Death in the Water 2

About

Death in the Water 2 is a single player shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Lighthouse Games Studio and was released on January 26, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

"Death in the Water 2" is a horror survival game set in an underwater world, where you must fight off a terrifying ancient Kraken named Death. The game features challenging missions in Campaign mode, endless waves of enemies in Survival mode, and peaceful exploration in Free Roam mode. New Game + offers increased difficulty. Investigate ruins, wrecks, and reefs while battling marine life, with the threat of Death always looming.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,622 reviews

story44 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

Incredible graphics and sound design that create a terrifying atmosphere.
Engaging gameplay that keeps players on edge with intense shark encounters.
Impressive for a game developed by just two people, showcasing great attention to detail.

Repetitive gameplay loop with similar objectives across dives, leading to boredom.
Short campaign length, completed in around 4-6 hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
Lack of variety in enemy types and mission structure, making the experience feel stale over time.

story
428 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
83%
7%
The story in "Death in the Water 2" is generally viewed as simplistic and underdeveloped, often feeling like an afterthought to the gameplay. Players note that while there is a basic narrative involving treasure hunting and battling sea creatures, the missions are repetitive and lack depth, leading to a sense of monotony. Many reviewers express a desire for a more engaging storyline and varied mission objectives to enhance the overall experience.
- “Death in the Water 2 is a massive step up from the original, including a detailed story surrounding a silent protagonist.”
- “The environment is amazing; there are depths of the ocean's dark abyss, night missions, and day missions, all involving new horrors with every new mission you go on.”
- “The story was fairly interesting, given the gameplay; they did the best they could.”
- “Not personal to the devs but the 'story' is not even a story, anticlimactic ending because the final boss doesn't even die; the game just decides to end. Why should anyone play this game?”
- “The story is rudimentary and feels tacked on.”
- “The game is super repetitive with no point to the story whatsoever.”
graphics
348 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
28%
1%
The graphics in this game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the stunning underwater visuals, realistic creature animations, and immersive atmosphere. Players noted that the game's graphical fidelity rivals that of modern AAA titles, creating a captivating and eerie experience that enhances the overall gameplay. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay repetition, the visuals and sound design are consistently highlighted as standout features, making the game visually impressive, especially considering it was developed by a small team.
- “The underwater environments are very well detailed and the overall lifelike visuals are just insane to look at and adds to the horrifying experience.”
- “The graphics, animations, and models are all unbelievably good.”
- “The graphics are fantastic.”
- “The graphical flaws and bad textures are mostly covered by smearing effects, but if you look closer you will see and understand why a lot of the underwater world looks so weirdly low quality.”
- “While the graphics look very realistic, the gameplay abandons most opportunities for realism.”
- “The atmosphere, graphics, graphical effects and music as well as sound are excellent, but the gameplay is just not interesting; every mission has you go to an area to find three treasure chests before waiting on a timer to end the mission, that's literally all it is.”
gameplay
318 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
51%
13%
The gameplay of this title is characterized by a repetitive loop that involves treasure hunting and combat against waves of underwater enemies, which many players find becomes dull quickly. While the graphics and atmosphere are praised for their immersive quality, the simplicity and lack of variety in gameplay mechanics leave some players wanting more depth and engagement. Overall, the game offers a fun experience initially, but its repetitive nature and limited objectives may not sustain long-term interest.
- “The movement and fighting mechanics are a perfect match to the horrifying and detailed environment of the game.”
- “This is just cool; the story does suck, don't bother for the story, but the gameplay is unique and extremely fun and challenging for shooting a bunch of sharks and fish people with pointy toothpicks.”
- “It's a tight gameplay loop that focuses on being fun above all else, and it works.”
- “The gameplay loop gets boring fast and there is little change as you progress.”
- “The gameplay is a little bare-boned; you shoot waves of sharks (ok, occasionally other things) while hunting for treasure chests.”
- “Unfortunately like many other reviews say, the gameplay loop gets very stale very quickly.”
atmosphere
250 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
34%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, immersive sound design, and a palpable sense of dread, effectively capturing the eerie essence of underwater exploration. Many players find the combination of ambient lighting, realistic animations, and haunting audio to create a uniquely terrifying experience, although some note that the repetitive gameplay can detract from the overall tension. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered its strongest aspect, making it a compelling choice for fans of horror and immersive environments.
- “Absolutely stunning atmosphere!”
- “The atmosphere devs created is phenomenal.”
- “The underwater atmosphere is terrifying but I love it.”
- “Some parts are genuinely terrifying and the atmosphere is well done but the gameplay grows dull quickly.”
- “Because you're not just attacked constantly, but under a very strict time limit, you never get the chance to just look around and drink in the atmosphere in the game, so the big positives are killed stone dead.”
- “The atmosphere, graphics, graphical effects and music as well as sound are excellent, but the gameplay is just not interesting, every mission has you go to an area to find three treasure chests before waiting on a timer to end the mission, that's literally all it is.”
music
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
