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HYDROPHOBIA (X360)
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Publisher: Microsoft.
Developer: Dark Energy Digital. Released: September 2010. Genre: Action/Adventure. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 26th April 2021. By Shane Battams © 2021 |
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Hydrophobia endured something of a tortuous journey to completion. Announced in 2007, it would spend three years in development, jumping from a retail to a digital-only title and upon launching in 2010 was met with a mixed critical reception, prompting members of the development team to retaliate to harsher criticism – going as far as to claim that members of the press hadn’t played the game. It’s a shame that, ultimately, this backstory would prove more interesting than the game itself. Unsatisfying gameplay, a short length and poor narrative end up sinking this below its interesting water physics and not even the upgraded Pure version could solve everything.
Taking place in a future where the population has increased beyond sustainability, a special boat has been built called Queen of the World – a city at sea. Kate Wilson, hoping to enjoy time off, notices a disturbance. Things get perilous quickly as a group of terrorists known as the Malthusians hijack the ship and start detonating explosives, sinking the ship and trying to crop the population. As Kate tries to stop this, she is helped by a Scottish techie known as Scoot. There’s a semblance of interest to the concepts, such as the impacts of overpopulation, but the story floats into the background, not helped by lacklustre voice acting and a general lack of cut-scenes.
Hydrophobia's dynamic water effects were truly unusual, but its more elementary issues that drag the game down
Hydrophobia is a survival game where human cultists and the force of water are your biggest threats. The Pure update would address one of the biggest complaints, with streamlined guidance between objectives and a refined map offering an improvement. But it also has a negative effect in a way, this feels like your hand is being held. You can turn these off in the menu, but still there is no happy medium, as bland levels and repetitive environments lead to confusion. It also exacerbates a serious case of brevity, as the campaign can be breezed through in a single sitting. Medal objectives and special Challenge arenas add some replay value, though only for a couple more hours at most, meaning you can dust this one off in a single day.
As the title suggests, water plays a huge role here. It’s an impressive element, travelling between rooms when you open doors, flowing realistically and it builds up sharpish when you deploy traps. There are some weird quirks, such as fire flowing around water, but these are minor quibbles. There’s also the awesome element of wielding this against terrorists, allowing you to drown them with sudden gushes of water let in and trip them up. Swimming was the only downside, but the Pure update also fixed this. An oxygen meter allows you to better manage your swimming, underwater shooting works better and the camera woes have been straightened out. It easily serves as the standout feature.
As the title suggests, water plays a huge role here. It’s an impressive element, travelling between rooms when you open doors, flowing realistically and it builds up sharpish when you deploy traps. There are some weird quirks, such as fire flowing around water, but these are minor quibbles. There’s also the awesome element of wielding this against terrorists, allowing you to drown them with sudden gushes of water let in and trip them up. Swimming was the only downside, but the Pure update also fixed this. An oxygen meter allows you to better manage your swimming, underwater shooting works better and the camera woes have been straightened out. It easily serves as the standout feature.
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Unfortunately, the rest of Hydrophobia doesn’t stack up. The repetitive structure sees you searching for decryption codes incessantly. Platforming struggles with a camera that gets stuck and warps the controls if you try to backtrack. Gun-play appears inventive but feels flat in the final reckoning. Sonic rounds serve as your main ammo, seeing you trying to block up environmental hazards for quick kills. If you lack these, trying to take down a terrorist proves tedious, as you have to repeatedly knock foes down without the benefit of a melee kill available. You do rarely gain some special ammo, such as sticky explosive gel and shock rounds, but these can’t save combat from feeling lightweight and tame. Dark Energy Digital tried to keep the game afloat with one cool mechanic, but it’s not enough.
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The visuals are a mixed bag, with some impressive lighting and textures undermined by frame rate stutters and repetitive looking environments. The water is really impressive, perhaps some of the most realistic of the time. But enemies are made up of the same two models and cut-scenes look awful. The sound is awful too, thanks to weak voice acting that is mixed very poorly, making some characters difficult to hear. Sound effects have a habit of cutting out, while gunshots sound more like pea-shooters and the music is non-existent.
Hydrophobia ends up a disappointment; a cool concept buried under a myriad of issues. The constant and realistic threat of water hazards makes for a somewhat tense experience, but the rest of the mechanics, from the bland shooting to the repetitive design, hold it back. Even the Pure update and a price cut couldn’t save this one from mediocrity. Even if you’re intrigued, most will find it to be a brief chore with a unique trick that sadly is not effectively utilised.
Hydrophobia ends up a disappointment; a cool concept buried under a myriad of issues. The constant and realistic threat of water hazards makes for a somewhat tense experience, but the rest of the mechanics, from the bland shooting to the repetitive design, hold it back. Even the Pure update and a price cut couldn’t save this one from mediocrity. Even if you’re intrigued, most will find it to be a brief chore with a unique trick that sadly is not effectively utilised.
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VERDICT
“Hydrophobia is a cool concept that is buried under a myriad of issues, as the constant and realistic threat of water doesn’t save this from mediocrity” OVERALL: 5/10 |