Atlantis-like ruins are frequently seen thoughout the game ''VideoGame/DisneyDreamlightValley''.
108	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' has some rather Atlantean-looking ruins in the Sea Breeze Cove world. This being a pretty light-on-story game, their history is [[RuinsForRuinsSake unexplained]]. The first world, Lost Mangrove, is a partially-submerged DerelictGraveyard of shipwrecks and crashed planes, overgrown with vegetation.
109	* In ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'', played to the letter with the ruins of Atlantis.
110	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
111	** The series' lore includes the sunken continent of Yokuda, home to the ancestors of the Redguards. According to popular myth, it was "sunk beneath the sea" by a renegade band of [[TheOrder Ansei]], "[[MasterSwordsman sword saints]]" who could [[SpontaneousWeaponCreation form swords out of their own spirits]] called "Shehai", using a DangerousForbiddenTechnique known as the "Pankratosword", which they could use as a FantasticNuke. (Other accounts state that the likely cause was a much more natural type of disaster.) There are references that indicate that parts of Yokuda ''didn't'' sink... or perhaps, were tall enough that they still were above sea-level when the sinking stopped; the remnants of Yokuda appear to be an archipelago.
112	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'':
113	*** Mudan Grotto, off the coast of Ebonheart, leads to a long forgotten [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]] ruin which contains the legendary Dragonbone Cuirass and a funny EasterEgg.
114	*** Boethiah's shrine is off the west coast of Vvardenfell. Some time ago, it was swallowed by the ocean. You can get a quest from the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] himself there to build him a new shrine.
115	** The ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' expansion ''Knights of the Nine'' adds an underwater Ayleid ruin where one of the artifacts was stored. For being underwater for so long, it still has a good amount of breathable air.
116	%%* ''VideoGame/EndlessOcean'' has one as a bonus area. The sequel has some as ''regular'' areas.%%ZCE, describe.
117	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'':
118	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'': The Underwater Temple, home to one of the game's [[CosmicKeystone Cosmic Keystones]]. You can apparently breathe there, too, thanks to [[spoiler:some AppliedPhlebotinum called oxyale]].
119	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'': There's the Temple of Time near the continent of Saronia, underwater.
120	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': These crop up quite a bit and can be explored -- three of the main characters seem to be able to hold their breath indefinitely -- two of them play underwater sports for a living, at least.
121	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChroniclesRingOfFates'' has the ruins of Rela Cyel, a {{Magitek}} facility used to control water levels in the lake. Much of it is flooded, but there are still enough controls functioning for the party to make their way through. The place is intact when they later visit its past, but retains the same mechanics for flooding and emptying rooms in order to progress.
122	* ''VideoGame/{{Folklore}}'' has an entire section of the Netherworld (essentially a level) made up of eerie abandoned ruins under the sea, said to be crumbling away into oblivion due to human disbelief in an underwater afterlife.
123	* ''Website/GaiaOnline'': ''[=zOMG!=]'' features ruins of [[ContinuityNod Gambino's Tower]] as a major part of the Undersea Cliffs, and as a portion of the [[spoiler:[=SeaLab=] Compound zone]]
124	* ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'': The original Lion's Arch is underwater following the [[WorldSundering rise of Orr]]. Many structures in Orr also remain submerged.
125	* ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'', unsurprisingly enough.
126	* ''VideoGame/InTheHunt'' has a stage like this where your submarine is [[RiseToTheChallenge chased upwards]] by a [[AdvancingWallOfDoom giant living statue]].
127	* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'': The Lost Precursor City is an abandoned underwater location with some SharkTunnel motifs. It's still largely intact, with many of the machines still functioning, but it has been overrun by Lurkers, and the local machinery makes up for really dangerous hazards.
128	* ''VideoGame/JetForceGemini'': The Water Ruin planet is exactly what it sounds like.
129	* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'': The Spring in the Sky, in which you had to swim ''through'' the water (and thus deliberately take damage) to get the underwater breathing item.
130	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': In the game's ending, [[spoiler:the old kingdom of Hyrule gets submerged underwater]].
131	%%* ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'': Centaur Man's stage.
132	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
133	** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' has the Wrecked Ship, a more science fictiony take on this. It's a mysterious spacecraft that crashed into the watery section of Crateria's surface that is full of dormant robots and ghosts.
134	** The first ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' features the ruins of the frigate from the beginning of the game about 3/4 submerged in water (accompanied by [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic a beautiful piano song]]).
135	** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'', the lower part of Torvus Bog -- a ruined, sunken temple, with a remix of Red Brinstar from ''Super Metroid''. Dark Aether's version doesn't have nearly as much water, but is MUCH creepier and even more derelict.
