Darkwater Review – The Underwater FTL-Like Horror Looter Game
The FTL-like Horror Roguelike You Didn’t Know You Needed
There’s something magical about a game that dumps you headfirst into chaos and just says, “Good luck, champ.” Darkwater is that game—equal parts claustrophobic, chaotic, and captivating. It’s a scrappy little roguelike where you’re not just managing your ship’s systems from a comfy command deck—you’re sprinting through flooded hallways, patching leaks with one hand while stabbing pirates with the other.
Let’s get something straight: this is not FTL. It’s FTL if FTL had you personally duct-taping your hull back together in first-person while the room fills with water and someone screams about incoming torpedoes. It’s got a long way to go in some areas, but even in early access, this game is already making waves (pun intended) in the best kind of way.
Image: FTL | Subset Games | Steam
Navigating the Depths: What is Darkwater?
Darkwater is a new cooperative extraction horror game for 1-4 players. You command a submarine trapped under the ice of an alien planet, battling enemy vessels and deep-sea abominations as you hunt for resources. The game blends elements of survival, strategy, and horror, creating a tense and immersive experience.
The basic gameplay loop is simple: choose your path through a branching map of randomized encounters, land at an outpost, grab whatever loot you can carry, and escape before everything floods or tries to kill you.
The in-between is where the fun begins. Every encounter chips away at your sanity (and your ship), and every decision feels like a gamble.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
There’s no god’s-eye view here—just you and your crewmates, in real-time, reacting to chaos, leaks, pirates, and hull breaches.
It’s survival with urgency, and it works beautifully.
The FTL Formula—But Wet and Personal
The FTL inspiration is obvious, but Darkwater brings its own flavor.
Where FTL had you as the disembodied commander slapping doors closed to vent intruders into space, Darkwater forces you to be the crew. There’s no commanding from afar (besides a hilariously jank loud speaker)—you’re manually filling torpedo tubes, patching leaks mid-battle, and screaming when the engine room starts flooding (again).
This shift from tactical to tactile changes everything.
Leaks aren’t just stats—they’re a threat that physically blocks you. You’re not just “losing health”; you’re watching the room fill up while you debate whether you have time to plug the hole or use the pump to drain some water out.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
Combat and ship management blend seamlessly. Need to reload your torpedoes? That’s a task. Want to evade incoming fire? You better have installed a kerosene engine and not just hoarded mines like a paranoid packrat.
The game constantly demands that you do, not just plan.
Solo Captain? Better Have a Death Wish
While Darkwater shines in co-op, solo play is surprisingly viable—and shockingly brutal. You can absolutely play alone, but don’t expect mercy.
Every task you’d normally split with friends is now on you. That means plugging leaks, aiming weapons, managing the engine, looting outposts, and somehow not dying in the process.
Solo players will find that combat decisions carry way more weight.
Do you reload the torpedo tube, or repair the leaks? Do you try to take on the Anglerfish in the outpost or leave while you’re still breathing?
Spoiler alert: don’t mess with the Anglerfish unless you have a ranged weapon and some skills.
No one’s coming to revive you. Permadeath is real, and it’s unforgiving.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
Still, if you’re a glutton for punishment (like me) or just want a more methodical experience, playing alone has its own grim charm. It’s you versus the ship.
And the water.
And the enemies.
And your sanity.
Ship Management: Not Quite FTL, But Still Satisfying
Okay, so there’s no oxygen mechanic like in FTL—you’re not venting enemies into the sea (although…) or worrying about breathable air.
But you are worrying about water. A lot.
Water will be your worst enemy in this game. Ignore a leak for too long and it floods your ship. Forget to pump it out, and you’ll find yourself wading through hallways like a sad, wet cat.
If the ship fills up completely? Enjoy your watery grave.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
Upgrades are essential. You can find and purchase ship schematics that let you build new rooms—medbays, sonar, torpedo bays—and slot in equipment that completely changes how you handle future encounters.
A kerosene engine, for instance, adds a sweet evasion bonus and I highly recommend you getting one early.
Having a fully stocked weapon system isn’t just for funsies—it’s required. You’re going to get jumped pretty early, and the more firepower you have—the better.
What Do the Crucifix and Mechanical Supplies Do?
