I want to say first that Barotrauma is a unique and good game, the type of game that AAA companies wouldn't make, the kind they would likely never even consider to make. That is ok, because this kind of game doesn't have to be a big thing, it just has to be its own thing, and be its own thing well. I wish that more games had the respect for their audience that Barotrauma does.

Before reading further: The game loses something if you are planning to play it solo. For that reason I would generally recommend having at least one other person to play with, ideally two or three. It's a team focused game around crewing a submarine in dangerous waters, dragging it back from the brink of catastrophe and putting out fires (sometimes literally) to keep that rusted tin can of a submarine chugging along just long enough to reach the next safe harbor: it benefits from communication, coordination and that shared experience. Think of the moment in Das Boot when U-96 is stuck on the bottom of the gibraltar strait, the hull groaning under the pressure as the crew scrambles to desperately try and save the submarine. Bots just can't replicate that fully. it won't really be the same, it'll just be silent.

I think Barotrauma is the type of game that is kind of hard to write review for, given that what the individual takes away from it can vary wildly depending on preference. I think it would be good to first say that like many indie games it has its own specific niche it caters to: for some of us, that niche is something it does very well, for others, that niche might not be enough to get past some other aspects. This is not to imply that Barotrauma is a 'diamond in the rough', but it is the type of game where the appeal can largely be derived from whether the atmosphere and the experience are something you think is worth looking for. If a relatively complex-but-simple crew based submarine game about exploring deep into uncharted alien waters is something you find inherently appealing, then the experience that you will likely find is hard to replicate anywhere else. If that kind of thing is not something that excites you, or if submarines in general don't strike your interests, then some of the jankier aspects (the physics, character controls, some of the aspects of the gameplay) will begin to make your experience feel like a chore that dissuades you from going further. The reward you get out of playing the game is that unique atmospheric experience, so if the appeal is lost on you then you may find yourself losing motivation to continue. I think there is a lot depth here if you are willing to dive into it, but if that prospect doesn't seem appealing on it's own, then consider doing some more research into the game before you make any decisions.

I said before that Barotrauma is a niche game that does its niche very well. I also said that the game has respect for its audience. While I won't go into general gameplay mechanics in this review (because it would take too much time), I do want to talk briefly about what made the game so appealing to me. The submarine editor I think is the most in-depth and interesting part of the game, given it allows you to take what is effectively the main character of your story (the submarine) and completely rebuild it from the ground up. Starting from scratch I can create a submarine however I want, handling the hulls, the layouts, the electrical systems and wiring, the automatic control systems and subsystems (through logic components, which allow you to do some really complex things given enough dedication), the ballast and fluid control systems, the decoration and aesthetics, the gun coverage, etc. Some of the things you can do with the tools available to you are really complicated and in-depth, like switcheable periscopes and gun systems, remote-control shuttlecraft and drones, 'overdrive' engine systems, 'silent running', emergency backup power systems, autonomously-controlled submarine guns, moonpools, automatic reactor and temperature control, REGEX-based computer control systems, periscope navigation, etc. As of right now, the workshop has 31,170 player-made submarines uploaded. I have uploaded 7 of my own (they are mid at best). The majority of my hours were in the editor. These kinds of things take hours of effort to make and demonstrate the kind of passion that people have for this game, as well as the depth that the game offers to tailor your experience to you. Some of them are low effort, some of them have problems that have not or cannot be fixed: the game is complicated by nature and not everything will work as you might want it to. But it goes to show just how dedicated people can get to this game, and just how much the game (and its developers) trusts you to do whatever you want with its systems. Want to create creatures of your own? The game has a creature editor for that too. A lot of the game is moddeable, and adding new items, equipment and armors can be as simple as XML and a text editor, depending on what you are making. Once you have an understanding of just how much effort and knowledge goes into the workings of both the systems themselves and the submarine you chose, you gain a sort of profound respect (or disrespect sometimes, ha) for the game that doesn't really seem to go away.

