I was an avid player of the original Subnautica game.
I completed the story on multiple occasions, building new and ever more complex bases each time, spending hours harvesting resources from particular biomes on planet 4546B.
So when Below Zero finally came along to the Xbox, I was very eager to get going. I have clocked around 16 hours of playtime so far. Take my word for it, the things that made the original so great are still there.
Players will find beautiful oceanic environments and diverse wildlife. They’ll have the challenge of exploring new habitats and finding advanced technologies. But, by far, the most significant change from the original is the nature of the environment itself.
The original Subnautica was full of expansive open environments. The original also had these extremely stratified, well-defined environments such as the surface level, the lost river, and the two lava zones. The biomes in Below Zero are altogether more fluid and less structured. There are more caves, many more caves, winding and twisting deeper and deeper from many of the different surface biomes. The inability to define different biomes from afar makes it more difficult to place yourself in a mental map. Far more often, you are navigating somewhat blindly as you explore the underwater realm.
Some of this I liked, and some I didn’t. The new host of marine life to contend with is undoubtedly a fun experience. Getting to understand the new life, with all their different quirks, has been great. Beware, for example, the fish that freezes you in place for a short time, or that other one, which makes you hallucinate!
My first encounter with a new leviathan was also an intimidating one — though I have yet to encounter anything as terrifying as the Reaper from the original outing. The oxygen plants are also very welcome, a life-changing development that allows you to spend more time exploring the depths — particularly before you obtain the new SeaTruck, or when you find yourself in cave systems too small for the SeaTruck. Gone are the SeaMoth and Cyclops. But the more versatile SeaTruck (don’t worry, you can still build the Prawn Suit) is a very welcome addition. With different attachable components, you can customize your SeaTruck and make it as small and versatile, or as large and functional as you like.
The beauty and diversity of the ocean remains a Below Zero constant. The chilly Arctic environment also lends a sense of tranquility when you’re taking shelter in a newly built base deep below the waves.
The story also seems much richer this time. I purposefully have not pursued the story as quickly as I might have (to make the game last longer). But what I have experienced has encouraged me to believe there is plenty yet ahead.
This is undoubtedly a worthy sequel. Time to suit up.
Andrew Rogan is a marine biologist.
