Review by: Mike Thompson

After three years of development and a lot of time spent teasing its revolutionary water physics as a puzzle and combat mechanic, developer Dark Energy Digital had some big expectations to fill. Unfortunately, Hydrophobia fails to live up to the hype; it lacks polish and ends up being another short, expensive missed opportunity for Xbox Live Arcade devotees.

One of the game's strongest elements is its plot. The story stars Kate Wilson, a security engineer who lives and works aboard The Queen of the World. This is a hybrid sea vessel/metropolis that supposedly will play a huge role in solving the world's problems that have been brought on by rampant overpopulation. During the boat’s tenth anniversary celebration, it comes under attack from the Neo-Malthusians, a group of terrorists who believe the only real solution to overpopulation is to eliminate most of humanity. As a result, Kate has to escape waterlogged areas and single-handedly defeat these psychotic party crashers.

The major flaw with the mostly-interesting plot is its rather ridiculous twist: Kate apparently suffers from hydrophobia, what is supposed to be a paralyzing fear of water, so it totally makes sense that she has a job requiring her to live on an enormous floating city in the middle of the ocean. Of course, this hydrophobia doesn't exactly manifest during gameplay, even when Kate is chest-deep in a flooded room or swimming through submerged corridors. Suck it up Kate!

In gameplay terms Hydrophobia is unoriginal and clumsy. Much of the platforming requires you to jump and climb to new levels. The problem is that this is slow-paced at the best of times, but adding water to the mix makes things a pain. If you happen to be treading water while it rises high enough to grab onto a ledge, the game has difficulty discerning whether you want to climb or swim.

The shooter elements, meanwhile, are a mixed bag. Kate has a pistol filled with unlimited ammo that can be charged for more powerful attacks. Again, clumsy controls drag down what would have otherwise been some serviceable sequences.