Loco's Gaming Update

Hello everyone, welcome to another edition of the LoCo Gaming Update. This week, I'll be reviewing a PSN port of an Xbox Live Arcade title called Hydrophobia: Prophecy.

Review: Hydrophobia: Prophecy

Release Date: Out Now (PS3)

Developer: Dark Energy Digital

Publisher: Dark Energy Digital

Platform(s): PS3

Format: Digital Downloadable Title

ESRB rating: M Price: $9.99

The story starts with our protagonist, Kate, waking up in her quarters to start her usual day as an engineer on a giant ship called, "The Queen of the World", but then a terrorist group seeking global genocide of the human race called "Neo Malthusians" hijack the ship at sea. It's up to Kate and her boss to stop their sinister plan and to safely escape the flooding vessel they are on.

The gameplay for Hydrophobia mainly consists of third-person shooting (that works fairly well without an iron sight mechanic) and basic parkour. Even though there are a fair number of swimming sections they're not bad, most of the time. Kate only has a single pistol, but can use different types of ammo including sonic, semi-auto, and remote charges. The combat portions of the game don't just allow you to fill your enemies full of lead, but also let you shoot explosive barrels near enemies and shoot an electrical wire which will electrocute the opposition if they're standing in water. There is another combat mechanic that gives you some control over water (it's sort of hard to describe), but it is introduced so late in the game that it gives the player too little time to get accustomed to it.

There are some other issues with the gameplay. Sometimes when you think you've gunned down an enemy, the crosshair will still light up red as if he's still alive, even if he was killed by an explosion or electrocuted. There's also a final boss that feels very "tacked on" put into the game for no other reason other than to give the game a climactic feel.

Graphically, it's not amazing to look at but it is not ugly either. The water physics, on the other hand, do look pretty cool and actually affect the gameplay. Sadly whenever you see the water physics in action the game tends to dip in the framerate, especially when there are large amounts of water coming from huge cracks in the ship. The audio fairs well most of the time, but on one separate occasion, none of the in-game audio would play. At least Hydrophobia has custom soundtrack support.

Overall, this not a bad title, but it is far from a great one as well. It's recommended for potential buyers to try it out on a friend's PS3 (or Xbox 360) before dropping $10 on this title.

3.0/5.0 (DECENT)

+ Cool Water physics

+ Custom Soundtrack support

+ Good Swimming sections

–Very Buggy

– Boss Battle feels, "shoehorned in"

– Special Ability is acquired too late in the game