Barotrauma is a Co-Op Horror Submarine Sim, Now Out of Early Access

Co-op indie submarine sim Barotrauma has finished its almost-four-year stint in early access and is now officially available as a fully-released game on PC. Celebrating the launch, developers FakeFish and Undertow Games, along with publisher Daedalic Entertainment have released a launch trailer.

Despite being a essentially a submarine-piloting simulator, Barotrauma is unique in its setting, as well as its use of genre conventions. Featuring side-scrolling 2D gameplay, Barotrauma is set in the oceans of Europa. Players have to travel from outpost to outpost, trying to make a living by taking on various missions from different factions.

Barotrauma has players choose from several roles, from mechanic to medic to captain, each role providing different abilities and skill levels for different tasks. The engineer, for example, is better suited to repairing broken electronics without electrocuting themselves. The medic, on the other hand, will be able to better administer medicine to their allies.

Interestingly enough, Barotrauma also leans heavily on the horror side of the equation with its monster designs, as well as the general atmosphere it offers where you can’t really see what’s outside your submarine aside from making use of a few vague sensors to figure things out.