By Joseph Luster

World War II games span a plethora of genres and sub-genres, but a recent content update for World of Diving might be one of the most unique. For the unfamiliar, World of Diving is a massively multiplayer simulation game, and while it falls on the casual side of things, there’s still plenty to do for those thirsty for something a bit more exciting. Players start off in the Caribbean and, just as the name suggests, enter the world of deep sea diving in both single and multiplayer modes. Throughout the adventure World of Diving tasks you with everything from tracking and documenting peaceful marine wildlife to surviving disaster scenarios that mirror real-world situations, hunting for treasure, salvaging shipwrecks, dealing with malfunctioning and limited gear, and more. Or you could just chill and dive, hence the casual nature of the game.

If one of the main features sounds like the perfect excuse for mixing in a bit of World War II- flavored action into it all, well, Vertigo Games—the Dutch indie studio behind World of Diving—is way ahead of you. One of the content updates lets players discover and explore the sunken remains of German battleship Bismarck. As many of our readers are likely well aware, Bismarckwas one of the two largest battleships Germany ever built and was commissioned into the country’s battle fleet in 1940. Before the British sank Bismarckduring her maiden voyage in 1941, she managed to assist in destroying British battle cruiser HMS Hood. An intriguing but brief life on the sea, to say the least.

 Now you can fully dive into Bismarck, including extensive exploration of the ship’s inner structure. Thankfully the update also adds the ROV (remote operated vehicle) buddy, so players won’t be left in the dark while combing the depths of Bismarck.

For an extra intense experience, World of Diving supports the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset in addition to a standard monitor, putting you as close to all of those underwater discoveries as possible without actually heading out into the unfathomable depths yourself. As you might have guessed from the mention of “massively multiplayer,” you can also play with friends, with World of Diving supporting up to 16 players and the option of choosing NPC companions. Team up for cooperative exploration or go head to head in arcade challenges, it’s up to you.

Since World of Diving is constantly in development, player feedback plays a major role in how it grows over the course of its lifespan. Hopefully the addition of the Bismarckdive paves the way for more World War II-themed content, because it seems like a pretty fantastic opportunity for history buffs to get up close and personal with some of the period-specific wonders of war, even if said wonders eventually found themselves at the bottom of the unforgiving ocean. 

Publisher: Vertigo Games

Developer: Vertigo Games

Platform: PC

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