Hydrophobia floats to XBLA, goes episodic
by Ben Gilbert 
{ Sep 30th 2009 at 1:50PM } 
click for screens of what Hydrophobia looks like now
We haven't heard anything about Dark Energy Digital's water physics-based horror/puzzle game Hydrophobia in nearly a year, which makes today's news that the game is heading to XBLA rather than getting a full retail release all the more jarring. According to a preview of the game by Xbox World 360 UK (as reprinted on CVG), not only is Hyrdrophobia getting the digital distribution treatment, it'll be heading to Microsoft's console in the form of "three episodes of around five hours each, to be released within a twelve month window."
The preview contains undoubtedly the largest glut of info on the game we've seen since we first heard about it way back in 2007 -- when it was still planned for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Apparently the episodes could continue if they prove successful enough, though no word is given on if they'll ever head to PS3 and PC. The game has already missed its planned March 2009 release window and dropped a few consoles for its eventual release, so we've reached out to Dark Energy Digital for more details.
[Update: Dark Energy Digital got back to us with some fresh shots from the game (seen above).]
Gallery: Hydrophobia (XBLA)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
vwbeetlvr @ Sep 30th 2009 1:52PM
This looks good. Might be the first xbla game I buy.
Slam Vanderhuge @ Sep 30th 2009 1:57PM
What the?!??! Out of all of the amazing titles that have hit XBLA in the past few years...this one???!
ZeNLik3BuDDha @ Sep 30th 2009 2:03PM
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA
XD
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 2:06PM
You mean you didn't buy Shadow Complex?
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 2:15PM
Maybe he just got a 360 guys. Damn.
Wasn't Shadow Complex riddled with bugs and glitches? I remember seeing a major Gears Of War 2 esque glitch in the E3 demonstration where the character was rolling near a box and ended up floating in air just like the glitchers in gears 2.
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 2:21PM
I played through the game 3 or 4 times and didn't experience any glitches, that was probably just a kink they worked out before it went gold. Honestly, that game is awesome. Even as a downloadable title, it's my GOTY so far. (Though uncharted 2 is probably going to take that away)
Snowblind @ Sep 30th 2009 3:43PM
I wasn't a fan of Shadow Complex, personally I think there are much better games out there. If you have just bought an Xbox, I definitely wouldn't wait and make this your first game, go and check out things like Castle Crashers and 'Splosion Man.
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 3:51PM
Fair enough, not everyone's a fan of Metroid gameplay. As a huge fan of Super Metroid I found shadow complex great because it expanded and improved upon everything that Super Metroid did right.
But the great thing about XBLA is that unlike the PSN, all the arcade games have demos so you can decide for yourself before you waste your money on something you won't like. Where the hell is the Fat Princess demo?
Delirium @ Sep 30th 2009 4:04PM
I really don't think they 'improved and expanded' past Metroid far at all. The story was pretty bad and the bosses were fairly weak. I also was not a fan of the purple foam...
Good game and loved the gameplay, but I definitely wouldn't call it up to par with any Metroid game.
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 4:15PM
Yea, the story sucked, but metroid was actually pretty sparse on story. (Though rich in atmosphere) But the gameplay itself, from the combat mechanics to locomotion to the 3d turret sequences I all saw as welcomes improvements to the genre. Overall Super Metroid is still a vastly superior game but if I was to take off my nostalgia tinted glasses I'm not sure I'd see it that way.
AoE @ Sep 30th 2009 4:56PM
@vwbeetlvr,
Is Dark Energy Digital a fun company to work for? What do you do there, is marketing your primary role, or does the whole team lend a hand and post positive comments like this to any site that talks about your game?
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 5:27PM
We've been over the demo thing before on PSN. I would suggest watching videos and reading reviews to get an idea about what some of the games offer. The great thing about PSN & XBLA games is that the cost isn't substantial relative to the cost of retail releases. You can draw parallels to other games but those comparisons will never be 1:1. I absolutely adore Stardust HD and I think it's the pinnacle of a high quality downloadable title yet in your own words it's "overrated." What I'm getting at is you have other things at your disposal to get an idea as to whether you like a particular game without playing a demo of it.
