The story centers on reviving X-COM to combat sea-based threats, genetic experiments on humans, and destroying the alien city-ship T'Leth, with no social commentary, identity politics, or critiques of traditional norms. Aquanauts bear conventional names such as Quentin Remington and Henri Dreyfus; gameplay involves recruiting, equipping, and commanding soldiers in underwater missions with no romance systems, character creation options beyond naming/stats, or pronoun/gender customization.

The 2007 re-release and Steam version retain the original content unchanged. Extensive searches yield zero evidence of DEI consultancy involvement, developer statements on representation, localization alterations, or controversies around casting/themes.

Reception remains positive with high user scores and no critic-audience gaps or backlash tied to ideology. The work is classic military sci-fi entertainment focused solely on tactical combat and base management.