Hydrophobia: Prophecy

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 153 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 153
  2. Mixed: 66 out of 153
  3. Negative: 47 out of 153

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  1. MAD623
    Apr 18, 2013
    9
    Mind blowing gameplay. This is a fantastic game and you should get it now. You're in for a lot of "whoa!" moments! There are plenty cool mechanics in the first half an hour and I strongly believe it's impossible to play Hydrophobia and not be pleasantly surprised.
  2. runner
    Feb 27, 2016
    4
    I was expecting for quite some time to get around this one. I feel sorry to give this a low score because it seems there was really an effort put into making this a good product. At the very beginning of the game, it reminded me of Dreamfall, which is one of my favorite games of all times. The two games are very much different, BUT, both have adventure elements in them, but are NOTI was expecting for quite some time to get around this one. I feel sorry to give this a low score because it seems there was really an effort put into making this a good product. At the very beginning of the game, it reminded me of Dreamfall, which is one of my favorite games of all times. The two games are very much different, BUT, both have adventure elements in them, but are NOT controlled with the classic point n' click interface, and both are, well, rather weak in terms of gameplay. How come I've played and enjoyed every one of my playthroughs with DF, and on this one I just waited eagerly to finish and uninstall it already?

    I'll start with the good, though: Hydrophobia does it nicely in the terms of setting and atmosphere. The graphics are interesting enough and the water mechanics and original engine were justly praised, and I honestly wish someone would make some more use of the HydroEngine. The soundtrack is also nice, even though it feels a little 'off' at times, it's perfectly fine, dramatic and intense and fits the game and environment. Unfortunately, I'm finding myself proceeding so fast to...

    The Bad: Unfortunately, not much else is done well here. I've mentioned before a weak gameplay, and it indeed felt weak for me. The game has SOME slight puzzleadventure elements, which I think the devs should have used some more because it could potentially save the game. Instead it relies on action, which is mostly consisted of awkward platforming, clunky combat, and mundane obstacles shooting. And no matter how much medals or collectibles I've earned (which are much appreciated, but still) I just felt I keep doing the same thing over and over again. And it wasn't a fun thing I was doing back there.
    I've also mentioned the faint resemblance I felt to DF, and that both games had weak gameplay in my opinion. Yet Dreamfall relies heavily on a STORY which saves its ass and making it easily a favorite of mine. Does a game have to rely on storytelling to be a worth title? No. But it should at least tell a good one, to pull us from the, at times, horrendous gameplay. You'd cover most of Hydrophobia's story on its first act (the game has 3), the rest just felt like poor excuses to run from point A to point B and do X. I really thought they were going somewhere deeper with all the mess they've created, but no. When I realized that I was going to complete the game despite not having so much fun with it, I prayed it'd at least have a good ending. It didn't. I did get to create water-pillars, which was cool. And then there was a random boss battle, which made it not cool at all.
    So, yeah, I got the impression this title is story-driven and found out that it wasn't really so true. There aren't many characters and the existing once don't seem to have much depth. And. They. Are. Dubbed. Irritatingly. I'm so sorry. I really tried to get used to it, but at some point I just stopped noticing what our hydrophobic hero and her useless sidekick were saying.

