Game Review | First Dive Into Diluvion

“A vast game with a living world that takes a twist on open world, Diluvion takes on the genre and tosses you into the expansive Ocean after the “Great Flood” 

As this is my first Dive into Diluvion, this review will not be covering the games story line as much as my experience and the key features of the game thus far. If you are interested more in the story of the game please stay tuned for another review to come in the future.

Some History on the world

After the events leading up to the Great Flood humanity is left struggling to survive under the icey waters. Humanity has changed and civilization as a whole has changed. The Ocean is created up of many different Kingdoms, Cultures, and Religions each with their story to tell. People have learned how to transform the Ocean into thriving realms and outposts. As you propel through the vast water you’ll encounter enemies, trading posts, remnants of the old world and mysterious objects. Not all is as it seems and not everyone is as they seem either.

My First Dive

Coming from my hands on at PAX West which you can read called “Diluvion PAX West” I was beyond excited to dive in. Starting the game I was first submerged into the history and lore that makes this world so interesting learning about the Great Flood that happened centuries ago leaving the world under an immense layer of ice. Diluvion takes you into uncharted waters as a aspiring submarine Captain who has been given the honor of commanding your own sub and crew. After picking which of the three starting submarines you’d like to Captain you set out on your adventure. Starting in the first region I felt the vast openness of the waters surrounding me. The excitement of the adventure ahead and the controls at my hand felt amazing. As I set out to explore my first crew member told me we needed to find a certain crew member and gave me a general direction. As I set out listening to him I eventually made my way to the crew member and acquired him. As I set back out on my story line I found myself struggling to stay on course for the story but this is where Diluvion thrives.

The great thing about this world is that there is so much to do that you may set out on a certain area but along the way you get side tracked by the living world around you and hours later realize you’ve made no story progression but had a blast exploring. AS you explore this vast and open world you’ll notice the gorgeous 3d graphics surrounding you as you explore. When you want to investigate a broken sub, city or other objects you have to tether to them. To do this you place your sub towards the anchor symbol that appears on the object and shoot a harpoon like tether which has a stress level depending on the current and your speed may snap or suck you to it allowing you to investigate and interact. While this can be challenging at times when you’re going to fast I never felt like it was hard.

When you finally are “docked” you are taken into an amazing 2d where screen where you can then investigate or interact with the people there. Sometimes you’ll be looking for treasure such as metals, oxygen tanks and other collectable items, other times you’ll be talking to people and getting hints at where to go, history or legends, or be able to hire new crew members for a cost of course.

As you would suspect as this game is under water you have an oxygen tank, this tank deplete as you move around this world and you need to keep it supplied which in my case of exploring and not progressing the story line thus far forced me into docking with anything and everything I could. In doing so I found multiple oxygen tanks, a broken sub where I could hire their crew members and many other awesome items such as missiles and rare valuable items to sell. Along with having to manage your oxygen you also have a crew, as they are human they get hungry but not terribly fast to where it’s annoying. So as you travel it’s best to make sure you are staying on top of your food supply and when you have the option of trading for food it’s smart to see what your food supply level is at. As you float through this world you’ll come across many subs with their own desires, some are raiders who will start an under sea battle with you and other subs, some are peaceful merchants who you can offload your unwanted goods to and purchase needed supplies and even submarine upgrades.

Now I haven’t mentioned navigation much and that is because this game does such an amazing job visually, musically and interactively that I haven’t felt like I needed to just stay the course. I’ve loved my time just exploring and if I happen to come across the next story point great if not oh well more exploring for me, but I should talk about it a bit. Diluvion doesn’t have the standard navigation across the top with a marker pointing you in the direction you need to go, or the map top left or right with a flashing dot indicating you and a dot indicating your next point.

In Diluvion you can bring up a compass like circle around the bottom of your screen that gives you a true compass, North, East, South, West and everything in between,  but it will not tell you which direction you need to head for your mission. You can pull up a map that shows you all landmarks you’ve discovered as well so if you remember where you went from that landmark you can find your way. However the developer has done something smart and subtle adding in a lightly orange glowing pack of fish that swim in the general direction of your next point. If you decide you would like to progress your story line and stop the mindless and peaceful exploring you may simply head towards a landmark spot this line of beautiful orange and follow them in the general direction you need to be heading.

I applaud them in doing this instead of other main open world games, this not only urges you to explore more areas and vast side areas but also gives lends its self to the nautical theme. There are no roads in Diluvion as seen in other open world games and as such there is no right or wrong way to get to a point but to explore this world that is unknown to you and others while stumbling across story is how I believe Diluvion should be digested from gamers.

As a whole I’m loving Diluvion as I hope you can tell, I have spent countless hours as a new father up at night rocking my son while wondering the ocean floor and getting lost in the world. I will now spend more time diving into the story and report back once I get the game finished or near finished. So I hope this “First Dive” into Diluvion has been captivating and insightful. I would recommend this game to anyone who is a true fan of exploration and open world games thus far, but I see huge potential in the story line as it’s been beautifully laid out thus far and well scripted. Diluvion is now available on STEAM.

I’ve attached below some of the Key points the developer believes makes this game outstanding if you’re interested.

• A Beautiful Underwater World to Explore: Three massive and beautifully realized open sea zones to explore, each with their own factions, local stories and more
• Innovative Combination of 2D & 3D Graphics: Experience the mysteries of the deep in beautifully rendered 3D graphics as you navigate your submarine, and seamlessly switch to meticulously hand-painted 2D graphics when exploring towns and cities
• Thrilling Real-Time Submarine Combat: Utilize an arsenal of underwater weapons to engage in life-or-death firefights with other submarines and deadly terrifying creatures
• Crew Recruitment: Assemble your own unique crew to fight alongside you by recruiting different Helmsmen, Gunners and Sonar Technicians. Utilize each of their special skills and personalities to change the flow of combat and exploration.
• Upgradable Submarines: Continuously improve your vessel by acquiring new weapons that can dramatically change the tide of battle, and gain access to new areas by increasing its dive depth by collecting hull armour plates
• 9 Pilotable Submarines: Explore the world to uncover 9 unique pilotable submarines, each with their own feel, strengths and weaknesses
• Resource Management: This world is not for the faint of heart, as resources are limited and survival is a constant battle. You’ll have to actively manage your food supplies and oxygen levels should you wish to keep your crew alive and overcome the perils of the sea
• Upgradeable Home Base: Build- and grow your own base of operations under the sea to house all your stand-by crew members and submarines. Upgrade your base to increase your notoriety and wealth, as upgraded bases can also house valuable opportunities, such as rare item merchants and bars with notorious sailors as patrons.
• Loot System: The world is filled with rare loot and hidden quests to discover…. Especially for those who dare to venture off the beaten path
• Terrifying Underwater Foes: Explore the world and test your bravery against giant sea creatures and mysteries undersea anomalies!