There are no pretty mermaids under the sea in the Aquanox world. There are some pretty sea lights, but in this post-apocalyptic underwater world, everything mostly just wants you dead. It’s a good thing, then, that your submarine has a shotgun and a missile launcher attached to it.
A Brief Synopsis
At its core, Aquanox: Deep Descent is both a prequel and a reimagining of the venerable AquaNox series, which spanned Archimedean Dynasty, AquaNox, and AquaNox 2: Revelation. The last of the series, AquaNox 2, was originally released in 2003. The AquaNox series takes place in a ruined future, where humanity has been driven beneath the oceans by our own apocalyptic actions. This did not lead to universal cooperation, but instead a new series of factions waging territorial wars in the oceanic depths.
The Mechanics
Drawing gameplay inspiration both from the space-combat shooters of the ‘90s, and the six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) shooters such as Descent, the AquaNox games put players in the cockpit of a small, single-seat submarine armed with a variety of weapon systems. In Aquanox: Deep Descent, players can choose from a variety of submersible types and arm them with all sorts of turrets, missiles, guns, and secondary systems. Movement feels properly aquatic. The submarines move smoothly through the water, but there’s a sense of momentum and speed that helps differentiate the underwater movement from floating through space.
Aquanox: Deep Descent is built on the Unreal 4 engine, with the graphics that one would expect from that engine. It looks good, and runs well, on average powered modern hardware. The undersea world is gorgeous!
Most conversations take place in this static, but usually voice acted, screen.
How It Handles
The controls could have stood some additional polishing. Aquanox feels like it was built for a gamepad, which is the most comfortable way to play it, but without any kind of auto-aim function, the gamepad’s typical lack of precision results in critical missed shots with most weapons. The more accurate mouse-and-keyboard alternative is much preferred, but suffers some drawbacks of its own. I found myself constantly having to recenter my mouse during big maneuvers, and the lack of a cruise or autopilot feature (something Descent had twenty-five years ago) means a lot of time spent with a finger firmly planted on the ‘W’ key while transiting the endless ocean.
Kill it with fire! Or missiles. Definitely missiles.
The Main Story
The game’s main campaign, plus some side quests, clocks in around 10-15 hours. There are multiple difficulty levels, a co-op campaign option, and a few multiplayer options. While the game bills itself as “Open World”, there’s really not a lot of world to be explored beyond what players find during the story. That’s one of the issues with the game – there’s a lot of weapons and ships, but players will likely be done with the game before experiencing them all.
There are hints of a trading system and NPCs who might be able to give new quests, but none of that is really implemented. There’s little reason to spend time hauling commodities between stations and fending off random pirate attacks when the only benefit is a new set of cosmetic wings for a submarine the player won’t likely use anyway. The story itself, which is well-acted and coherent through the first 2/3rds of the game, starts to fall apart near the end. Transitions become more abrupt, and the climax has a rushed feel to it.
The mission journal helps keep track of the people you meet, and the quests you take along the way.
Back To The Roots
For players pining for the classic gameplay of Descent, or the other 6DOF shooters, Aquanox: Deep Descent is a solid return to form. The biggest questions about the game are why it feels so incomplete and rushed? It was originally announced in 2014, had a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015, and was originally projected for a 2017 release. While everyone knows that Kickstarter schedules tend to be severely optimistic, a game launching three years late shouldn’t feel incomplete.
Visually appealing, but left with desire.
Closing Thoughts
There is a good game here. Not a great game, and sadly, probably not enough of a game to reinvigorate the Aquanox franchise. Ultimately, it’s a pretty, but forgettable blaster that tries to rebuild a mostly forgotten franchise. Then again, maybe the new game is enough of a taste for people to go back and pick up the original series, which is up on GOG.com and Steam.
Aquanox: Deep Descent is out now for $29.99, and is available on GOG.com and Steam. Excited to plunge under the sea? Let us know in the comments below!