    The Ugly: As I said, this is all kinda sad. Even tragic in a way. The 'Prophecy' version is an improved one over the original Hydrophobia title, which got many complaints and bad reviews. I never tried it, only read about the process, and it seems the developers really tried and wanted to listen to the customers and give them what they want. They really tried to make massive improvements according to the feedback they received. There's even a "dev feedback" option where you could send them your opinion through the game! Where else have you seen such things?
    Still, if this is the 'revamped' version, then, and I feel to terrible saying this, it's no wonder that Dark Energy is now defunct. I actually wish they had another chance at making some other stuff and possibly get better and make good products. But Hydrophobia Prophecy simply turned from a title which grabbed my attention and anticipation, and seemed to cool and unique, to a very big 'meeeh', and later into a big annoyance which I'm glad is over.
    I might try and play this game again in a few years for old times' sake, but... I doubt that.    … Expand
  3. Jinx
    May 11, 2011
    7
    Despite the criticism I have seen, it's not a bad little game, especially for the price. It's nothing too special... pretty linear, some platforming and cover-based shooting elements, and very pretty fire and water effects. Developers are active on the Steam forum and patching and tweaking based on player feedback, which is always good, although it's not buggy or anything at all. I'd sayDespite the criticism I have seen, it's not a bad little game, especially for the price. It's nothing too special... pretty linear, some platforming and cover-based shooting elements, and very pretty fire and water effects. Developers are active on the Steam forum and patching and tweaking based on player feedback, which is always good, although it's not buggy or anything at all. I'd say give it a go if it looks interesting to you. Hopefully they will have a PC demo soon. And I'd recommend a 360 controller for it, it just fits the game better.… Expand
  4. Mako
    Jul 6, 2011
    4
    Hydrophobia is a strange case. I would want to like this game, but all the technical problems in the game just make me not to. This game is more like a short tech demo about the cool water effects the developers has been able to create. Only problem is that the game engine is half-done and broken. There are also lots of nice ideas that could have made this game really good if someone wouldHydrophobia is a strange case. I would want to like this game, but all the technical problems in the game just make me not to. This game is more like a short tech demo about the cool water effects the developers has been able to create. Only problem is that the game engine is half-done and broken. There are also lots of nice ideas that could have made this game really good if someone would have placed more effort into the game itself.

    The story is from a cheap B class movie, nothing complex or genius. Also the voice acting is from the same movie category. The game is also very short, which in this particular game was not a problem thoughâ    … Expand
  5. Sexbad
    Aug 13, 2011
    0
    Nope. This game has myriad premise and fails to deliver in every single field. Water physics do nothing but get in the way. Objectives are simple find-the-button busywork. Platforming is shallow. Protagonist controls poorly. Combat is awful cover shooting against pathetic AI. Weapons feel like **** Narrative and characters are handled with a Call of Duty level of absurdity.
  6. Roeyl
    Jul 17, 2011
    6
    I thought Hydrophobia was going to be real cool, anybody would fall for being able to manipulate water right? Well it turns out to be quite disappointing. First, you only get to use your water ability at the very end. Before that, you just have a basic gun with multiple ammo choices but only the sonic is necessary, the rest is pretty useless. At this point the game is fun to play, butI thought Hydrophobia was going to be real cool, anybody would fall for being able to manipulate water right? Well it turns out to be quite disappointing. First, you only get to use your water ability at the very end. Before that, you just have a basic gun with multiple ammo choices but only the sonic is necessary, the rest is pretty useless. At this point the game is fun to play, but nothing original though. Story is simple but convenient and Scoot (your guide) is entertaining, though the heroin, Kate, could sometimes whine less. The water effects are nice and so is the MAVI device and the hacking system, environment designs could more original though and facial character animation is weak (all they do is move their mouths). Upon starting the third act, you get to have your power but all you can do with is move objects around, still fun though. THEN comes the big disappointment: the final boss. This part was just a pain in ***; you actually HAVE too use the electronic ammo, like some kind of E.M.P (otherwise useless for the rest of the game) and when you're done shooting at the big robot (which is powered by weak or too simple AI) you've got to throw explosive barrels at it with your water ability but all you can hope for is actually trying to catch one while you're being shot at by other enemies... and crap: you can't aim while your ability is enabled! Worse than that, when you're finally done with the boss, if you fail to go fast enough and pursue the next events: the damn DEAD machine comes to life again and you have to start over. I really wanted to love this game but I just got too frustrated. All in all: positive are the water physics and graphics (Kate looks pretty good); average: level design, most of the gameplay and story; negative: the reason you actually bought this game for. I still gave it a 6 because the developers care for the game and have made significant updates and for the very low price (bought it for 2.50 euros on Steam).… Expand
  7. wjomlex
    Jul 11, 2011
    5
    When I first saw this game, I saw a woman manipulating water, and it looked like fun. That's a cool concept right? Especially with Havok-powered physics?

    Well, after the first act, it seemed to be the case that I wasn't actually getting any cool water powers at all. Then in the second act, I was like "Nanobot infestation! Now I get cool powers!" But no. I just got to run around taking    When I first saw this game, I saw a woman manipulating water, and it looked like fun. That's a cool concept right? Especially with Havok-powered physics?

