And alongside being able to switch between views, the rest of the controls are quite superb as well. Switching between the 3D and 2D views of your ship is done with the touch of a button, allowing you instant access to your ship and crew at any time, who you can speak with and ask about their own backgrounds, with each member you hire having their own tale, and the little relationships you can build are definitely a nice touch. The fact that you’re never truly safe at any time nicely emphasizes the danger of the sea, and creates some real suspense and excitement when it comes to scrounging and taking care of your ship on the fly. Maybe you’ve encountered a sudden foe requiring you to see if you should direct the majority of crew members towards working on the helping the gunner, or maybe you’re escaping from a more powerful foe and suddenly head into a building you find in order to refill your air tanks and see if it contains any rare loot or mission objectives you may need (which also requires you to hunt for the crates and boxes that can be opened). Notably, switching into a 2D area essentially puts the game into a sort of “bullet time” mode where things still move around or hit you, so when you’re in a hurry or under attack, you have to think faster than usual. And the mix of styles as you switch to a more comic-inspired 2D view whenever managing your ship or exploring a new indoor area is executed wonderfully, creating a distinctive look that really stands out, even if it could have used a few more character models for the 2D bits. The icy tomb that is the ocean you wander is simultaneously dark and beautiful, be it coming across massive structures and sunken ships or just little houses and beacons you see along the way, with the murky waters giving off the feeling of discovery as they reveal either danger or sanctuary (said mukriness being a slight double-edged sword, though, as we’ll get to). So immediately, Diluvion nails the atmosphere right off of the bat with some impressive graphics. Needless to say, it’s up to you and your adventurous spirit to seek out this treasure for fame, glory, and humanity. And with this new society 20,000 leagues under the sea comes new tales, mainly the one that speaks of the Endless Corridor, an extremely deep, dark, and dangerous area rumored to hold a treasure that ushers in a new golden age of mankind. You are one of the remnants of a once-thriving human society, forced underwater by a huge calamity and finding themselves having to rebuild and adapt, leading to an alternate universe (one with more of a steampunk vibe, in this case). The steampunk fantasy angle is what easily hooks many, but is this underwater adventure a trip worth taking, or should we just abandon ship and let this wreck sink to the bottom?ĭiluvion’s setup should sound familiar to those who have played another notable indie game about sailing and exploration, Sunless Sea. Granted, the vehicle in this case is a steampunk submarine traversing a post-apocalyptic underwater world, and Diluvion bills itself as more of an action game with RPG elements, but at its core, it is still about traversing a vast world in search of adventure while maintaining and upgrading a trusty vehicle. So after having tried my luck with real-time strategy games, entries in the Halo franchise, eroge and others, my journey to broaden my horizons by reviewing games in areas that I typically haven’t had much prior experience with has led me to vehicular simulators with Diluvion.

Diluvion game