Drop Rate Studio and publisher Dear Villagers have launched Die or Dive on PC today. The 2D roguelite scuba simulation tasks players with exploring an "abyssal pool" to recover essential resources like canned food and building materials.
Quick Facts
- Developer: Drop Rate Studio
- Publisher: Dear Villagers
- Platform: PC
- Genre: 2D Roguelite Scuba Simulation
Gameplay and Setting
The game is set in a world ravaged by five years of "black rain," which has caused widespread mutations and nightmares. With civilization now restricted to mountaintop islands, players must venture into the dangerous flooded depths to survive. The gameplay involves navigating underwater environments, such as elevator shafts and tombstone-filled labyrinths, to locate crafting blueprints and upgrade materials.
The mechanics draw comparisons to squad-based management games. Players command a team of divers who are both disposable and prone to developing specific afflictions. Much like sanity systems found in other titles, these characters experience mental degradation as they face the dangers of the deep. When not underwater, players can assign their crew to base buildings to gain resource advantages.
Managing the Abyssal Pool
Exploration is framed by a looming threat: the Rainmaker, a massive entity that triggers a final tsunami. Each run includes a countdown, and players must secure specific relics from the depths to delay this event. While the environment can appear serene at shallow depths, the difficulty increases as players move deeper into caves where aggressive, mutated wildlife resides.
A demo for the game is currently available on Steam, allowing players to experience the first 10 days of the in-game calendar. The full game is available for purchase starting today.