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Out today, Die or Dive is a promising roguelite scuba sim that basically turns Darkest Dungeon into Ecco the Dolphin
Die or Dive, a 2D roguelite scuba survival game from Drop Rate Studio and publisher Dear Villagers, has launched today. It blends the fragile, disposable-crew mechanics of Darkest Dungeon with an underwater setting reminiscent of Ecco the Dolphin, sending players diving into flooded ruins to gather resources for a mountaintop-dwelling remnant of humanity.
The game is set five years into a world ravaged by "black rain" that causes mutations and nightmares, forcing survivors onto mountain-turned-islands. Players descend into an "abyssal pool" to scavenge supplies and crafting materials, managing crew members who level up quickly but accumulate afflictions as their sanity deteriorates; between dives, they can be assigned to base buildings for resource bonuses. Each run is timed against the arrival of the Rainmaker, a giant squid-like entity responsible for the black rain, and players must collect relics to delay its apocalyptic tsunami. A demo covering the first ten in-game days remains on Steam alongside the full release.
In short
- Die or Dive, a Darkest Dungeon-style underwater roguelite, launches today
- Players scavenge flooded ruins while managing crew sanity and afflictions
- Runs are timed against the Rainmaker, a black rain-causing squidgod
Explained simply
Die or Dive is an underwater survival game where players manage a small team of divers exploring submerged ruins. Team members become more skilled with experience, but they also accumulate stress and afflictions as they work, requiring careful management between expeditions.
The world has been devastated by "black rain" that causes mutations and forces survivors to retreat to mountain-top islands. Players send their diving teams into an underwater abyss to gather supplies and crafting materials to keep these survivors alive.
Each diving expedition is a race against time, as a giant squid-like creature called the Rainmaker is slowly approaching to unleash a catastrophic tsunami. Players must find and collect relics that can delay the Rainmaker's arrival, creating an ongoing threat that hangs over their survival efforts.