136	* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has two sorts of underwater ruins:
137	** Underwater Monuments are sprawling temple complex of green stone populated by Guardians that can only be found in the deep ocean.
138	** A more common variant consists of small clusters of partially destroyed buildings that vary in material depending on the type of ocean they are found in. One of these structures even mimics the Underwater Monument in shape, though it uses a different material.
139	* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'': Sunken beneath the waters that surround Moga Village and the Deserted Island are the Underwater Ruins, which once belonged to a now-extinct civilization. It is where [[spoiler:Ceadeus, an Elder Dragon that is threatening the peace of Moga's inhabitants]] lies, and the player's character has to repel it during battle. In ''3 Ultimate'', it's possible to find [[spoiler:the subspecies Goldbeard Ceadeus, as well as Abyssal Lagiacrus,]] here as well during G Rank.
140	* ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'' has the ruins of Uru -- you and your dragon fly over what few bits are tall enough to poke out of the water, then you wind up temporarily losing said dragon and explore a vast underwater laboratory.
141	* In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' one NPC points out an underwater temple to you when you pass by it on a boat ride to an early quest, but it's not until near the end of the game that you actually get to go there with the help of a TransformingMecha to get [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Orakio's]] [[InfinityMinusOneSword Sword]].
142	* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'':
143	** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'': The remakes have Sea Mauville, a former energy-extracting platform that failed, was closed down and partly sank underwater -- some sections can only be explored using Dive -- and is now kept as a natural reserve.
144	** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': There's the underwater Abyssal Ruins by Undella Bay, which you can explore to scavenge relics to sell for large amounts of money.
145	* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' the battle with [[spoiler:Linda the Lungfish]] takes place in the submerged ruins of Shaky Claim. It was a prospecting town until an insanity epidemic saw nearly the entire population committed and the valley flooded by the government.
146	* ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'': In the [=PS1=] version, the Sanctuary of Water and Ice is located in an underwater cavern in Whale Bay.
147	* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations'': [[spoiler:the Queen Dido]]
148	%%* ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'' has ALL of Planet Undertow like this.
149	* ''VideoGame/SnoopysGrandAdventure'': The second world, "Temple of Bunnies", takes place in an ancient flooded ruin, where the goal is to rescue Linus. Enemies in this world consist of fish and stone men that resemble Linus. The boss of this world is King Totem.
150	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' seems fond of this:
151	** The earliest example is Labyrinth Zone from [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 the original game]], a half-sunken ancient ruin filled with spears, floating platforms, piranha badniks, and stone bear heads that shoot fire, even when submerged. A PaletteSwap of this level serves as the third act of [[EternalEngine Scrap Brain Zone]][[note]]Act 3 of Scrap Brain was originally intended to be a sewer level, but time constraints forced the developers to essentially make "Labyrinth Zone Act 4"[[/note]].
152	** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'':
153	*** Aquatic Ruin Zone in the Genesis version, which is an ancient half-sunken ruin filled with pillars that shoot spears, piranha badniks, floors that collapse when you walk across them, and pillars that can be destroyed with jump attacks. This level is somewhat easier than its predecessor, Labyrinth Zone, as the higher route is fully above the water.
154	*** Aqua Lake Zone in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit the Game Gear and Master System versions]], which is filled with spears, crab and crawfish badniks, and [[FloatingInABubble giant bubbles that Sonic can float in]]. Sonic spends the entirety of the stage's second act underwater.
155	** Tidal Tempest Zone from ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'' is an ancient half-sunken temple filled with pillars, pipes, and crawfish badniks.
156	** ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogChaos Sonic Chaos]]'' has Aqua Planet Zone, which is filled with pillars, spears, and chick badniks. Like Aquatic Ruin Zone from the Genesis version of ''Sonic 2'', Sonic or Tails can choose to stay above the water altogether by taking the upper path.
157	** Hydrocity Zone in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' is partially an ancient half-sunken ruin, but it's also a vertical high-speed level filled with tubes and slopes. There are plenty of pufferfish, shark, and piranha badniks present in this level as well. Hydrocity would later return in ''VideoGame/SonicMania''.
158	** Blue Marine Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicBlast'' is an icy underwater labyrinth where it's easy to lose track of where you are, particularly in Act 2. The level is also a huge [[PipeMaze maze of pipes]], and perhaps its only saving grace is that these pipes provide oxygen.
