World of Diving
- August 26, 2014
- Vertigo Games
Get on Steam"World of Diving" is a VR-enabled online game that allows players to explore the ocean, interact with marine life, and discover sunken treasures in a vibrant underwater world. Players can customize their diver's appearance and equipment, and collaborate with others in multiplayer mode. The game also offers a community-driven development, where players can create and share their own content, and contribute to the game's future features.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing underwater experience with good graphics and a calming atmosphere.
- It has potential for enjoyable gameplay, especially for those interested in diving and ocean exploration.
- The community aspect allows for multiplayer interactions, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game is considered abandonware, with no updates or development since 2017, leaving it unfinished.
- Many players report technical issues, including crashes and poor performance, making it difficult to play.
- The gameplay is repetitive and lacks depth, with limited content and missions that can become boring quickly.
- graphics47 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals and immersive underwater environments, while others criticize the overall quality and performance issues. Some users highlight the game's atmospheric appeal and beautiful water effects, but note that the graphics may not meet expectations for a full gaming experience. Overall, while the graphics are often described as good or even breathtaking, there are concerns about optimization and the game's current state in early access.
“Atmospheric game with a lot of stunning visuals and a fair amount of depth.”
“The graphics are very smooth looking and you really feel as though you are diving somewhere in the Pacific with not a care in the world other than making sure your camera is ready to take those snaps when you need to.”
“In the graphics department, World of Diving shines.”
“Graphics are mediocre, interface menus are confusing and touch controls are absolutely terrible.”
“Graphics are just not good enough for this kind of game.”
“The graphics are more in line with those aquariums in the show where the customer doesn't have enough time or knowledge to be able to look after a 'real life' aquarium with living rock and coral being substituted with acrylic, silicone, rubber, painted pieces that are too bright and unnatural.”
- story41 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely absent, with players describing the missions as repetitive fetch quests that lack depth and variety. While some missions involve interesting tasks like taking photos or exploring, they quickly become monotonous, leading to a sense of boredom. Overall, the game is seen more as a casual diving experience rather than a narrative-driven adventure, with potential for community-created content but little in the way of a compelling storyline.
“Two hours of fun diving missions under diverse pretenses.”
“I feel like I really am scuba diving and I can either do the missions or just kind of swim around and check stuff out and collect treasure along the way.”
“The mission editor is also fun to tinker with and easily lets you fully realize amazing coral reefs.”
“The story is nonexistent.”
“The missions are all the same and it's basically just so boring after a while that it becomes unplayable.”
“There is no actual story in my opinion, while the quests are great, they're just repeating sometimes, for example: you must take pictures of certain animals, which is done multiple times and is boring to a high extent, thus making it less fun.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around diving and taking pictures of marine life, but it has been criticized for its limited mechanics and lack of depth, with many users finding it disappointing compared to initial promises of a more immersive experience. While some enjoy the exploration of wrecks and treasure hunting, the overall execution feels lacking, with issues like bugs and unfulfilled expectations regarding graphics and gameplay realism. Character customization offers aesthetic changes but does not enhance gameplay, leading to a sense of stagnation in the game's development.
“Having said that, the gameplay is pretty fun.”
“You can explore the sea for treasure to unlock new gear (which is only aesthetic), explore wrecks with a group of people, which is really fun since the wrecks are designed in a nice way, and picture taking is picture taking, though there are challenges, which are nice and spice up the gameplay.”
“What they promised years ago was to deliver a randomly generated, open world diving simulator with unparalleled realism, graphics, and gameplay.”
“I really like the concept, but the gameplay and almost everything in this game is just disappointing.”
“World of Diving's gameplay is very limited.”
“The core gameplay is simply diving.”
- stability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezing issues, and game-breaking bugs that hinder gameplay. Despite some positive aspects like community content and graphics, the overall experience is marred by ongoing technical problems and a lack of effective support from developers. Many players express frustration over the game's inability to function properly, particularly on Mac systems.
“The game is quite bug-free, which enhances the overall experience.”
“I appreciate the community-based content that adds stability and variety.”
“The environments are nice, and the decent graphics contribute to a stable gameplay experience.”
“Bought this game with high hopes for some fun underwater experiences, and I can't get it to load past the main menu before it freezes and crashes.”
“Starting in November 2014, World of Diving has become the culmination of false promises of progress, game-breaking bugs, eye-splitting visual glitches, dysfunctional online servers (used for authentication and multiplayer), a failed and forced migration to Unity 5, and a game with a backward-moving progress bar... all of which make for a very angry user community.”
“Each update is released with 'new features' that no one asked for or wanted, and introduces new glitches while none of the ongoing game-breaking bugs seem to get fixed.”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players noting a lack of quality and options, such as the inability to turn off in-game music. While a few appreciate the ambient sound design and relaxing music, others feel that additional background music, especially in water, would enhance the experience. Overall, the sound effects are generally well-received, but the music aspect could benefit from improvements.
“World of diving: graphics are sweet, you look like you are really there, sound is good and music is not too bad at all.”
“With some relaxing music.”
“Music and sound effects of a game with very low quality.”
“Pathetic options menu (you can't even turn off the in-game music to play your own).”
“In terms of sounds, the game has a very ambient sound design; there isn't music, there are only the sounds of the ocean.”
- monetization7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with players noting the presence of microtransactions that can significantly impact gameplay. While some users appreciate the customization options, many feel that the game requires either extensive grinding or additional purchases to fully enjoy the experience. Overall, there are concerns about the game's stability and the perception that monetization strategies may overshadow its intended casual appeal.
“I was able to ignore the always online aspect and the microtransactions.”
“You can customize your character, but expect to either need to play the game every day and grind for dozens of hours, or purchase microtransactions.”
“What they have delivered over the past couple of years is a completely unstable, unplayable fantasy game with built-in monetization and in-game purchases, with small and broken maps.”
“The only downside is I believe there are microtransactions, just a warning for those who will have none of that.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is criticized for being poor in certain areas, leading to significant performance issues even on high-end PCs. Users report experiencing frustrating performance drops, particularly when using VR setups like the Vive.
“I didn't play long... I had a high-end PC, but the game needs more optimization.”
“Optimization is bad in some places of the map.”
“Every time I try this game for my Vive, the performance just blows.”
“Didn't play long... I had a high-end PC, but the game needs more optimization.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its stunning visuals and depth, making it a great choice for exploration enthusiasts. However, some users feel that improvements in lighting and shadow are necessary to enhance the overall mood and atmosphere.
“Atmospheric game with a lot of stunning visuals and a great amount of depth.”
“I love this game; it offers great exploration and a captivating atmosphere.”
“This game needs a lot of work with light and shadow for it to have any kind of mood or atmosphere.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and generally unfun, suggesting that while it may be worth attempting for achievement hunters, it is not recommended for a more enjoyable experience. However, the game is praised as a top choice for experiencing underwater VR gaming.
“If you do it for the achievements, you can give it a try, but I wouldn't recommend it; grinding is not fun.”
“The game itself is a little tedious, but as a means to experience underwater VR gaming, I'd say it's the best choice.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game particularly effective, noting moments like a fish being unexpectedly pulled away, which elicits a comical and bewildered expression that resonates with their own surprise.
“It looks hilarious when a fish is suddenly pulled away sideways, and the look on its face is just as baffled as the player's.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud throughout the game.”
“I love how the characters have such quirky personalities that make every interaction feel like a comedy sketch.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game features impressive exploration and graphics, the use of Oculus Rift can lead to discomfort, causing feelings of queasiness and headaches, which detracts from the overall emotional experience.
