Barotrauma surfaces out of Early Access today

And we lived beneath the waves

After four years(!?) in Early Access, horrifying space-submarine simulator Barotrauma is finally getting its full release today. The 1.0 version comes with a number of additions and fixes to shore everything up and fill out the full package.

Barotrauma is the story of humanity trying to survive on Jupiter’s Moon, Europa. Because its surface is so badly irradiated, the only way to survive is beneath the waves in submarines. You’re tasked with building up your submarine and exploring the space-oceans. There are missions to run and alien ruins to delve into, all while enduring the terrors of the deep.

This is also a primarily multi-player experience. There are bots available if you want to play by yourself, but the experience is tailored to dragging your friends beneath the waves. You can cram up to 16 people into a single water-coffin and go exploring Davey Jones’ locker together.  There’s even a traitor option that randomly assigns a player to the role of saboteur, just in case you or any of your friends are feeling sus.

The final patch adjusts the faction and reputation system, and focuses on end-game campaign stuff. The patch notes can be found here.

At the time of writing, Barotrauma has enjoyed over 30,000 user reviews on Steam, with 93% of them being positive. While I haven’t personally delved the deep, I’ve heard a few indie devs speak highly of the title on social media.

Barotrauma is currently available on PC, with the full version coming sometime today.

Zoey Handley

Staff Writer – Zoey is a gaming gadabout. She got her start blogging with the community in 2018 and hit the front page soon after. Normally found exploring indie experiments and retro libraries, she does her best to remain chronically uncool.