159	** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', Sonic's section of [[TempleOfDoom Lost World]] has Sonic come across a huge underwater temple with a stone python swimming in it. To escape the temple, Sonic needs to find the three switches that open the exit door, and he must also press switches that raise the water level so that he can ride the stone python to reach the three switches to the exit door. In a later section of the same level, Sonic must [[BlackoutBasement light up a darkened temple]] and avoid falling into the water below it, and when he escapes that, he slides down a water slide leading to the next temple.
160	** ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'' has Aquatic Relix Zone, which essentially resembles an 8-bit version of Aquatic Ruin Zone from the Genesis version of ''Sonic 2''. Like Aquatic Ruin, Sonic can choose to take the upper path to avoid the water altogether, though if you're looking for the optional puzzle pieces, you're gonna have to go underwater to find some of them. The level ends with a battle against Knuckles in an arena that resembles Hidden Palace Zone from ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic and Knuckles]]''.
161	** Sylvania Castle, the first level of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 Episode 2'', is the ruins of an ancient castle that are partially sunken.
162	** This is also a staple in fangames: ''VideoGame/Sonic3DIn2D'' (a [[VideoGameDemake Fan Demake]] of ''VideoGame/Sonic3DBlast'') makes [[RuinsForRuinsSake Rusty Ruins Zone]] a water level, while ''VideoGame/SonicRoboBlast2'' has Deep Sea Zone, which essentially is Tidal Tempest in 3D.
163	** ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'': Lagoon City is another underwater ruins level, where Sonic and his friends can sometimes [[UnderTheSea submerge themselves in water to get around a level]]. The Water-Chaos Emerald power can help them move around easier, being able to freely swim in the water for a short time.
164	%%** Aquatic Mine (''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'')
165	%%** Water Palace in ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' and Pirates' Island of ''VideoGame/SonicRushAdventure'', the latter of which being built into a base.
166	%%** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' features both {{VideoGame/S\|onicHeroes}}easide [[NostalgiaLevel Hill]] in the console version, which has been retooled to be partially underwater, unlike the original level, and the above [[VideoGame/SonicRush Water Palace]] in the 3DS version, with a few added gimmicks for Act 1.
167	* In ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'', ocean planets often have the underwater ruins of an abandoned Hylotl city, making them a good source for cultural artifacts.
168	* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'': Aquas was a once-thriving planet before a bioweapon (the stage's boss) submerged the entire planet underwater. The ruins from the previous inhabitants are still present, though limited mostly to pillars that act as magnets to your torpedoes.
169	%%* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'': Slimy Spring Galaxy.
170	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' features Thor, a technologically advanced city that sunk into the sea 2 millennia ago when a meteor struck it. [[RagnarokProofing Being over 2000 years underwater]] hasn't stopped most of the technology thanks to the city being powered by [[CapturedSuperEntity Aska]], who also keeps the city's dome under which the party can freely breath.
171	* ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'': The final battle against Dural in the second game takes place in one, and is unique in that it's the only stage in the whole series to be fought underwater. Moves and animations are executed much more slowly, and while they can be better telegraphed, it does ''not'' make Dural any easier to fight. But at least everyone comes with SuperNotDrowningSkills.
172	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': Uranus has been {{terraform}}ed into an ocean planet whose depths are now littered with Orokin ruins, which the Grineer are predictably scavenging for any advantage over their enemies.
173	* ''VideoGame/WarioLandII'' had the very aptly named "Ruins at the Bottom of the Sea" as a secret world/level.
174	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
175	** The sheer number of elven ruins in Ashenvale and Azhara is staggering; there is nary a body of water in these zones without a downed column, sunken arch, or pockmarked pillar in it. Massive earthquakes are to blame for all those night elf ruins underwater. Though they seem remarkably resistant to pressure and the ravages of 10,000 years. There are also ruins of a sunken Troll city off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale and sunken Titan ruins in the waters between Arathi and Wetlands.
176	** There is also the Tomb of Sargeras. Heck, the terrain type that was used to make these maps for ''The Frozen Throne'' is ''named'' "Sunken Ruins" in the editor. Notably, however, whenever the "Sunken Ruins" are encountered, they've been raised from the ocean floor.
177	** ''Cataclysm'' has the Sunken City of Vashj'ir and the town of Duskhaven in Gilneas, which gets flooded during the Worgen Starting zone because of the cataclysm.
178	* ''VideoGame/XCOMTerrorFromTheDeep'':
179	** You shoot down alien craft all over the world, then go to capture or kill them. This happens around underwater ruins an awful lot. The Atlanteans must have had a global civilization.
180	** Occasionally, later in the game, the aliens will attempt to capture "Artefact Sites" in order to expand the range of their [[HiveMind Molecular Control network]]. These sites are beneath ancient pyramid structures, and have a UsedFuture architecture.
