Parents' Guide to Barotrauma

There's absolutely no point or purpose in playing this game by yourself whatsoever. Barotrauma's biggest strengths (and resulting weaknesses) all stem from the fact that this experience is wildly different depending on how you play it. As a solo experience, it's an absolutely boring slog where micromanaging other characters to do certain tasks aboard your submarine is an exercise in frustration rather than being remotely fun. For a game where crisis management is at the forefront (be it from random fires breaking out, water flooding your submarine, or sea creatures set on ending your game early), Barotrauma wastes what could've been a deliberately lonely, unique solo campaign. On the other side of that spectrum, it can be equally annoying when you're playing with others and you're matched with people who refuse to play cohesively. This is truly a game that flourishes or fails because of teamwork (or lack thereof).

But once you find a solid crew, that's when this game shines. Each player possesses a different, crucial role. If one of those roles isn't playing their part, things can go downhill rather quickly. In a way, this is the perfect test to see how compatible you are with your friends because there are plenty of opportunities for communication to break down. And the list of things that could go wrong doesn't just include leaks, electrical fires, and the alien menace that could attack you at the most inconvenient of moments. Sometimes, you'll accidentally fall from a ladder and break your legs – forcing you to quickly find your medic or get some bandages and supplements so that your movement isn't limited. Or someone will burn through all the fuel, forcing players to leave the relative comfort of the submarine and swim in the murky, treacherous waters in a desperate struggle to find resources. Barotrauma has some notable low points, but with the ideal team configuration, the game becomes utter unpredictable bliss.