Diluvion Review
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A huge issue that weaved its way into the entire play through is the navigation. The navigation isn’t broken, but it is SO non-existent that it makes even the smallest trips full of frustration. The game uses a trail of golden fish, which by itself is a nice effect, to lead you into the correct direction. I’m still not sure what the trail of fish is there to accomplish though. It would lead me to ‘landmarks’ and important bases, but it never leaded me to an objective or a correct path in the void. The trail would also randomly turn off and on. I think it was proximity based, but it was aggravating to have it randomly disappear and leave my sub in the dark. The map didn’t take the slack off the navigation. By choice of the developers, your submarine does not show up on the map and you are supposed to find your way around by landmarks. The landmark based navigation is tough when there aren’t enough on the map, and it is tough to know how far away they are or where how deep they are. The only way to gain a sense of direction is by bringing up a compass in the UI that shows landmark icons and which direction to go. If you find enough landmarks in a small area and venture away, the icons clump up and cause confusion. The lack of an ability to update the map on your own accord made me want to shy away from exploration, which is one of the biggest draws of Diluvion
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The Verdict
Can I recommend this game? It’s tough to say. There are some scenarios where every part of the game comes together and makes memorable moments. Those moments are few and far between with my time in the game. A certain subset of gamer that loves difficulty for the sake of difficulty can overlook a large chunk of my criticisms, and for them I say it is 100% worth playing. Until the developers patch in improvements to the navigation, mission descriptions, and ‘quality of life’ improvements, most gamers should take a ‘wait and see’ approach to Diluvion.
Score: 2/5
