![]() There’s certainly some give and take to the approach, but it’s nice to see developer Unknown Worlds get a chance to flex some new muscles. It makes sense narratively, but I certainly found myself less eager to craft items I didn’t immediately have a use for fear, lest I waste precious resources I’d actually need later. In this, I spent more time searching high and low for specific resources so I could craft the item needed to move the plot along. In that game, I’d often just go on resource runs and pick up as much as I could and see what I could fabricate out of it. The original’s freeform flow encouraged experimentation. The only downside here is that it can make hunting for materials more frustrating. Robin is the main character of Subnautica: Below Zero. There’s rarely a point where they’re left wandering around aimlessly and that adds an easy throughline to follow that’s especially great for players who need some structure. Rather than stumbling into environmental storytelling details while scavenging for resources, players always have a very clear goal at any given time. On one hand, it adds a much clearer sense of progression to the game. The inclusion of a more defined story has its pros and cons. This time, those players are prepared from day one and focused on the mission at hand. That mirrors the experience of returning players who already have a mastery of the survival mechanics. The first game’s hero was vulnerable and panicked, struggling to survive. That does take a bit of the somber mystique away from the quiet original, but it’s a necessary change.Ī Subnautica sequel is a tricky proposition: How do you escalate an experience like this and set it apart? The subtle solution is to change the context. Robin even gets a constant companion who she frequently banters with throughout the story. Rather than offering up another isolated experience, it’s a warmer game that features tons of dialogue and NPCs. This one is about an explorer named Robin who intentionally strands herself on a deserted planet in a quest to find her lost sister. The first game was a true survival story about an explorer crash-landing on a remote planet and trying to escape. While Subnautica: Below Zero isn’t that different from the original Subnautica on a gameplay level, its approach to narrative is a big leap forward. ![]() You never know what you’ll find, but that’s the thrill of it all. There’s always another vibrant biome to uncover or a hulking monster to evade. It’s as much about staying alive as it is about satisfying a curiosity about what secrets the unknown holds. Each newly crafted tool lets players (literally) dive deeper into its sprawling ocean. The quiet brilliance of Subnautica is the way it ties the crafting system into exploration. ![]() One simple material snowballs into a vast collection of recipes and knowledge. That unlocks the ability to craft a whole mobile vehicle bay. Combine that with some metals, now you’ve got a computer chip. Get a knife, and you’ll be able to cut coral samples. Like many games in the genre, it’s a powerful loop that makes every little discovery meaningful. The ocean depths in Subnautica: Below Zero. By the end, players can build a sprawling underwater home filled with furniture. At the start, creating a bottle of water is a miracle. Players scavenge the sea for resources and slowly build up the complexity of what they can build. It’s an underwater survival game where players start with nothing but a tiny base with a 3D printer that can spit out food, crafting components, and tools. Subnautica: Below Zero doesn’t change much about the original in terms of gameplay, and that’s not a complaint. ![]() ![]() While a bit of mystique with its focus on characters and dialogue, its colorful world is as awe-inspiring as ever. The underwater survival game is a striking experience that reminds us just how dangerous, beautiful, and ultimately unknown our own world is.įor those who were intimidated by the original game, Subnautica Below Zero is a more digestible sequel thanks to a direct story with clearer goals. Like its 2018 predecessor, the sequel turns the ocean into an alien ecosystem filled with colorful flora and terrifying deep-sea monsters. Subnautica: Below Zero understands how mysterious that is. We have no idea what’s down there, which means that we’re living on the same kind of alien planet we’re so keen on discovering. The National Ocean Service estimates that 80 percent of our seas have yet to be explored. Our oceans remain largely uncharted territory. It’s funny that humans are so fascinated with outer space when we have something just as mystifying on our own planet. ![]()
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