    Well, after the first act, it seemed to be the case that I wasn't actually getting any cool water powers at all. Then in the second act, I was like "Nanobot infestation! Now I get cool powers!" But no. I just got to run around taking meds. And then at the *very* end of the game I get my water powers, and all I get to do with them is throw some barrels. What a disappointment :(

    What's worse than not getting superpowers? Getting 3 minutes of superpowers. You know what's worse than that? Wishing you never actually got them. Apparently I can't aim my gun and use the water power at the same time. Apparently the developers thought that "4" was a good button for switching between water and gun. The only thing you can do with your water powers is move objects, and doing so is awkward at best. The final (only) boss battle relies on accurate use of your brand-new powers, but all you can do is flail around hoping to grab something. Oh, did I mention people are shooting at you at the same time? Too bad you can't aim your gun. Oh wait, you can use water to throw people around right? You can *try*, but they'll probably kill you while you're trying to pick them up. Stick to your gun.

    And about the gun... Your gun has infinite "sonic rounds" at the outset, and you really never need to use the other ammo types. The gel rounds are kind of fun, but semi-auto is useless, energy is useless, and rapid-fire you only get at the very end. The game actually forces you to use energy rounds for the boss battle. It's like the developers knew they were useless and needed some way to justify their existence.

    The control is awkward at times, especially when swimming, and there's no shortage of swimming in this game. The camera is usually OK, but sometimes you can't point it where you want to look, or it'll aim in such a way that Kate completely blocks what you're trying to shoot at.

    Luckily, the first two acts of the game are actually fun to play. When the acrobatic sequences work, they're really fluid. Speaking of fluids, the water effects are indeed very good. Explosive barrels are a mainstay of any game with guns, and by god they're everywhere. On a boat. I don't know why. Scoot's dialog is well-written and entertaining. Kate isn't a stereotypical heroine (though sometimes whinier than she needs to be) .The MAVI device is fun, and the hacking sequences are novel. The story is simple, but it works, and the villians are neo-Malthusians which isn't exactly standard fare. Almost all the problems with this game are in the third act. Scoot isn't there, the level design is suddenly more trite, and most of all you get useless water powers. Unfortunately, this is how you end the game, so it doesn't leave you feeling very satisfied.    … Expand
  8. Necrotaur
    Aug 24, 2012
    4
    Long story short, the only thing Hydrophobia really has going for it are its water physics. In ever other aspect, it is mediocre to poor. Platforming and combat are artificially difficult due to poor controls and camera angles, and there are a host of bugs, such as enemies spawning right on you when you load a checkpoint. The game is extremely repetitive, shooting the same enemies andLong story short, the only thing Hydrophobia really has going for it are its water physics. In ever other aspect, it is mediocre to poor. Platforming and combat are artificially difficult due to poor controls and camera angles, and there are a host of bugs, such as enemies spawning right on you when you load a checkpoint. The game is extremely repetitive, shooting the same enemies and collecting the same keys ad nauseum. You also don't "control water", one of the game's selling points, until the last half of the final act, which is about 20 minutes from the end. Oh, that reminds me.. Hydrophobia is only 2 hours long. I can overlook a lot considering the price is currently only $5, but if I had paid the original price, I would be pretty angry.… Expand
  9. Soulgraph
    May 25, 2011
    10
    Awesome, I could hardly ask for more especially considering the price. I hope to see Dark Energy go on to make even more quality titles & thus far since they've made great effort to support this title post-release, I'm feeling pretty good about the little I spent on it.
  10. Blenderhead
    May 7, 2012