I think PSN has offered the best experiences in gaming in terms of my enjoyment & playtime relative to the price especially when compared to less than stellar full featured releases. When you look at the sheer creativity and variety of the various games available on PSN it's pretty staggering to say the least.
The demo stuff has to do with the fact that XBL was a platform build from the start to be a specific way and the PSN wasn't intended to reach the scope it's attained. So, you have a dichotomy between the two platforms where Live was standardized from day 1 (mandated demos, achievements etc) and PSN has sort of changed and evolved as time has went along (trophies, Home etc) this generation. It could be worse - look at how Nintendo hasn't even attempted to evolve it's network offering in the least bit. You'll just need to give PSN more time and it will eventually carve out it's own standardizations.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 30th 2009 6:11PM
"Wasn't Shadow Complex riddled with bugs and glitches?"
No, unless pure fun is a glitch. Played through 4 times so far, no issues at all.
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 6:14PM
holy crap, tmac is back.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 30th 2009 6:18PM
Kind of. Apparently its' really hard to unban someone here, which tells me they don't typically temp-ban someone. So, I'm just using the other account I had been using.
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 6:53PM
What got you banned T-mac?
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 30th 2009 6:58PM
I don't know to be honest, I was never told and they didn't edit any of my posts saying I was. It was supposed to be over yesterday but they told me they're having a hard time unbanning me so they told me to just use another account.
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 7:10PM
That is pretty weird. Maybe it was an accident or something.
I've been banned twice, once from MMA Fanhouse and once from Joystiq. The MMA fanhouse one was probably justified since I said some pretty hateful things to the forum editor about his UFC bias. In all honesty I thought the Joystiq banning wasn't justified. It was that Gay Gamer thread and we were having a discussion about homosexuality. The gist of my comment was basically my feelings on the matter (won't rehash it again) but never was I incendiary or insensitive ... in fact, people were all over me for voicing my opinion and calling me all sort of names. Live and learn I guess. It sucked because that account had a crazy amount of posts as well and combined I'd probably be over 10,000 by now. I hear there is a trophy for that ;)
I'm surprised Shadow Complex wasn't riddled with glitches or bugs considering Epic has never really produced a game (including fat princess, UT, Gears etc) that I've played that didn't have bugs. If it's as good as you say I'm hopeful it eventually comes to the PSN like Castle Crashers and Braid allegedly are in the near future. That live E3 demo had one very noticeable bug ... I'll see if I can dig it up. If you've ever played Gears Of War you'll know the Glitch all to well.
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 7:13PM
Found it ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYVAT55QhLo
LOL just like Gears of War
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 7:17PM
Looks like there is another glitch that allows you to play through the entire game for free. LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZJhFC_XA-Q
Levi @ Sep 30th 2009 7:29PM
Shadow Complex is literally the breaking point reason I'm getting a 360. The *only* reason I haven't yet is cause I think my GF might get one for my bday.
I couldn't give a crap or two about any Halos. Just Shadow Complex.
Stinky @ Sep 30th 2009 11:17PM
I bought a 360 specifically to play XBLA games.
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 11:38PM
I don't care if it's standardized or not, the devs should know a lot of people aren't going to buy games they can't play first, especially downloadable games they have no chance at getting a refund on. So far the only PSN game that's really pulled me in is Shatter. Great game. The others, I'm waiting for demos.
Super Stardust is a perfect example, all the PS3 owners loved it, it looked good in videos and got good reviews. When I tried it, I was less than enthused. If there wasn't a demo, I would have spent $10 on something I would never play. Not about to put myself in that situation.
That demo glitch is pretty funny, but the E3 one isn't really a big deal. Tons of games have problems during E3 demos before they go gold, playing through it multiple times I didn't see any glitches. It's no Gears of War.
Yea, I'm hoping Shadow Complex comes to the PSN as well. Not to buy it again of course, but just so more people can enjoy such a great game.
Obie @ Sep 30th 2009 1:53PM
Now THIS game should've been called "Wet".
Temidien @ Sep 30th 2009 1:55PM
There's only one thing in my life I care about being "Wet".
