One interesting development, though, is just how close-range combat is. Players can move their ship in six directions, use a quick-dodge to avoid enemy fire, and lock on to enemies in the dim abyss. Players quickly learn that the brighter an area is, the more they have to worry about something devouring them.Ī:DD‘s combat is fairly standard for this type of 3D ‘flight’ sim. This strange, invasive life form has a distinct menacing glow that starts as a stunning bioluminescent display and gradually transforms into a warning. The ‘natural’ threats are A:DD‘s more interesting conceits - the world’s oceans are gradually being transformed by a nanotech swarm that mimics the flora and fauna of ancient times. In addition to various deep-sea vehicles flitting around and looking for trouble, players will contend with enormous (and hostile) underwater creatures that wreck anything technological in nature. It’s a great trick for making the players feel connected to the world, but it left me wondering why the developers haven’t offered a VR mode, since the presentation is absolutely begging for it. Instead of relying on HUD indicators, the player is asked to glance around the screen and look at readouts for the condition of their shields, armor, and weaponry. Players engage with Aquanox’s world from the pilot’s chair of their deep-sea vehicle, and the devs have done a great job customizing the ship cockpit to give it character. Where the original, unrelated Descent from 1994 involved exploring low-gravity environments in deep space while fighting insane security drones, Aquanox moves a similar kind of 3D action below the waves where humanity is clinging to existence.

The adventure opens with them being thawed from cryogenic suspension and suffering from narratively-convenient amnesia, allowing other characters to explain the plot without the exposition seeming too contrived. They’re not from the world they inhabit, though. Set in a distant post-global warming future, A:DD puts the player in charge of the crew of a deep sea vehicle. Putting “ Descent” right there in the title makes clear which mantle it intends to pick up. While it’s a standard thing for developers to reference their influences, it’s rare to see the brazenness with which Aquanox Deep Descent does. WTF Swarms of glowing super-sharks everywhere! LOW Having to swap through my weapons one at a time.

Download aquanox deep descent ps4