A group of friends piloting a submarine in space might sound like something out of a Terry Pratchet novel, but it’s actually a new co-op simulator called Barotrauma.
Developed by Undertow Games and FakeFish, Barotrauma is already out on Steam Early Access with a new update coming soon. Here’s a quick rundown of everything the game has to offer so far:
Barotrauma is a 2D survival game with base-building elements, similar to those found in Faster Than Light, where you command a submarine deep in a frozen ocean on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.
Players need to control the submarine and its crew. Operate the nuclear reactors, mounted guns, engines – everything required to successfully survive the hostile abyss. They can also craft new tools, weapons, drugs, and more.
Barotrauma’s levels are procedurally-generated, with environments and events that change each time you play. You will discover wrecked submarines and alien ruins with ancient artifacts and resources to aid you on your doomed journey.
There’s a single-player mode that allows you to travel Europa’s environments alone and face huge monsters, deadly alien viruses, and traitors. But where the game truly shines is multiplayer.
In the online co-op mode, you will manage the space submarine and all its systems together with your friends (or a group of strangers). There are five classes to choose from, and up to 16 people can play together. You will need to complete missions together, such as harpooning gigantic monsters and survive crazy events. On the other hand, you can betray everyone, and sabotage the ship, which is an interesting take on the online co-op idea.
Barotrauma is still in Early Access and gets updated regularly. The upcoming update adds the ability to upgrade your submarine’s hull durability and system effectiveness, changes to the in-game economy (including the option to sell items), and visual improvements.
You can find out more, and play the latest Early Access build, on the Barotrauma Steam page.
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