Kate's character arc is in part about her conquering her fear of water but this is only the beginning, this then allows Kate to do things which would spoil the game if I gave too much away.

In terms of gameplay we have some really neat effects. Firstly even if the reader of this is a good swimmer water can in certain circumstances be absolutely terrifying. We make sure that it is exactly that in game. What we didn't want to do was to create a bunch of phobia effects which make Kate difficult to control - it would just get frustrating for the player. What happens in game is that the colour bleeds out of the scene as it does in reality. In times of extreme stress non-essential parts of vision (like colour vision) are closed down by the brain, we simulate this and add depth of field effects. In extreme panic we cut to a first person perspective in a Blair Witch style sequence. How does this relate back to the player - well we wanted it to reflect the player's actual anxiety levels and experimented with touch pads that monitor the players stress levels. This adheres to the controller and plugs separately into the USB port. We are however confident that we can measure a player's stress levels in different ways. The point is that we are trying to produce a response to the actual level of stress in the player. Neat eh?

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There's a noticeable absence of weapons in the released screenshots, is the gameplay more puzzle or based?

This goes back to an earlier answer. The gameplay emphasis varies between episodes. Initially the player is looking to survive, so yeah it's fairly puzzle based but by the end of the game the player is equipped with some of the coolest weapons ever seen in a game. Let's get this straight, Kate is a multidimensional character not an all action hero. She is a reluctant hero but by the end of the game she has powers at her disposal that can in effect tear the ship apart.

Will there be any kind of modes?

The game is also being designed as an game where the player can play as any one of the huge number of NPC's, including the terrorists. So yeah, you bet there are multiplayer modes.

With the HydroEngine technology on display having been in for three years has it been a case of waiting for the to catch up with the needs of the engine?

Absolutely, we say three years but in some ways we underplay it. It has been three years of development for the new generation of hardware. We actually started the first work when we got our first kits - we were one of the first developers to get PS2 kits. Yes this isn't a typing error, PS2 kits. We're talking 2000. But the hardware just wasn't up to it so we put the heavyweight R & D on ice until 2004. It is spearheaded by Huw Lloyd who has a PhD in computational fluid dynamics.

How important do you think it is that as next-gen becomes current-gen developer's look at using the leap in power to give gamers new types of experiences, such water based gameplay, rather than simply throwing more polygons at existing game designs?

This is exactly what we believe. Look; let's face it, even now hardware prices have settled down they are still an expensive piece of kit. And every gamer we know wants to push these new babies in every possible way. We give new tech, new ideas, new gameplay. New thinking!

As a multi-platform release what differences, if any, will there be between the 360, and versions?

Each one is written specifically for the hardware. PS3 is written specifically for the SPU structure. In short surprisingly little when it comes down to it.

Other than the impressive water affects what else should gamers be looking forward to in Hydrophobia?

In addition to everything we have listed here. Gamers should look forward to a new kind of monster that lurks in the ship. I shall say no more!

Thanks for your time, best of luck with completing Hydrophobia.

By Paul Newcombe