Through the dialogue, you get very minor hints of where the items may be. The very first main mission of the game has the player acquire different parts to upgrade the ship. The vagueness continues with the missions. In the new growing trend of difficult games, I can understand what the developers were going for, but these navigation issues make the game almost unplayable. There are moments where you can’t see 10 feet in front of you and the only thing guiding you is a small icon. Games that use the environment for direction usually offers far view distance. Even something like dropping breadcrumbs or adding more points on the map (you find so many other vessels or minefields that would have been perfect) would have done wonders to make the map more manageable. The lack of an ability to update the map on your own accord made me want to shy away from exploration, which is one of the biggest draws of Diluvion. If you find enough landmarks in a small area and venture away, the icons clump up and cause confusion. The only way to gain a sense of direction is by bringing up a compass in the UI that shows landmark icons and which direction to go. The landmark based navigation is tough when there aren’t enough on the map, and it is tough to know how far away they are or where how deep they are. By choice of the developers, your submarine does not show up on the map and you are supposed to find your way around by landmarks. The map didn’t take the slack off the navigation. I think it was proximity based, but it was aggravating to have it randomly disappear and leave my sub in the dark. The trail would also randomly turn off and on. It would lead me to ‘landmarks’ and important bases, but it never leaded me to an objective or a correct path in the void. I’m still not sure what the trail of fish is there to accomplish though. The game uses a trail of golden fish, which by itself is a nice effect, to lead you into the correct direction. The navigation isn’t broken, but it is SO non-existent that it makes even the smallest trips full of frustration. The plus and minus buttons were seamlessly added into the sub review screen and can change a strategy quickly, something especially important when things get heated in submarine battles.Ī huge issue that weaved its way into the entire play through is the navigation. I liked how quick you can throw extra crewmen into different parts of the ship. They don’t do anything to push those systems forward, but they are fun and add something to the game. The crew and base building portions of the game are fine. With such an epic tale of gods and secrets, there was much more to chew on than what I had expected. A god takes pity on humanity and proclaims that the secret to saving humanity can be found in the depths of the sea. The world is based on a Great Flood that trapped humanity under a thick layer of unbreakable ice. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of world building in the game. Diluvion was made to take full advantage of the snapshot mode on Steam. They also use the light in different ways like when you are slowly engulfed in a patch of luminescent coral. While it detracts from the actual game play sometimes, the light gradient put into the world looks wonderful. The lighting is also a nice touch to the world. When you are slowly making your way through the dark abyss and a giant silhouette of a base begins to fill up your computer monitor, it makes you stop and appreciate. Using lighting and depth, Arachnid was able to make some awe inspiring shots within the world. The submarine parts focus on specific moments to make it shine. The 3D part of the game, where you will spend most of your time, isn’t as flashy from a design perspective, but uses different techniques to make it stand out. Even small details like the item pictures had a detail not seen in many other indie games. The prisoners dressed differently than the captains, but they had enough small details match to flesh out every area. They looked unique, and a reoccurring theme with the art department, a cohesiveness that brought the world to life. I absolutely loved the story book look of the 2D perspective and the accompanying character design. It pulls from influences in different types media that haven’t been used in many games before, which is exciting to play such a new, fresh experience. There is a cohesiveness to the art that flows through the 3D parts of the game, the 2D parts of the game, the loading screens, the menu, and pretty much everything. The art direction is extremely impressive for a small indie team and rivals some AAA games.
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