    2
    Hydrophobia Prophecy serves as a stunning example of how *not* to make a game. The controls are unresponsive and cumbersome; at one point, I solved a puzzle on accident because the action bindings are so ambiguous that my attempt to do something completely different caused me to perform the correct action. The camera control is equally cumbersome; an early jump puzzle forced me to reloadHydrophobia Prophecy serves as a stunning example of how *not* to make a game. The controls are unresponsive and cumbersome; at one point, I solved a puzzle on accident because the action bindings are so ambiguous that my attempt to do something completely different caused me to perform the correct action. The camera control is equally cumbersome; an early jump puzzle forced me to reload because the camera swung 180 degrees without warning, causing me to leap to my death instead of to safety. The voice acting is awful; the main character can't seem to decide what sort of accent she has, being vaguely Irish most of the time but dancing through Scottist and various flavors of American and Australian, and sounding like a shrieking harpy the whole time to boot. Scoot is a bland stock character, no more and no less. The setting is actually pretty neat, and most of the time I spent playing was to dig up more details on the Queen of the World and the Population Flood. The villains detract from this severely, as they are too cartoonishly evil to be taken seriously;. To whit, the game's setting is struggling with feeding a severely overpopulated earth. The game takes place on the eve of the unveiling a new technology that could feed the masses, ending the crisis. The villains of the story want to use that technology to kill off the masses, as an extreme way to end the crisis--that just letting the technology work properly would also accomplish, minus about six billions deaths. In summation, I bought this game on sale for about two dollars, and feel that I didn't get my money's worth.… Expand
  11. beanbaby
    Oct 27, 2011
    9
    I love this game, it is a bargain, so much going on, action, good plot and characters and the water is terrific, it is really worth going for at this price, I am no game expert but is about time people stop ripping this up and gave it your best shot, true you have to work to get the water functions but it is a challenge that I have really enjoyed, go for it you lot it is a no brainer!!!
  12. HarryWebbinger
    Apr 8, 2014
    9
    Good game. Best graphics and physics ! Interesting puzzles, fluently gameplay. I like this game very ! (over 40 characters left to get it uploeded.)
  13. AlienSpaceBats
    Apr 27, 2012
    7
    I caught this for a steal (£1) on a Steam sale, and I'm dead impressed. As 90% of games these days are run and shoot affairs, the different approach to gameplay feels innovative. Special mention of course to the visuals, the elements (fire, water) effects really are amazing and there's lots of great ideas floating (ha!) around that make the game well worth checking out.
  14. Lonitx
    Dec 4, 2019
    0
    I feel like the trailers and screenshots are decieving, it looked good at first but the game is just so bad
  15. Shadow_Death
    May 22, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So far all the reviews I have read have been falsified it seems. I paid $12 for this game on steam last night. I played it for roughly 2.5 hours and beat it. It has 3 acts, and your help gets wrote out in the 2nd suddenly with no word from him again other than "they're here" or something to that effect. The camera controls are a pain, the swimming controls are horrible. The water effects are awesome but that's just it, it feels like 75% of the production budget went into the water engine and 25% went into everything else. Save yourself the headache and problems and just pass this one up. Oh, for those of you who have already bought the game... the final boss uses wall hacks. I think a 3 out of 10 is generous.… Expand
  16. tronchaviones
    Jun 7, 2011
    0
    Some good ideas gone wrong. Instead of using social engineering to build hype and attack the critics, Dark Energy must concentrate on engineering and developing to get a finished product. Less fake reviews and more real work is the way to go.

