Darkwater’s Invasion Update: Your Chance to Release the Kraken!
The Deep Sea Nightmare Update Worth Playing
If you thought Darkwater was already a tense, claustrophobic trip to the bottom of the ocean, buckle up. The new Invasion update is here and it is not playing nice.
The devs just crammed more horrors, weapons, and toys into this FTL-like survival nightmare, and if you have even a shred of love for deep sea chaos, you should be paying attention.
Oh, and Darkwater is 20% off on Steam until August 19 at 10 AM PT. That’s your window. Miss it and you might as well feed yourself to a crab.
Learn to Sneak or Get Smacked in Darkwater
The first big addition is the stealth system. You can now crouch, sneak, and watch a handy visual indicator that shows how visible you are. Enemies actually react to sound now, which means you can skip some fights entirely if you are careful.
This is not a stealth game in the traditional sense, but if you like to play smart instead of loud, the option is finally on the table and is pretty damn fun.
New Enemies, New Nightmares
Four new aquatic enemies now prowl the abandoned outposts. Some are small enough to make you think “aww, cute” before they rip you apart, while others are massive enough to ruin your whole run in seconds.
The standout monster is the Kraken, a towering leviathan with tentacles that can punch holes in your sub and damage you while you’re trying to repair.
Image: Darkwater Leviathan Fight with Kraken | Darkwater | Targon Studios
This was honestly my favorite addition to this new update and is a really fun encounter, however, if you’re brand new to the game – it might not be the route I would recommend if you’re trying to get your first win.
If you do want to try it out though, I recommend bringing a ranged weapon to deal with the tentacles that will spawn to block your repairs and targeting its weapon systems.
My only issue with the Kraken, is that I started to run into a Kraken fight in almost every node in the Frontier district. While the fight is honestly really fun, it starts to lose it’s excitement if you’re just slaughtering it on repeat.
Sometimes less is more, but still – 10/10 would recommend.
Submarine Upgrades That Pack a Punch
The Invasion update also brings a serious weapons boost. We are talking Depth Charges, Explosive Harpoons, and even a Harpoon Gun you can find inside shops and outposts.
On top of that, there’s the new Command Room module, which lets you see into and communicate with your team in a docked outpost. Overall, I think it’s a pretty unique addition and I actually really like the map feature for some of the more confusing or annoyingly pre-submerged outposts.
Image: Command Room Sub Upgrade | Darkwater | Targon Studios
You can even craft new medical and supply gear right from your med bay’s crafting bench. Translation: your odds of surviving the next mission just went up…slightly.
As long as you don’t run into an Anglerfish, which is literally the only thing that kills me in this game *cough Targon Studios patch this already cough*.
New Places to Die in Darkwater
There’s an entirely new Frontier district, plus four new biomes that change the vibe and strategy of your dives.
Image: Frontier District and Biomes | Darkwater | Targon Studios
Pirate subs now have nine new variations, which means you will be seeing fresh enemy designs even if you have been playing for hours. The added variety also ramps up the chaos in naval combat.
Quality of Life and Performance Boosts
The game is now almost half the size it used to be (10.2 GB down to 5.16 GB), which should mean faster loading, better stability, and fewer crashes.
The update also fixes a massive list of bugs and weird quirks that ranged from harmlessly goofy to run-ruining. If you took a break because of technical issues, now is the time to dive back in.
What’s Darkwater Again?
If you have never touched Darkwater, it is basically FTL if it crash-landed in an underwater horror movie. You and your crew scavenge, fight, repair, and loot your way through dangerous districts while keeping your submarine afloat and your sanity in check.
Image: Harpoon Gun | Darkwater | Targon Studios
Every dive is unpredictable, every run feels tense, and death comes fast whether you are ready or not.
What Do I Think of Darkwater?
I have been covering Darkwater for a while now, and I can say this is easily the biggest and most exciting update the game has seen. If you want a deeper breakdown, check out my full Darkwater review and my other Darkwater guides and news.
But the short version? The Invasion update adds teeth to an already sharp game, and it is the perfect excuse to drag your friends down into the abyss with you.
Try Darkwater For Yourself
The Invasion update is not just a content dump, it is a massive improvement to how Darkwater feels to play. More enemies, more weapons, more places to explore, and more ways to die horribly.
If you already own it, you have no excuse not to update and jump back in. If you don’t own it, grab it while it is on sale until August 19th and start building your crew.
Just be ready to meet the Kraken…and probably get chewed up like a can of worms.
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Ryan Ryan Ryan
August 14, 2025
The graphics looks pretty good for a text game
Ayefkay
August 15, 2025
Hey Ryan, it’s not ALL text-based (even though I constantly compare it to FTL). Basically moving from node you’ll usually get some flavor text unless you’re hitting an outpost, then it turns into a sort of 1st person looter/roguelike. It’s actually kind of hard to describe if you haven’t played it, but if you’re looking for a new game – I 1000% recommend this…just run if you see any big ass fish coming in an Outpost.
Mantis Gaming
August 21, 2025
Thanks OP anyone else played this? Is it worth trying?