Overview
Iron Lung is a 2022 first-person submarine simulation horror game developed and published by David Szymanski. The player controls an unnamed convict who explores an ocean of blood on a desolate moon in a small, rusty submarine nicknamed the "Iron Lung". It was released on March 10, 2022, for Microsoft Windows to positive critical reception. A Nintendo Switch port was released on December 19, 2022.
Gameplay
The player controls a silent protagonist that pilots a midget submarine. Gameplay is set entirely within the one-room submarine, with little room to move. The submarine is controlled using its navigational equipment at the front. The submarine's heading and position are displayed with a minimalist interface. The submarine lacks any viewing ports, and the player cannot exit it, forcing them to use their map and the submarine's camera to navigate the game map. At certain points, the player must use the submarine camera to capture photographs, which reveal surroundings and details about the area the player is in. Events occur throughout the game, including scripted decreases in oxygen and pressure which do not affect gameplay.
Plot
In a future where humanity has colonized space, an event known as "The Quiet Rapture" causes all stars and habitable planets in the universe to inexplicably disappear, leaving only individuals aboard space stations or starships alive. To secure the survival of humanity, the Consolidation of Iron (COI) launches an expedition to AT-5, a desolate moon that has recently formed an expansive ocean of human blood, believed to hold vital resources desperately required to sustain human life. The player character is a convict sent to navigate the trenches of the blood ocean in a small submarine known officially as SM-13, nicknamed the "Iron Lung", to verify the existence of the resources. Due to the pressure and depth of the ocean, the main hatch is welded shut, the forward viewport has been encased in metal, and communications are lost shortly after submerging. The player is promised freedom upon their return to the surface, but a note left by a previous occupant of the submarine warns them otherwise.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).