    We paid to get just a beta, and its development has been abandoned in less than one month. The support failed from day 1, with no response about    Some good ideas gone wrong. Instead of using social engineering to build hype and attack the critics, Dark Energy must concentrate on engineering and developing to get a finished product. Less fake reviews and more real work is the way to go.

    We paid to get just a beta, and its development has been abandoned in less than one month. The support failed from day 1, with no response about the pathetic automatic machine translation used for Spanish, Italian and some another languages.

    They did the same with their previous game , WSC REAL 11 for the XBOX 360    … Expand
  17. bigsilverhotdog
    May 1, 2016
    4
    Story is reasonable but bland, graphics are decent, and the gameplay isn't all bad, but the maddening controls combined with lack of save anywhere make for an unplayable mess. I deleted.
  18. BinarySplit
    Jun 4, 2011
    9
    A surprisingly good Adventure/Third-Person-Shooter game. The story and setting are really original and interesting, the graphics are good, the gameplay is good, the level design is pretty decent. This is the least frustrating and most rewarding game I've played in the last 4 months. At $12 on steam, this is a really safe buy.
  19. Cauchy
    May 10, 2011
    9
    As well as the technical achievements in this game, like the amazing flowing water which has to be seen to be believed, it's a great game to play. The camera and controls feel good, the story is deep and involving, and the combat is great fun - using the environment against your enemies (blowing up gas lines and fuel barrels, shooting down electric cables, blowing out doors with waterAs well as the technical achievements in this game, like the amazing flowing water which has to be seen to be believed, it's a great game to play. The camera and controls feel good, the story is deep and involving, and the combat is great fun - using the environment against your enemies (blowing up gas lines and fuel barrels, shooting down electric cables, blowing out doors with water behind etc) is very satisfying. Great value for less than a tenner.… Expand
  20. MysteryG
    May 15, 2011
    10
    This game is an absolute gem! Paid 12$ on Steam and got a game worth far more. The water physics are an absolute blast, and the combat is very satisfying, even if it isn't quite up to Gears and Uncharted. The pace of the game is good too, every time I started to wonder if I have to do that same task again, the game throws a curve ball and introduces a new element. I also love that when theThis game is an absolute gem! Paid 12$ on Steam and got a game worth far more. The water physics are an absolute blast, and the combat is very satisfying, even if it isn't quite up to Gears and Uncharted. The pace of the game is good too, every time I started to wonder if I have to do that same task again, the game throws a curve ball and introduces a new element. I also love that when the game starts it gives you the option of having objectives marked on your natural HUD, or your mini computer(MAVI). I love exploring, but I can check the MAVI and see where exactly I'm supposed to be going too; great for that immersed feeling! The bottom line is that I had FUN playing this. I didn't feel like it was too easy or difficult on normal. It reminded me what playing a video game is all about. My only other note is that if you're expecting this to match and beat a full major game like Uncharted, it won't. It's a very fun game, but it is not perfect, and it's silly to expect it to be. So grab 12$ and enjoy! It's more than worth it.… Expand
  21. Antimateria
    May 12, 2011
    10
    8/10 is my real verdict (metacritic would not let me put score, some gibberish about floating point unless I chose that)

    I had never heard of the game, so I was just jumping in fast.. In my watery grave. It was so different that it will propably be in my memories for a while. I liked that you don't just go from battle to battle from the start. I'd like to call it an adventure rather than    8/10 is my real verdict (metacritic would not let me put score, some gibberish about floating point unless I chose that)

    I had never heard of the game, so I was just jumping in fast.. In my watery grave. It was so different that it will propably be in my memories for a while. I liked that you don't just go from battle to battle from the start. I'd like to call it an adventure rather than action. Maybe I even call it an experience. I liked the exploring, the good looks and even the action. Cover-system was greatly done. There were some complications now and then when shooting behind the crate or whatever.. There were nice moves and I thought that it compares well to mass effect 2 cover-system. It felt sometimes even better. Controls were good. I played on PC, but I used xbox-controller. Rumble was not done good. If I get a load of water suddenly in my face from a hull breach.. I want to feel it. =) Story was a bit hazy. "I'm waking up and now the ship is falling apart. " I would have also liked to see more floating corpses. Enemies were decent bunch of masked bastards but they should have reacted better to my bullets. "come on, how can you be still alive, I just shot a full machinegun clip in you" So my weapon of choice was the common pistol and heatshot. And gel-rounds were useful. Final boss was a chore and I felt the game just ended. Well, I liked the music in the credits. All in all it was fun, different game. Some shortcomings but I was suprised that it really made such an impression. Job well done.
    And like the game says countless times: "Save the world, kill yourself" =)    … Expand
  22. M3rr1ck
    May 30, 2011
    10
    As Sir_Kiko said it, "Ignore the haters". That said, I can understand why some people hate this game. For starters, even though I'm fairly certain this game is classified as an adventure game, it's really a "puzzle game with guns". I know, most games that would be classified as that are c*** - but that's because they are imbalanced. Hydrophobia is NOT imbalanced at all. It has the rightAs Sir_Kiko said it, "Ignore the haters". That said, I can understand why some people hate this game. For starters, even though I'm fairly certain this game is classified as an adventure game, it's really a "puzzle game with guns". I know, most games that would be classified as that are c*** - but that's because they are imbalanced. Hydrophobia is NOT imbalanced at all. It has the right blend of puzzles and shooting.

    That said, if you dislike puzzle games, (or happen to be impatient, or bad at creative thinking) your going to hate half of Hydrophobia, and therefore you'll find no fun in the guns and hate the whole thing. So long as you are 1) at least a bit patient, 2) at least a bit creative and 3) don't mind getting the c*** scared out of you occasionally, you'll probably love this game.

