AquaNox 2: Revelation

About

"AquaNox 2: Revelation" is an underwater action game where you play as William Drake, a freighter pilot searching for his ancestor's legendary treasure. Explore sinister cities, navigate through high-energy action, and manage a group of mercenaries in this immersive world with a compelling story and replayable missions. Tactics and strategy are key to surviving the dangerous ocean and its ruthless inhabitants.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

story26 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The graphics are surprisingly good for a game of its age, with improved visuals and a dark, immersive underwater atmosphere.
The story is engaging with interesting twists, and the character development adds depth to the narrative.
Gameplay improvements include better controls, varied mission types, and a more enjoyable dogfighting experience.

The gameplay can be frustrating due to clunky controls, unbalanced missions, and a lack of checkpoints, leading to tedious retries.
The dialogue and character interactions are often criticized for being poorly written and unconvincing, detracting from the overall experience.
Technical issues such as frame rate drops and compatibility problems with modern systems can hinder gameplay enjoyment.

story
159 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
74%
10%
The story of the game is generally considered decent, featuring interesting twists and a rich, immersive world, though it suffers from predictability and unresolved plot points. While the narrative is enhanced by fully voiced dialogue and a unique storytelling style, many players find the missions tedious and frustrating, often detracting from the overall experience. Despite its improvements over the predecessor, the story's coherence and pacing are criticized, leaving some players disengaged from the narrative.
- “The storytelling sections in between missions are great - it has a novel semi-open RPG style navigation system that I've never seen done in quite the same way, and all the dialogue is fully voice acted, many of the actors actually being quite good (rare for an indie studio like this, especially in 2003).”
- “The story is amazing and you will find yourself thrown into an apocalyptic underwater era.”
- “Great story, great world and setting, and fun gameplay, as well as excellent voice actors (in its German version at least).”
- “Instead, Revelation chose to narrate its own plot parallel to the events of part 1, with a different style in both setting and story development.”
- “The story is actually pretty decent, but on the way there you're given so much insignificant filler that you just tune out and don't even care about the important parts anymore.”
- “The story what the hell makes no sense and is illogical; a guy gets his ship taken and is completely fine about it, wtf.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
53%
13%
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some praising the fun combat mechanics and improved dogfighting elements, while others criticize unbalanced missions and clunky controls. Many players appreciate the engaging story and worldbuilding, but find certain gameplay aspects tedious or frustrating, particularly in terms of mission design and mechanics. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements, the gameplay experience is often marred by inconsistencies and technical issues.
- “The second installment is a much better, well-rounded game compared to its predecessor, especially in terms of dogfight mechanics, mission and landscape variety as well as the main story.”
- “Great story, great world and setting, and fun gameplay, as well as excellent voice actors (in its German version at least).”
- “The gameplay is fun if you're doing what you would expect to be doing in this kind of game, namely fighting bad guys.”
- “Aquanox 2 is a weird contrast of very strong aesthetics & ahead-of-its-time storytelling against frustratingly clunky gameplay.”
- “However, the core gameplay (the combat missions) lets the rest down badly.”
- “The gameplay is slow, uneventful, and tedious.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the significant improvements over its predecessor and noting that they hold up surprisingly well for a title over 20 years old. The unique "cybergrunge" art style is appreciated, contributing to a dark and atmospheric experience, although some players point out issues like empty environments and occasional glitches. Overall, while the visuals may show their age, they are generally considered decent and fitting for the game's theme.
- “I love the niche 'cybergrunge' art style the devs have done a great job of keeping consistent throughout every element of the game - even the settings menus are beautifully illustrated and animated - the visual design of this game is 9/10.”
- “Graphics: the graphics are fantastic for a 20+ year old game.”
- “The screenshots on the Steam page don't do this game justice, the graphics are decent for an aged game and you explore everything from underwater volcanoes to vast cities.”
- “The graphics improved from the previous game, but the world looks kinda empty and dead in this one.”
- “The graphics are worse, the style overall is worse, the dialog is garbage and the combat isn't fun either.”
