When I was 12 years old, I almost drowned. I realize that might seem like an odd way to start a videogame review, but with title like Hydrophobia, my past near-death experiences with water seem particularly relevant. The sensation of drowning, which you’ve hopefully never encountered, is difficult to explain. That feeling of desperation, the seeming time bomb that is the liquid around you — Hydrophobia evokes these emotions well. It’s just unfortunate that this feeling of aqua-inspired anxiety is the only original idea in an otherwise average game.
At its core, Hydrophobia is a third-person shooter. Kate Wilson, security engineer aboard a city-sized sea vessel, becomes stranded in the bowels of her ship when a group of fanatical extremists attempt to blow it up. For the most part, the action is standard fare: run through a series of corridors, take cover, and shoot enemies in an attempt to escape a ship quickly filling with water. It’s entirely possible to just blast through the game, eliminating terrorists with a glorified stun gun, but utilizing environmental kills is much more satisfying. Waiting behind cover, leaning out to shoot an electrical box, and watching the ensuing voltage fry (or even drown) the enemy in waist deep water is expectedly satisfying. The 15th time performing that same action? Not so much.