    Sadly, this game has absolutely no replay value, since you'll already know all the solutions to the puzzles. There's still "Challenge Mode", though.    … Expand
  23. ps69448
    Oct 31, 2011
    9
    I am not normally an adventure gamer (platformers are normally my scene) but i gave Hydrophobia a try and the game sucked me in. The atmosphere was amazing I really felt like I was on a sinking ship. I found the combat a little hard at first but I soon got into it. The thing I liked was the immersive (sorry!) feel. i thought the story was excellent really different. I can honestly say II am not normally an adventure gamer (platformers are normally my scene) but i gave Hydrophobia a try and the game sucked me in. The atmosphere was amazing I really felt like I was on a sinking ship. I found the combat a little hard at first but I soon got into it. The thing I liked was the immersive (sorry!) feel. i thought the story was excellent really different. I can honestly say I was disappointed when I finished the game - it took me around 10 hours to complete and for the price I cant grumble at that… Expand
  24. Othrandur
    Dec 11, 2011
    6
    This could have been a very good game. The graphics are nice and the setting is nicely done. The controls are a bit quirky, but not overly so. The voice acting isn't stellar, but it's above average. The hacking system is very cool. All the ingredients are there. But what ruins it is cut-scene hell. You can't take two steps without the game yanking control out of your hands to dump you intoThis could have been a very good game. The graphics are nice and the setting is nicely done. The controls are a bit quirky, but not overly so. The voice acting isn't stellar, but it's above average. The hacking system is very cool. All the ingredients are there. But what ruins it is cut-scene hell. You can't take two steps without the game yanking control out of your hands to dump you into yet another damn cut-scene. It completely wrecks the immersion. For all the visuals and the occasional puzzle, this game end up amounting to nothing more than running from one cut-scene to another while avoiding obstacles. There are better and more clever ways to tell a story in a game than to turn it into a movie that's interrupted by brief bouts of running along a completely linear path. By the way, you CAN skip the cut-scenes, but they're about 90% of the game content, so you won't have a clue why you're doing what you're doing if you skip them. Granted, the game is so linear that you actually can play it without having a clue as to why any of it is happening, but what's the point? So, if you can stand just sitting back while the game plays itself and occasionally being allowed to run the character from point A to point B, you might enjoy this for the view. It is pretty. But if you prefer to play a game yourself and actually have choices in what happens, you'll be disappointed in this title.… Expand
  25. JimCorbett
    May 2, 2012
    4
    Extremely short game. Only 3 levels. You get to kill your first bad guy in level 2 and you get to manipulate water for the first time at the end of level 3. The camera is terrible, i'd constantly find myself struggling to keep the camer above or below water. The controls for climbing are a bit awkward. The story started out decent and was being told well but then it ends all of a suddenExtremely short game. Only 3 levels. You get to kill your first bad guy in level 2 and you get to manipulate water for the first time at the end of level 3. The camera is terrible, i'd constantly find myself struggling to keep the camer above or below water. The controls for climbing are a bit awkward. The story started out decent and was being told well but then it ends all of a sudden with no real conclusion to what happens on the ship or to the people you met along the way. Sometimes you'll jump.move in a direction you didn't want to because the game just decided that was a better idea for you. Swimming is very very annoying; if you're in shallow water the game may let you dive or may not. Some of the collectible are glitched which will make you have to restart your game if you want to collect them all. Overall the game started off well, the graphics and water physics are awesome but once you start playing you come across the many glitches and it just becomes very frustrating at times.… Expand
  26. Sir_Kiko
    May 11, 2011
    10
    Ignore the haters. This game is worth a try and I'm sure most of you won't be disappointed. If you don't waste your time trying to compare the water with other games you will be amazed about the possibilities. Overall the game is great. Good graphics, the plot makes sense, and the way the game combines exploration, puzzles and combats. When I pre-ordered this game I was hoping for a goodIgnore the haters. This game is worth a try and I'm sure most of you won't be disappointed. If you don't waste your time trying to compare the water with other games you will be amazed about the possibilities. Overall the game is great. Good graphics, the plot makes sense, and the way the game combines exploration, puzzles and combats. When I pre-ordered this game I was hoping for a good time and I'm not disappointed.

