A couple of years ago the original Aquanox set the benchmark for graphically endowed games. We were waiting with bated breath to see if the follow-up could surpass such high expectation.

The look of Aquanox 2: Revelation is nothing short of remarkable, and there’s an excellent game lurking in its depths. That said, the gameplay is an acquired taste. Get sucked into this underwater world action adventure, though, and you’ll view Aquanox 2 as a masterpiece. I know I did, and this game isn’t just breathtaking because it’s underwater.

Aquanox 2: Revelation doesn’t, strictly speaking, pick up where the Aquanox story left off. Instead it takes up the story of a new character but keeps the post-apocalyptic underwater setting. Set in the year 2666, players follow the story of a young freighter pilot, William Drake, who sets out to search for the heritage of a mythical ancestor. He is looking for adventure but along the way finds greed, ruthlessness, merciless hatred and unexpected help. Drake soon realises that he is not the only one hunting for his ancestor’s legendary treasure.

The game’s action takes place in three oceans and attention has certainly been paid to the landscape. Details like undulating vegetation add to the quality of the environments. Revelation is deeply evocative of an underwater Bladerunner and plays very similarly to Freelancer. Though it’s an action-based game, there’s a story to unfold and certain elements of roleplay gaming get chucked in. The plot begins aboard a mercenary ship called the Harvester, but if you haven’t any time for the occasionally tedious plot you can skip most of the text and move headlong into the action.

Though laid out with the look and controls of a first-person shooter, you’re actually sitting in a submarine for most of your missions. If you have a joystick and want the luxury of total control you can switch to a complicated controls system, which takes a lot of practice but really elevates this game above others.

Shooting the enemy isn’t fast and furious — there’s enough time to assess your every move. It’s truly beautiful to behold the bewildering array of accomplished environments, ships and breathtaking explosions.

Publisher: JoWood Productions
Developer: Massive Development
URL: www.aquanox-revelation.com