Sink or Swim

Sink or Swim is a puzzle game where the player directs groups of passengers to safety across sixty stages. The protagonist, Kevin Codner, operates from a submarine to board a sinking cruise liner called the SS Lucifer.

Gameplay involves managing the flow of these passengers, who enter each stage from a tube. The primary objective is to guide them to an exit, overcoming environmental obstacles. Players can destroy blockages with bombs or, when bombs are depleted, use a crane to move cargo boxes. These boxes can be strategically stacked to create bridges or provide protection from hazards like fire.

Levels introduce various environmental systems that must be controlled. Conveyor belts, for example, can be redirected with levers; if left moving the wrong way, they may lead passengers into fatal dangers such as water, fire, or steam jets. Other puzzles require repairing cracked pipes to neutralize lethal steam. The progression is challenging, with puzzles increasing in complexity.

A rising water timer in many compartments adds urgency, as passengers will drown if not rescued before the water reaches them. Each stage has a minimum required number of rescues to proceed. Progress is saved via a password system provided upon completing a level, allowing players to resume later. Console versions expanded the level count and altered how passwords were displayed.