Nauticrawl: 20,000 Atmospheres

Overview

Nauticrawl (full title: Nauticrawl: 20,000 Atmospheres) is a unique indie exploration-based adventure game that blends puzzle and sim-like elements. The game is developed by Andrea Interguglielmi and published by Armor Games Studios. Players are tasked with first figuring out how to pilot the titular machine, and then exploring a mysterious and hostile world using it, all from the confines of its cockpit. The game features a hard learning curve and encourages players to embrace failure and experimentation. The game is due out on September 16th for PC and Mac on Steam.

Plot

In Nauticrawl, players take up the role of a prisoner attempting to escape from a hostile planet onboard a machine called a Nauticrawl. However, as they have no training whatsoever, players must figure out how to pilot this machine by experimenting with the various buttons and levers inside of it. Upon starting their first escape attempt, they are presented with very little narrative information. A radio message is patched through, giving them a few keywords to guide them forward. As players explore more of the region around them, they are able to find tech-notes and logs that will help them piece together more about the planet and its history, which in turn will aid them in their goal.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Nauticrawl centers around the player interacting with the world from the confines of their machine, though they must learn to use it first. By experimenting with clicking buttons and pushing/pulling levers and switches, they must figure out first how to successfully start the machine, and then what each of its functions do. While failure is possible and even likely as players begin to work out the dangers and rules of the Nauticrawl, the goal is to restart quickly and progress farther using the knowledge they’ve gleaned. As the players learn how to control the machine, they will also gain access to a variety of tools throughout that are used to interact with the world outside, represented via monitors and radars at hand. Once the Nauticrawl begins to move, the game takes on a turn-based element, allowing players to think carefully and plan out their navigation of an often hostile map. Along the way, they will need to learn to manage the machine’s resources, and search for clues about a way forward in addition to understanding more about the world outside the Nauticrawl itself.

History

Originally released as a small prototype on itch.io, Nauticrawl is the work of one man, Italy-based Andrea Interguglielmi. After years spent working for larger studios in the entertainment industry, Andrea created Nauticrawl as his first solo title. The game is in part inspired by the feeling of playing inside boxes as imaginary rocket ships as a child, as well as classic works by Jules Verne and others.