[3] The game's engine, HydroEngine, provides realistic fluid dynamics technology for flowing water, allowing it to interact with the surroundings.

The player constantly has to adapt to the environment and react quickly because doors, walls and windows are going to cave in differently each time according to the distribution of water.

[4] At the beginning of the game, the craft is bombed by a group of fanatical terrorists known as the Malthusians, named after political economist Thomas Malthus who predicted that population growth would one day outpace agricultural production, returning society to a subsistent level of existence.

[6] The Malthusians have a plan to murder the majority of humans on the planet, so that the survivors wouldn't suffer from the effects of the population explosion.

[citation needed] Kate Wilson, the protagonist, is a systems engineer who becomes a reluctant hero when the Malthusians attack and take over the QOTW.

[17] Pete Jones, Joint Design Director for Dark Energy Digital, spoke of the difficulties experienced in an interview with GamingNexus.

[19] In an interview with GamesTM, Senior Creative Designer Rob Hewson discussed the process for addressing issues found.

The 4 megabyte update contains various graphic and physics enhancements, remapped controls, overhauled camera and map systems, improved gameplay mechanics, additional HUD information and removal or shortening of dialogue and cutscenes.

[23][24][25] 1Up.com's Matt Clark commended the water based gameplay, stating, "That anxiety I mentioned earlier, the feeling that you're likely to drown at any moment, is present throughout the game's seven hours.

[27][38] McKinley Noble of GamePro also made mention of the impressive water dynamics, adding that the game's challenge rooms extend gameplay.

He stated that while using one of many varied ways to dispatch an enemy is fun the first time, the enjoyment loses its luster as the player repeats these actions.

"[46] Edge also panned most of the core gameplay, saying "the lacklustre combat, the imprecise platforming, the lack of meaningful feedback, the repetitive hunting for keys to locked doors, the over-fussy map, the intolerable cover system and the poor signposting that will leave even the most attentive player floundering for direction and purpose.

"[27] Noble cited stiff gameplay controls, awkward action sequences, and dated visuals adding that these weaknesses "do enough harm to sabotage a unique idea."

However, Slant Magazine gave it two-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "In the tradition of the B movie, Hydrophobia's low production values make me more affectionate toward it.

You won't have your mind blown open, but it's definitely an enjoyable five hours (extended by the Challenge Room leaderboards), and a promising start for a new developer.

"[45] Metro gave it three out of ten, saying, "There are some interesting ideas and visual effects at play here, but they're not nearly strong enough to support such a monotonous adventure.