I want to say first that Barotrauma is a unique and good game, the type of game that AAA companies wouldn't make, the kind they would likely never even consider to make. That is ok, because this kind of game doesn't have to be a big thing, it just has to be its own thing, and be its own thing well. I wish that more games had the respect for their audience that Barotrauma does. Before reading further: The game loses something if you are planning to play it solo. For that reason I would generally recommend having at least one other person to play with, ideally two or three. It's a team focused game around crewing a submarine in dangerous waters, dragging it back from the brink of catastrophe and putting out fires (sometimes literally) to keep that rusted tin can of a submarine chugging along just long enough to reach the next safe harbor: it benefits from communication, coordination and that shared experience. Think of the moment in Das Boot when U-96 is stuck on the bottom of the gibraltar strait, the hull groaning under the pressure as the crew scrambles to desperately try and save the submarine. Bots just can't replicate that fully. it won't really be the same, it'll just be silent. I think Barotrauma is the type of game that is kind of hard to write review for, given that what the individual takes away from it can vary wildly depending on preference. I think it would be good to first say that like many indie games it has its own specific niche it caters to: for some of us, that niche is something it does very well, for others, that niche might not be enough to get past some other aspects. This is not to imply that Barotrauma is a 'diamond in the rough', but it is the type of game where the appeal can largely be derived from whether the atmosphere and the experience are something you think is worth looking for. If a relatively complex-but-simple crew based submarine game about exploring deep into uncharted alien waters is something you find inherently appealing, then the experience that you will likely find is hard to replicate anywhere else. If that kind of thing is not something that excites you, or if submarines in general don't strike your interests, then some of the jankier aspects (the physics, character controls, some of the aspects of the gameplay) will begin to make your experience feel like a chore that dissuades you from going further. The reward you get out of playing the game is that unique atmospheric experience, so if the appeal is lost on you then you may find yourself losing motivation to continue. I think there is a lot depth here if you are willing to dive into it, but if that prospect doesn't seem appealing on it's own, then consider doing some more research into the game before you make any decisions. I said before that Barotrauma is a niche game that does its niche very well. I also said that the game has respect for its audience. While I won't go into general gameplay mechanics in this review (because it would take too much time), I do want to talk briefly about what made the game so appealing to me. The submarine editor I think is the most in-depth and interesting part of the game, given it allows you to take what is effectively the main character of your story (the submarine) and completely rebuild it from the ground up. Starting from scratch I can create a submarine however I want, handling the hulls, the layouts, the electrical systems and wiring, the automatic control systems and subsystems (through logic components, which allow you to do some really complex things given enough dedication), the ballast and fluid control systems, the decoration and aesthetics, the gun coverage, etc. Some of the things you can do with the tools available to you are really complicated and in-depth, like switcheable periscopes and gun systems, remote-control shuttlecraft and drones, 'overdrive' engine systems, 'silent running', emergency backup power systems, autonomously-controlled submarine guns, moonpools, automatic reactor and temperature control, REGEX-based computer control systems, periscope navigation, etc. As of right now, the workshop has 31,170 player-made submarines uploaded. I have uploaded 7 of my own (they are mid at best). The majority of my hours were in the editor. These kinds of things take hours of effort to make and demonstrate the kind of passion that people have for this game, as well as the depth that the game offers to tailor your experience to you. Some of them are low effort, some of them have problems that have not or cannot be fixed: the game is complicated by nature and not everything will work as you might want it to. But it goes to show just how dedicated people can get to this game, and just how much the game (and its developers) trusts you to do whatever you want with its systems. Want to create creatures of your own? The game has a creature editor for that too. A lot of the game is moddeable, and adding new items, equipment and armors can be as simple as XML and a text editor, depending on what you are making. Once you have an understanding of just how much effort and knowledge goes into the workings of both the systems themselves and the submarine you chose, you gain a sort of profound respect (or disrespect sometimes, ha) for the game that doesn't really seem to go away.