Hydrophobia
- September 30, 2010 09:00 AM PT
Hydrophobia may claim to break new ground with its realistic water physics, but it would seem that the team at Dark Energy Digital forgot a few other important elements in this downloadable title. Stiff controls, awkward action sequences, and dated graphics are just a few things that do enough harm to sabotage a unique idea, as this game drowns under a sea of irritating technical flaws.
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Dark Energy Digital's Rob Hewson once described Hydrophobia as "player versus environment," and I can't think of a better term for the frustration I felt as I was playing the game. While it's true that the constant threat of being drowned makes for an interesting gameplay mechanic, I was literally fighting the game itself throughout. More specifically, I was fighting to find my way around after repeatedly running into dead ends without much clue of where to turn next.
Set in a future where mankind's excessive population has been threatened by a global flood, Hydrophobia takes place in the "Queen of the World," a city-sized ship that's one of the last decent places to live. As such, the narrative establishes early on that there are huge problems with illegal immigration, as there's barely enough room on the Queen of the World to support the people it has. During an annual party aboard the ship, a terrorist attack breaches the hull, causing intense flooding and damage throughout the system.
Kate, the main protagonist, is caught in the middle of the conflict, as she pits herself against the terrorists in order to find out why they're attacking the ship. Hydrophobia's namesake comes into play as different areas of the game are constantly flooded with water, which either impedes or helps Kate. Since she's an engineer, Kate can conveniently reverse-hack the ship's systems to access locked sections of the Queen of the World, although she has to hunt for codes.
Hydrophobia is billed as a survival horror game, but it would be fairer to call it a "survival annoyance" title. While there is some initial tension at the start, it quickly fades when you realize that your immediate vicinity won't flood unless the game's narrative calls for it. If anything, players might feel a bit claustrophobic thanks to Hydrophobia's tendency to lock you in small rooms without any obvious indication of how to proceed. It's particularly irritating when you can't find a switch or door in a rapidly flooding area, since the atrociously designed map gives very little help in telling you which way to go.
In addition, I'm pretty sure that these aren't the best water effects I've seen in a video game, which is surprising given that the HydroEngine was built solely for that purpose. No matter how many times you repeat a certain scenario, the water flows exactly the same way, with the only variations taking place if you throw in a random element, like a broken window or explosion. Moreover, Kate moves unnaturally fast when she's swimming or running through large bodies of water -- although I guess she'd have to in order to survive certain emergencies.
At the very least, Hydrophobia's combat system is surprisingly varied thanks to the HydroEngine. Instead of engaging terrorists in straight shootouts, Kate can make use of explosive barrels, electric wires, and sudden flash floods to take out the masked goons on various levels of the ship. It's just a shame that the combat is so poorly implemented. Using stealth to crouch around does nothing to hide you from enemies and the cover system feels unresponsive. Even the underwater gunfights -- something I'd expect to be the coolest part of the game -- are hampered by awkward controls and a camera that occasionally sticks behind solid objects. Luckily, the game isn't terribly difficult, so dying doesn't set you back more than a few seconds. Overall, the game lasts about five hours or so.
Still, it's clear that Hydrophobia has some untapped potential, particularly with the Challenge Room that you can unlock after the ending cliffhanger. Here, groups of enemies attack Kate in a flooded warehouse with no place to run or escape to. Luckily, a situation that would normally mean certain death for Kate almost turns into a shooting gallery here, as she suddenly channels a telekinetic power to control H2O. While it would have been nice to have these powers during the game's single-player campaign, at least the next game in the series already has an interesting hook.
If you're still interested in seeing what Hydrophobia has to offer, the Challenge Room and unique story definitely stand out as bright spots amid the otherwise murky gameplay. Otherwise, you're probably better off saving your Microsoft Points for something with a little more polish and replay value. Hydrophobia definitely brings some interesting ideas to the table, but I wish that other parts of the game were as detailed as the titular mechanic.
PROS: Hydrophobia's "HydroEngine" brings an interesting twist to an otherwise standard action game; Challenge Room make good use of environments and adds some decent replay value.
CONS: Awkward controls, rough graphics, unimpressive combat system; Platforming elements could have used some polish; Random glitches sometimes bar your progress; All of this is capped off by frustrating map design and levels that are very difficult to navigate.
Comments [1]
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- Oct 02 2010 at 08:50:24:AM PST
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Thanks for the review. The game seems to be decent. I'll wait until this goes on sale.
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