    The water is amazing. It's physical effects, the way it may help you (or not) solving puzzles or fighting enemies... simply amazing.

    As cons, there are two they should fix:

    The bloom effect is exaggerated. It's a cool effect depending on the situation, but it's too much in this game.

    The camera when you have to swim through a flooded corridor is horrible. Specially if there are many objects floating around. It's very frustrating and annoying sometimes, but fortunately not enough to kill the fun.    … Expand
  27. Arkan01d
    Nov 4, 2013
    3
    Why do you game? That is the issue that Hydrophobia brings to the table. Do you love to develop a character, or be able to explore everything, to feel challenged, or do you love a good story? Or do you play a game based solely off the graphics? If you love graphics then I think you will find this game very engaging. Don't be fooled by the users who have only reviewed this one game. ThisWhy do you game? That is the issue that Hydrophobia brings to the table. Do you love to develop a character, or be able to explore everything, to feel challenged, or do you love a good story? Or do you play a game based solely off the graphics? If you love graphics then I think you will find this game very engaging. Don't be fooled by the users who have only reviewed this one game. This game is a sad excuse for gameplay.

    Hydrophobia reminds me of crappy games from 1994. You see, CD-ROMS were just getting traction and finding their way into everyone's home PC's. CD's gave a lot more space than most games could have filled just a year or two before. So developers began producing games that were movies. You would do a few interactive things, but for the most part you watched a movie on your awesome new CD-ROM device. This is the route Dark Energy Digital took when making this game a mere 17 years after the wave of interactive CD's flooded game stores.

    Was it that they didn't really have a game or that they had a great cinematics department and no level designers? We'll never know. The game plays out like this: A strange cut-scene that doesn't explain anything. Then you find your character in her room, you walk 2 steps to a table, then another cut-scene. You walk two steps to the door, then another cut-scene. You walk 2 steps to the elevator, then another cut-scene. You take a few steps to get out the elevator, then another cut-scene. Does that sound like fun to you?

    Steam has me clocked in at 1 hour of play time. The only reason I endured that long was a friend was with me and we were laughing at just how bad this game really was. I think if there was a bit more game to play and less movie I could have given it a 6 or 7.

    To put it another way: If your in 1st grade and draw a picture of stick figures with crayons; you're teacher would give you an A+ and tell you to take it home to mom to hang on the fridge. If, however, 17 years later you passed a similar picture to your college art teacher; you would get an F and no amount of fake reviews from your friends could hide the dismal work you tried to pawn off as legitimate effort.    … Expand
  28. LeonidasRex
    Dec 19, 2012
    4
    An attractive athletic girl must work her way through improbable dangerous puzzle rooms, occasionally shooting enemies. It's Tomb Raider in a ship. Except that the girl isn't nearly as interesting as Lara Croft, and the inside of a ship isn't nearly as interesting as ancient ruins. We see glimpses of a dark futuristic world amok with terrorists, but none of it seems related to theAn attractive athletic girl must work her way through improbable dangerous puzzle rooms, occasionally shooting enemies. It's Tomb Raider in a ship. Except that the girl isn't nearly as interesting as Lara Croft, and the inside of a ship isn't nearly as interesting as ancient ruins. We see glimpses of a dark futuristic world amok with terrorists, but none of it seems related to the immediate tasks of jump, climb, shoot. On the plus side, the water and other visuals are very pretty. The artists did their jobs well. But it feels less like playing a video game, and more like watching a futuristic remake of the Poseidon Adventure.… Expand
  29. Budget_Security
    Jan 16, 2013
    3
    Almost worth the £1 I payed for it. It is a pity water physics are not implemented in better games, which is an example of the lack of innovation in the video game industry.
  30. russ-angel
    Sep 5, 2012
    7
    This is actually a decent little title,and for £1 of Steam in the Daily Deal what a bargain.Once you have a few minutes getting the feel for the controls it playes well,and graphically its great,dont what anyone has been complaining about.I would have paid more for it.
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Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. 3DJuegos
    Oct 27, 2011
    78
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
  2. SpazioGames
    Oct 27, 2011
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 30, 2011
    60
    Third time's the Charm – first time it was XBLA Hydrophobia, then the game was released again as Pure and now we've got Prophecy. Enough tries we say. [July 2011]
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