DIVE or DIE Children of Rain Preview – Demo First Impressions

This article was produced in collaboration with Valnet Inc’s sponsor, Dear Villagers.

We got a hands-on preview of Dive or Die: Children of Rain, a game that combines terrifying underwater environments with elements of Lovecraftian horror. It’s clear from the demo that the goal isn’t to save the world, but simply to survive in it.

Okay, so the world’s basically ended. It’s constantly raining this black, toxic stuff that drives people crazy and kills them. The oceans are rising, and all that’s left of humanity is crammed onto the highest mountains, just trying to survive. As a player, I’m scavenging for anything I can find, fighting off or hiding from these seriously messed up creatures that come from the deep, and just trying to last as long as possible. There’s this thing called the Rainmaker that eventually wipes everything out, and then you have to start all over again. It’s brutal, but kinda addictive!

The Pressure of the Dive

Sacrifice Can Be Essential for the Survival of All

In Dive or Die: Children of Rain, you’ll switch between going on dives and managing your resources. The dives are the main part of the game – you’ll try to go deeper and deeper to collect valuable resources while battling underwater dangers and keeping an eye on your oxygen. Each daily dive is both scary and thrilling, and truly represents the heart of the gameplay.

Diving requires careful attention to your diver’s health, sanity, and especially oxygen levels. It’s easy to get caught up in exploring, but your oxygen supply can drop quickly, and running out means certain death. Many of my divers haven’t made it back – some were defeated by enemies, others drowned while trying to collect too much treasure, and still others simply got lost in the complex underwater ruins. Essentially, you’re racing against time, and if you don’t reach the surface before your air runs out, you’ll be lost to the depths forever.

Every time you dive, you’re gathering vital supplies – food, boosting team spirit, and materials for building. These resources help manage your tasks, but diving always carries risk, as the deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. Each dive builds on what you’ve learned, honoring the sacrifices of those who came before. You can even salvage items from divers who didn’t make it back, which is a helpful feature. However, be careful – enemies might be guarding their remains, seeing you as their next target. So, before you proceed in any direction, you need to consider: is the potential reward worth the danger?

Although we only had 10 days and were limited to exploring depths of 70 meters, our time in the Abyssal Pool revealed many strange and dangerous places and creatures. We encountered terrifying underwater beasts and plants that actively tried to attack us. The environment itself was also a challenge, as it was easy to get lost among the many paths, depths, and valuable treasures, all while managing limited inventory space.

The Burden of Being a Leader

Manage People, Resources, and Make Fate-Altering Decisions

I’m really excited about Dive or Die: Children of Rain! It’s not just about exploring underwater, though. When you come back to the surface, you actually get to build up and manage your own village. There are tons of different buildings you can construct, all to help your people survive, but you need to find the right people to work in them and gather the resources to keep everything running. It sounds like a really cool mix of adventure and strategy!

Discovering what each building had to offer was really rewarding and gave me more things to aim for on every trip. Like, finding plans for a better oxygen tank made me immediately start thinking about where to find the parts to build it. Knowing what you need beforehand makes each dive more focused and adds a personal goal beyond just gathering food and keeping spirits up.

The game’s management aspect was enjoyable. Each day, a new survivor arrives at the Lighthouse, and it’s fascinating to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses compared to how much they eat – figuring out if they’re worth the resources.

The hardest part of leading is deciding who has to take the dangerous dives. If your best diver is lost or hurt, you might have to send someone less experienced. Sending someone to their death is a heavy burden, especially if you’ve invested in training them, because once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

The Inevitability of Doom

The Countdown to the Rainmaker’s Arrival Can Be Delayed, But Never Stopped

Okay, so in this game, you’ve got a limited time to play each run – there’s a countdown clock ticking away because of something called the Rainmaker, which eventually floods everything and ends your game. Basically, you’re trying to keep the town alive for as long as possible. You do that by exploring and finding important stuff to upgrade the town and make it stronger. You also have to make tough choices and offer sacrifices at an altar to try and delay the Rainmaker’s arrival. It’s all about survival and buying time!

I thought the countdown thing was a really cool idea, and I’m excited to see how it plays out when the full game comes out. Basically, as the countdown gets closer to zero, the weather gets worse, which means buildings start to fall apart. You’re constantly scrambling for materials to fix everything, and it adds a lot of pressure to each playthrough. You’re not just trying to survive, but also balancing repairs with trying to slow down the countdown, which means making tough choices about what to prioritize.

At the Altar, you can make Offerings that earn you Worship Points. These points let you delay the world-ending flood and influence random events, potentially bringing good fortune to your village. However, making an Offering always involves a risk – you might lose Food, Morale, or even a villager, all for the chance of gaining a little more time or a favorable outcome.

Leading this underwater world is incredibly stressful – you’re constantly managing limited resources while facing a ticking clock. It’s a tough job ensuring your base thrives, even when it means making difficult choices. The last ten days have been a wild ride, and I was really disappointed to lose characters I’d invested in, but ultimately the dangers of the ocean proved too strong.

Replayability is as Inevitable as the Rainmaker’s Flood

Prepare to Dive, Manage, and Make Decisions That Change Each Playthrough

Even though our playthrough only lasted 10 in-game days, it was full of intense moments. The underwater dives are genuinely frightening, but there’s a satisfying challenge in keeping your survivors alive and maintaining the buildings that provide vital resources. As you play, you’ll also discover intriguing stories and hidden details about the people living in your town.

Facing terrifying dangers – like being eaten by a massive sea monster in a field of bones, or losing my mind to countless leeches while exploring a wrecked ship – made me determined to find the right way forward, even with the constant threat of death.

I played through the game several times and found each attempt really engaging. I was motivated to keep going, even when facing difficult challenges, because I wanted to see my town succeed thanks to the sacrifices made. The game has a lot of replay value, with plenty of different ways to play, so no two playthroughs will ever be quite the same.

Dive or Die: Children of Rain will be available on Steam and Epic Games Store in Q2 2026.

2026-02-17 19:40