42%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the immersive atmosphere, effectively complementing the underwater setting and heightening tension during gameplay. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ominous and mysterious qualities, which contribute to the overall horror experience, although some note that the intensity can occasionally feel misplaced or overwhelming. Overall, the sound design, including both music and ambient noises, is considered a standout feature that significantly enriches the gaming experience.
- “The music perfectly complements the vast enormity of the ocean as well as the high stakes tension of getting swarmed.”
- “The soundtrack itself is also a standout example of something that doesn't ask for attention but enhances the atmosphere tenfold.”
- “The music was amazing and it made the game feel tense with emotional energy when the action got intense.”
- “My only complaint is sometimes you get this really intense 'scary moment!!!' music sting, but I don't know what I'm supposed to be scared of because I was either looking the wrong way or there isn't actually a real trigger for it and it just happens.”
- “On a personal note, by dive 5 I had to turn my soundbar off as the music and sound were too much for my blood pressure and heart rate, even though I use wemod and could not die, run out of oxygen, or ammo.”
- “Then when starting up the training, the story through text played music at a very loud volume that I suspect did not use the lower music volume I had just adjusted.”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, primarily due to its short length of only 15 missions and repetitive gameplay. While some players appreciate the addition of new modes and potential future updates from the developers, many feel that the current content does not offer substantial replay value. The experience may vary depending on individual player preferences, but as it stands, the game lacks depth and variety to encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “The game is short but there is definitely replay value; this game deserves tons of praise for being made by just two people!”
- “Maybe the only thing I would criticize is there isn't too much replay value and it's a little short, but they say that they plan on adding things to the game as it goes, so even that criticism might be short-lived.”
- “In-game it says the devs are working on a new game mode, so fingers crossed there'll be some replayability and more progression options (or just a reason to play the game past the 15 levels at all).”
- “At the moment there is no real replayability.”
- “Only 15 missions, so aside from leaderboards and beating your own personal score, I'm not sure how much replay value it will have moving forward.”
- “The gameplay can get repetitive, the different enemies essentially amounting to just different numbers of shots required, and replayability will depend entirely on what kind of gamer you are.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report experiencing minor bugs and glitches, they often note that these do not significantly hinder gameplay. The impressive performance on platforms like the Steam Deck and the lack of major crashes are highlighted, especially considering the game was developed by a small team. Despite some predictable AI issues and occasional physics problems, the game's aesthetic and overall playability are praised.
- “For a small team (two-man the game says, wow), this game destroys many bigger titles in looks and bug-free day one playability.”
- “This is a great game: amazing graphics, realistic (yet manageable) controls, perfect audio, and runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “Runs great on Steam Deck too, although mouse and keyboard is the way to go.”
- “The graphics are really good and also the gameplay, but it's super buggy. Like one time I swam backwards and the siren just stabbed me 20 times, which was an insta-death.”
- “Extremely predictable yet buggy AI getting hit by sharks that should not be hitting me is annoying.”
- “Before going to the pros and cons, I feel like it's worth mentioning that this game is sometimes really buggy, although understandable since it's made by only one coder.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
25%
8%
Overall, the game is praised for its smooth performance, impressive graphics, and engaging animations, with no significant bugs or performance issues reported. While it is noted that the game is stronger than its predecessor, some users feel that further optimization is still needed. Despite this, the controls are deemed satisfactory, and the game is recommended for its value and enjoyable experience.
- “I'm giving it a positive score because everything that is present works well, looks amazing, and has no bugs or performance issues that I've encountered.”
- “Very smooth in performance and great animations on everything.”
- “Even though each dive is based on finding 3 treasure chests, you're in different areas all the time and the atmosphere is perfect for that underwater fear. They've also done well with the graphics, sound, etc. I highly recommend this game; no performance issues or anything like that in my time playing.”
- “It is much stronger than the first generation, but it still needs to be further optimized.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience. Players express disappointment with the lack of engaging content and the presence of idle time, which diminishes the intended atmosphere and scares. Overall, enjoyment seems to hinge on individual tolerance for grinding.
- “The atmosphere is quite good, but the scariness dissolves when playing becomes tedious.”
- “It is tedious, not scary, and I was hoping for way more.”
- “I wanted to like it but there's just nothing to do; the rounds are tedious and all the same with lots of idle time and bad AI.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's emotional depth, driven by its exceptional music and immersive sound effects that enhance tension and evoke feelings of fear. The heartfelt development story of the two creators adds a wholesome layer, suggesting that their passion and dedication are palpable throughout the experience.
- “The music was amazing and it made the game feel tense with emotional energy when the action got intense.”
- “- Sound effects 11/10 super immersive, legit made me feel a bit terrified at the beginning of the game.”
- “Having in mind that quote, 'this game has been in development for years by 2 friends,' supports the statement that 'they put their soul and heart into this,' which is wholesome.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily derived from the absurdity of its physics, particularly regarding the unrealistic behavior of dead bodies, which players find hilariously entertaining. Overall, the comedic elements are highlighted through amusing animations and moments that resonate well with the audience.
- “The physics of dead bodies are just hilariously bad and unsound.”
- “Funny moments that had me laughing out loud!”