Absolutely nothing. At least, not yet.
You’ll find all kinds of items during your outpost runs—mechanical supplies, crucifixes, cigarettes, random odds and ends. Some of them scream “this is important!” only to end up being glorified watery junk.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
Right now, these items have no functional use. You can’t craft with them, you can’t repair with them, you can’t exorcise demons (though wouldn’t that be fun).
Your best bet? Sell them at a shop and use the credits for something actually useful, like fuel or more torpedoes.
Still, the fact that these items exist hints at future mechanics, and that’s exciting. Maybe in a future patch we’ll be crucifying eldritch horrors mid-flood.
Until then, enjoy the free cash.
Where It Falters: A Lack of Event Variety
Here’s where Darkwater starts to show its seams a bit.
Right now, the variety of events on the map is…limited. Most encounters involve pirates, ship-to-ship combat, or generic looting. There’s not much in the way of environmental variety, cursed artifacts, fauna encounters, or other funderfully spooky anomalies.
For a game that flirts with horror, it doesn’t quite lean into it hard enough yet.
That wouldn’t be a problem if the encounters were wildly dynamic, but after a few runs, you’ll start to see repetition creep in. It’s very 60 Seconds! in that way—fun at first, but if the dev doesn’t spice up the variety soon, replayability could take a hit.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
To be fair, Darkwater is the product of a solo dev—Targon Studios—and for a one-person effort, this is wildly impressive.
But if we had one suggestion for improvement, it’s this: get weird.
Ask the community for wild event ideas. Throw in supernatural threats, underwater hallucinations, strange transmissions from long-dead ships.
Let’s lean into the “what the hell is happening?” vibes.
Room for Improvement in Darkwater
More event types: Cursed artifacts, mutinies, sea monsters, ghost transmissions. Go wild.
More risk-reward outposts: Think flooded labs with limited oxygen and high-value loot.
Event consequences: Let bad choices have lingering effects—injuries, madness, damage, etc.
Use the horror: Sound design is great. Now lean in. Scare us.
Loot, Death, and Running for Your Life
Let’s talk loot. Most outpost excursions yield a mix of:
Credits – currency for shops
Medical Supplies – canned worms, medkits, etc.
Weapons – knives, sledgehammers, wrenches (great for pirate dental work)
Ship Items – schematics, fuel barrels, mines
Sellable Items – mechanical supplies, crucifixes, cigarettes, etc.
The loop is fun. You drop in, grab as much as you can carry, and pray you make it back alive. But Darkwater has a nasty habit of punishing greed.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
Stay too long and the outpost may start to flood.
If that happens, you better know where the escape ladder is, because if you don’t, you’ll drown. If you’re underwater, you’ll also start losing oxygen fast, and when that runs out, your health ticks down like a countdown to a watery grave.
It’s tense, terrifying, and completely addicting.
Bugs, Glitches, and Other “Features”
Early access wouldn’t be complete without a few “fun” surprises. Sometimes loot will disappear into the void. Sometimes you can’t interact with the torpedoes. Apparently, the auto pump doesn’t work right now?
It’s not game-breaking (usually), and if anything, these hiccups give Darkwater some charm. Just be aware that your next death might be 90% poor decisions, 10% jank.
We’re okay with that—for now.
Image: Dark Water | Targon Studios
Final Thoughts: Should You Play Darkwater?
Absolutely. Darkwater is a rough gem, but it shines all the same. It’s tense, fast-paced, incredibly atmospheric, and deeply fun. It’s not perfect—yet—but it’s got heart, depth, and a killer core loop.
Insym even made a hilarious video recently, playing Darkwater with Psycho, JoJo, and Mago that really highlights the amazing potential of this game that you can see below:
Basically – if you’re a fan of FTL, co-op roguelikes, or just want something that throws you into chaos and dares you to survive, this one’s worth your time.
Just remember to pump the water.
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Nico
May 15, 2025
Looks fun, but a lot of the photos you used don’t really look like FTL like you compare it to
Ayefkay
May 15, 2025
Hey Nico! That was pretty quick! You.do.have.a.point.
Maybe I’ll go back and include some more images of the text FTL-style events, but honestly they’re so short by comparison to things like the Outpost missions and sub-battles.
Thanks for the feedback and for stopping by!