Barotrauma

Lore & Background

Barotrauma is set in the distant future on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, where players inhabit a submarine navigating treacherous underwater environments. The game assigns each player a job—such as Captain, Engineer, Mechanic, Medical Doctor, Security Officer, or Assistant—each with specialized traits and equipment. Crews receive missions like hauling cargo, hunting hostile wildlife, recovering alien artifacts, exploring outposts, or reactivating beacon stations, and are then free to act at their own discretion with few additional objectives. Outposts at the end of levels provide downtime services but become rarer as players progress deeper into the game.

The game includes a faction system with four factions: the Europa Coalition and Jovian Separatists (major), and the Children of the Honkmother and Church of the Husk (minor). Completed missions affect reputation with these factions. Hazards include hostile fauna, pirates, parasite outbreaks, and player-controlled traitors, while player incompetence—such as improperly maintained reactors or oxygen generators—can also cause disaster. If the submarine's hull is breached, water floods the vessel, damaging structures and impeding movement; without proper equipment, players may suffocate or be crushed by pressure (barotrauma). The submarine serves as the crew's lifeline, and irreparable damage often ends the round.

Development began in 2014 under the working title Subsurface. Lead developer Joonas Rikkonen, who previously created SCP – Containment Breach, cited Space Station 13 as the primary inspiration, praising its emergent gameplay but critiquing its interface and technical issues. He also drew inspiration from a game concept called 'Pressure' posted on 4chan. Pre-alpha builds were freely released from 2015 to 2018. In 2017, the source code was publicly released under a limited license for modding, and the game was Greenlit on Steam. In 2018, Undertow Games partnered with FakeFish Games, and in early 2019 signed Daedalic Entertainment for publishing. Early access launched on June 5, 2019, and the full release followed on March 13, 2023.

Reader's Guide

Barotrauma's significance lies in its emphasis on cooperative gameplay and emergent storytelling within a harsh, simulated environment. The game's core loop revolves around players working together to maintain life support, repair the submarine, and defend against threats, with crisis management being a constant theme. Each role—from Captain to Assistant—is essential, and the game encourages specialization and teamwork. The inclusion of a traitor role in certain modes adds suspense and social dynamics, reminiscent of its inspiration, Space Station 13.

The game's complex simulation of submarine systems, realistic water physics, and detailed crafting system provide depth for players who enjoy technical challenges. Its campaign mode tasks players with reaching the mysterious Eye of Europa, while other modes include ship-on-ship combat, outpost battles, a sandbox mode, and a submarine editor. The game supports both single-player (with AI crew) and multiplayer. Barotrauma was voted 'Best Hardcore Game' at Game Connection Europe 2018 and was nominated in three other categories there. Its legacy is as a modern take on the social survival-horror genre, building on the foundation of earlier games while smoothing technical rough edges.

Did You Know?

• Barotrauma was originally developed under the working title Subsurface.
• The game's lead developer, Joonas Rikkonen, previously created SCP – Containment Breach.
• The game features four factions: the Europa Coalition, Jovian Separatists, Children of the Honkmother, and Church of the Husk.