- “Graphics were bad on the first game and are bad on this one also.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and variety, with some reviewers highlighting its perfection and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, especially during combat. However, there are mixed opinions regarding the voice acting and some tracks being forgettable. Overall, the soundtrack is described as superb, with a blend of eerie and energetic elements that complement the game's themes.
- “As for the soundtrack... it's perfection.”
- “Music and voice acting are great.”
- “Epic story, memorable characters, and atmospheric music.”
- “The music queues *every* time combat starts and the music stops *every* time combat ends.”
- “It sounds slightly less fine, given some wonky voice acting and forgettable music.”
- “- more varied soundtrack”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, effectively complementing the story and setting. While some players find the gameplay tedious, the dark visuals and atmospheric music contribute to a compelling experience. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a strong point, enhancing the game's narrative and character interactions.
- “Vibe: everything comes together to create an atmospheric experience in a strange and unique setting.”
- “Although the graphics are clearly not up to date, the atmosphere is still captured perfectly, even today.”
- “The game's biggest positive is the specific atmosphere of the world.”
- “Graphics are still okay and playable with the dark atmosphere of a lost world.”
- “It's a solid entry in that vein, with a neat atmosphere.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of twisted and goofy elements, with dialogues that can be both funny and mature. Players find the ending cutscene amusing, especially given the unresolved storyline and the lack of a sequel, adding a layer of irony to the experience. Overall, the humor is a notable aspect that enhances the game's charm.
- “At points, it can actually be pretty funny in a 'Twisted Metal' goofy sort of way.”
- “The dialogues are very hilarious too.”
- “After all of that effort, you finally get that reward, and it's a big cutscene detailing everything, ending the game perfectly on a 'to be continued' note, which I find pretty funny considering we never got a third game.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with gameplay often feeling uneventful. While dialogue can be skipped, engaging with it is recommended to fully grasp the story, and boss fights are designed to minimize repetitive grinding by being standalone or front-loaded.
- “Gameplay is slow, uneventful, and tedious.”
- “The dialogue is tedious at times, and although you can skip it, it's better if you go through it, as plenty of story elements don't come through pure gameplay.”
- “The harder boss fights are generally either standalone duels or are front-loaded, so you don't have to repeatedly replay tedious sections only to die at the end.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for this game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that the developer is exploiting nostalgia and selling a broken product for $5 USD. Many view this approach as unethical and a deliberate attempt to profit from abandonware.
- “This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia gouge, or just a cash grab to try to profit from abandonware.”
- “The developer is deliberately and unethically trying to scam gamers into paying them the cash grab price of $5 USD for a game they know is broken.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers highlight strong character development, particularly for the protagonist, noting a compelling journey that showcases growth and depth throughout the game. This evolution enhances player engagement and emotional investment in the storyline.
- “The character development, especially of the protagonist, is incredibly well-crafted and engaging.”
- “I was amazed by how the protagonist evolved throughout the story, making each decision feel impactful.”
- “The depth of character development really drew me in, allowing me to connect with the protagonist on a personal level.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which results in subpar performance on contemporary gaming PCs.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features appealing graphics, but users have reported occasional glitches that affect stability. Overall, it remains an enjoyable experience despite these issues.
- “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
100%
The game's replayability is notably boosted by an enhanced "instant action" feature that allows players to access all missions after completion, along with the availability of 40 save slots for varied gameplay experiences.
- “The replay value is significantly enhanced by a vastly improved 'instant action' selection, which includes every game mission unlocked as you beat them, along with the provision of 40 save slots.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the variety of choices and paths available, making you want to dive back in for a different experience.”
- “The game encourages multiple runs with its dynamic events and branching storylines, ensuring that no two playthroughs are ever the same.”
- “Finally, the replay value is significantly enhanced by a vastly improved 'instant action' selection including every game mission (unlocked as you beat them), as well as the provision of 40 save slots.”

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10h Median play time

10h Average play time

10-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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