181	* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VIII'': The Uplifted Library ''was'' this, but the events of the intro led to them being raised from the seafloor, hence the name. It still impacts the interior, with flooding remaining on the bottom floor and the Library being infested with hostile sea-associated creatures like Tritons.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Webcomics]]
185	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'': [[MacGuffin the Orb of Water]] is located in the Sunken Shrine. It's inhabited by a [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraftian]] ApocalypseCult. In the end, [[spoiler:the heroes end up raising the Shrine back on surface [[DestructiveSavior flooding the town of Onrac in the process]]]].
186	* ''Webcomic/DemonFist'': [[InfinityPlusOneSword Pandora's Spear]] is located in a sunken ruin. In an aversion of the usual dry-inside or aquatic-level tropes, Rosenquist's floating fortress actually uses a giant forcefield to part the sea around the whole city, leaving it high and dry.
187	* City cores in ''Webcomic/EverBlue'' - there are strong hints that the world [[AfterTheEnd flooded]], forcing people to build up and create artificial islands to replace cities.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Western Animation]]
191	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Cosmo sunk Atlantis... seven or eight times. Eventually the residents just gave up on living on the surface and evolved into mer-people. When Timmy wishes to visit Atlantis, he ends up having to rescue Cosmo from their revenge by proving that they're actually better off safe and secluded under the ocean.
192	* ''WesternAnimation/FlipperAndLopaka'': Beneath the surrounding ocean lies Quetzo, a sunken Millhouse island now home to many sea creatures, which unlike Illoka, has many modern influences. Lopaka, Flipper and their friends must work together to thwart the plans of the nefarious Dexter, an octopus wanting to claim Quetzo as his own
193	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has the lost city of [[{{Atlantis}} Atlanta, GA]], which was moved to a floating island and eventually sank from the weight of excessive building. Its natives are still around, having become mermaids.
194	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': Billy inadvertently destroys Atlantis.
195	* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooCampScare'': The lake in Camp Big Moose has the remnants of an old town, Moose Creek, sunken in it. It gets dried up by the bad guys.
196	[[/folder]]
197
198	[[folder:Real Life]]
199	* Subverted with ruins discovered off the coast of Zakynthos in Greece. What appeared to be ruins, including columns and courtyard stones, turned out to be [[http://www.livescience.com/54965-zakynthos-underwater-city-formed-by-geology.html totally natural phenomena]] caused by methane leaks and bacteria, that just happened to look shockingly like man-made ruins.
200	* A few have been found in real life, such as the temples of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalipuram#Landmarks Mahabalipuram]], but they are rarely more than a few sunken structures.
201	* Many towns along the Tennessee River were flooded by the construction of hydroelectric dams. Most of the buildings were demolished, but divers can still see the foundations of some. There are also many places where existing towns, or parts of them, were submerged by the construction of flood-control lakes and reservoirs in the late 20th century.
202	* The [[http://www.louishelbig.com/sunkenvillagesst.html Sunken Villages]] project documents the ruins of old towns visible in the St. Lawrence Seaway along the New York/Ontario border of the US and Canada. Instead of flooding due to hydroelectric dams, in this case it's because the river was expanded into the Seaway for shipping. The invasive zebra mussel "cleaned" algae out of the Seaway in recent years, turning the formerly murky waters clear and allowing easy aerial photography of the ruins (which are now mostly foundations and roads).
203	* Look at the footage of UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic's interiors sometime (Website/YouTube is just lousy with pirated documentaries). Even amongst the wreckage and ruin brought on by the sinking and a century under the waves, glimpses of the once grand glory can still be seen.
204	* Alexandria's harbor is just littered with ruins that have fallen into the sea/been dumped there. Some of these stones are believed to be remnants of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_of_Alexandria the legendary Alexandria Lighthouse]], one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
205	* The hydroelectric dams built on the Upper Nile have flooded, and most likely destroyed, a great many archaeological sites of the ancient Egyptian and Nubian civilizations.
206	* OlderThanDirt: The oldest known sunken town is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlopetri Pavlopetri]] in Greece, which was inhabited during the bronze age and is thought to have sunk around 1000 BCE. Areas around the Black Sea are dotted with sunken ruins. Some archeologists have speculated that the Black Sea may originally have been a lake with surfaces well below sea level that got flooded with seawater when it got connected with the Mediterranean.
207	* Website/ThatOtherWiki has a list of real sunken ruins [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Underwater_ruins here.]]
208	[[/folder]]

Context Main / UnderwaterRuins