Barotrauma takes players to the deep seas of Europa, a moon of Jupiter. Unlike other space-themed games that take place on land, one will be exploring this alien world and encountering creatures living in the murky waters below. Undertow Games first opened up Barotrauma for an early access beta in 2019. After various changes and much player feedback, the game has been fully released with a version 1.0 patch.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Submarine, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

Each human character on the submarine is animated with independent physics-based limbs. This gives them a ragdoll look similar to the classic browser game QWOP. Indeed several actions and movements will have the crew flopping around in a somewhat comedic fashion. However, using the same animation skeleton for everyone allows quick customization without making more art assets.

Characters move with the standard WASD, but where they face is determined by the current position of the mouse cursor. It is possible to slowly backstep when one really wants to speedily run away. There is a crouch and crawl button, though it tends to look ridiculous with the ragdolling of characters.

The user interface also has an odd mix of direct mouse clicks and hotkeys to quickly access items or skills assigned to the bar. This can make it awkward to initially pick up items and weapons from storage and then fumble around to use them if a fight has already broken out. Since the mouse also moves the camera slightly, Barotrauma can feel like the screen is constantly shaking just to read a menu or close a pop-up.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

There are six roles on the ship. The captain steers the submarine and can broadcast additional orders to others. The security officer mans the turrets and can fight intruders that sneak onboard. The medical officer treats wounds and prevents illness. The mechanic repairs damage to the ship and creates manufactured items. The engineer fixes power systems, as well as makes items that depend on electricity. Finally, the assistant is competent at all the above jobs but excels at none of them, making them good at manning two different nearby stations.

Mechanics, engineers, and medical officers will likely spend any downtime crafting additional items from raw materials. This can include repair kits, stimulants, batteries, diving suits, and more. Crafting is done at a fabrication station, which will showcase every possible item option, though this can be narrowed with a search bar. The fabricators are a little clunky to interact with, making them a risky option if already in the middle of danger.

Typical starting scenarios begin with one captain, mechanic, and security officer but can be adjusted. Additionally, more crew members can be hired at various stations and outposts throughout Europa. In single-player, one controls each character at a time, with the AI taking on more simple tasks for the unmanned. The AI is decent when doing something routine like repairing or healing but can often get themselves killed if charging into an enemy or moving to a flooded area of the ship.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

Often time it isn’t a lone attack or threat that does the submarine in, but a long cascading series of events that slowly chips away at the crew. This can go as far back as not buying enough supplies or taking the time to outfit a good sub. If a key member dies, the remaining ones might not have the skills to do a proper job. Often time it isn’t the Europa creatures that cause a game over, but a dangerous amount of flooding, disease, or, as the game title clearly states “barotrauma” - the real-life danger divers face of being crushed by sudden changes in gas pressure.

Europa is an alien world, and the indigenous wildlife does not take kindly to invaders. Players will do battle with Alien franchise xenomorph-like raptors, giant worms, and squid Cthulhu terrors. Enemy human factions will also attempt to storm the submarine, typically wielding weapons similar to the security officer, making them deadly up close. In other instances, the two forces may merge - with the Europan “Velonaceps Calyx” burrowing into the brains of the crew and taking over their bodies. These human husks move a bit slower but constantly heal over time.

Most submarines are also dark or dimly lit. It is possible that some players will not even be able to see or parse their surroundings while ungeared. It becomes important to always have a flashlight and other tools before disembarking, as once in a bad situation, it will already be too late to retreat for proper equipment.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

While the entry of Europa is large, there aren’t many set goals in the single-player mode. One is typically given vague orders like “make money” and left to their own devices of how to do that. While there is an overarching story, it is up to players to find and see it to the end. The story itself is very slow and extremely text-heavy, leaving players with the same response prompts like “Yes sir” or “Stay silent”. The open world aspect gives a lot of freedom but also can lead to getting lost, bored, or easily destroyed at one wrong turn.

Barotrauma instead shines as a deep and intense multiplayer experience. The integrated server browser allows custom matches of up to 16 players. In sandbox mode, everyone is free to do as they like, with no immediate pressure to do any one thing. PvP instead pits teams of up to 8 vs. 8 as they try and destroy or sabotage each other’s submarine. Players can also play a cooperative objective mode that gives more guided orders. Optionally, for all of these, the host can toggle on traitors. This will give random players new orders to kill someone else, fail a mission, or otherwise ruin the playthrough in order to win.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

The multiplayer mode gives much more depth as a submarine will already be outfitted with a full crew, who may be more competent than the AI. However, this can also put a lot of pressure and blame on new players who might not have mastered all the tricks of their role. A captain who cannot lead or a security officer who is incapable of fighting can jeopardize the match. Undertow themselves recommends that first-time players choose assistant so that they can wear many different hats at once while not being burdened.

Even for long-time players, there can be mechanics and secrets that are not entirely obvious. There are some hints in the game for what to do, but many aspects are purposely obtuse. It seems that Barotrauma relies on the Dark Souls philosophy of trial and error or sharing tips with the online community. Indeed, players might want to read through the extensive official Barotrauma wiki before even loading up the game.

And this lack of insight - or foresight - is baked into the online matches of Barotrauma. Playing with others means that one isn’t going to fully know how skilled their allies are. Are teammates simply bad, trolling the game, or are they traitors out to ruin the mission? This can cause a lot of pointing fingers and possibly hurt feelings. This can be amusing for those who like more intense and cutthroat games, but those who can’t stand potential toxicity may be turned off.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

Barotrauma itself doesn’t have many in-game moderation tools. Troublesome and disliked players can still easily waltz into any public game. This can lead to grief, stalking, and harassment. Additionally, voice chat is fully functional, making it possible to spread misinformation or outright slurs. There is a basic vote to kick function, though the problem player will stay on board if there are not enough participants. Matches can be set to private when made, resulting in online turning more into an exclusive club than open matchmaking. But otherwise, it is up to the player base to police themselves.

If one gets tired of what Undertow has designed, Barotrauma comes directly with a full suite of modding tools in the game. Players are free to design new submarines, characters, and monsters by combining and altering existing assets. However, this mode is very complex and does not lead one into how to actually properly mod without making something game-breaking. There are multiple menus for changing orientations and properties and swapping out parts. It will mostly take experimentation or online tutorials to figure it out. But this easy access to modding does mean that Barotrauma will likely have a longer lifecycle.

Barotrauma, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, RTS, Simulation

Despite being the full release, Barotrauma still has many bugs. User interface elements will often overlap each other, making it impossible to read or, in some cases, even use certain menus. There is also some strange slowdown when moving through larger ships and stations. While not an outright bug, the training tutorials need a clearer-cut overview of the ship’s layout before telling players where to go.

Ultimately, Barotrauma is best played with a large group of friends, not complete strangers found through Steam. One should treat it similarly to Star Trek Bridge Crew but without the need for VR. This necessitates already having a solid network of pals or outside clans onboard before even purchasing Barotrauma. While it is possible to play with random players, the amount of frustration and confusion will compound.

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