Giggity.
Shagittarius @ Sep 30th 2009 2:02PM
Water Polo?
RobLink (Alex Kidd incarnate) @ Sep 30th 2009 2:08PM
Coffee?
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 2:16PM
The grass? :wink wink:
robotoid @ Sep 30th 2009 4:57PM
You mean like a vagina?
WINterfang @ Sep 30th 2009 10:21PM
I dip my balls in syrup from time to time, you know..for flavor.
Latin_Trident @ Sep 30th 2009 2:02PM
I never thought water could be scary. Now I refuse to drink it because I am afraid of what it can do to me.
AoE @ Sep 30th 2009 3:52PM
You should never watch The Abyss then.
uncle jesse @ Sep 30th 2009 5:19PM
Here's a scarier though... your body is mostly made up of it.
Shagittarius @ Sep 30th 2009 2:02PM
LOLZ were behind schedule and can't afford to finish the game, therefore were going to release what little we have, bugs and all, as an episodic downloadable campaign.
No thanks.
Taylor @ Sep 30th 2009 2:05PM
AND if we don't make enough money with the first episode, well then those that purchased it are SOL. Hope you enjoyed the "ending" of Shenmue 2.
Jeff Rebbeck @ Sep 30th 2009 2:05PM
Sounds to me as likely the result of being unable to negotiate a good deal with a major publisher to reach retail. I'll be curious to hear whether instead publishing through XBLA like this proves to be a viable alternative.
While I'm not normally a fan of episodic content, I've been following this game for a while and I'm mostly just glad to see that it's finally going to get published at all, in any form.
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 2:13PM
Sounds like the Siren: Bloodcurse model on PSN. If it's anything like Siren people should wait because it will inevitably get a bundle pack with all three episodes for the price of two. Siren was actually a really good game and was perfect for that episodic concept. I'm not sure about Hydrophobia but I am damn sure thats one of the dumbest names I've ever heard for a game.
Vidikron @ Sep 30th 2009 2:23PM
I think the name fits perfectly.
PN04 @ Sep 30th 2009 2:29PM
"Hydrophobia" is the fear of water, so considering the game is about a flooded environment it makes perfect sense. I really started to lose faith in this game all the delays and no gameplay footage makes this feel almost as non existent as Wardevil.
jsut @ Sep 30th 2009 2:51PM
Strictly speaking, aquaphobia is the fear of water. Hydrophobia is rabies.
Vidikron @ Sep 30th 2009 3:02PM
If you hit up dictionary.com hydrophobia is listed as both the fear of water and rabies. And Wiki says, "Rabies, especially a set of symptoms of the later stages of an infection, in which the victim has difficulty swallowing, shows panic when presented with liquids to drink, and cannot quench his or her thirst." So apparently even with rabies the term apparently comes from the symptom where the victim displays a fear of liquids.
robotoid @ Sep 30th 2009 5:01PM
No, the worst video game title is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 30th 2009 6:56PM
I didn't say the name didn't fit the idea behind the game I just said it's an awful name.
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 2:16PM
My only other experience with episodic games was Sin Episode 1 (hah) and Half Life 2. Sin failed to ever make a second episode, and Half Life 2 has made 2 awesome episodes but it's been 2 years and still no episode 3 in sight.
RKN @ Sep 30th 2009 2:24PM
RIP Sin Episodes. : (
Vidikron @ Sep 30th 2009 2:37PM
HL2 fails at the episode concept. Not that they we're good, but they didn't really come out quickly enough to be considered true episodes. Should have just called them expansions.
Vidikron @ Sep 30th 2009 2:38PM
*weren't
MLS @ Sep 30th 2009 2:19PM
The shark tank was the scariest part of the original RE. It freaked me the hell out. Will there be sharks in this?
PN04 @ Sep 30th 2009 2:30PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMwmqp3GLMc
God, I hope so!
WiNG [XBL&Steam: WiNGSPANTT] from lifeinagame.com @ Sep 30th 2009 2:40PM
No matter how real the water looks, no game engine is yet able to make textures on walls get realistically wet, then drip dry. When a wave hits a metal wall, it should look like it.