Reviewer Rating: 9/10
Price: NZ$ 44.99
Age Rating: 11+
Subnautica immerses players in the depths of an otherworldly oceanic realm, where their very survival hinges on their ability to navigate, scavenge, and adapt. Stranded on a remote and mysterious planet, adventurers find themselves submerged in a sprawling, alien underwater landscape teeming with diverse marine life and untold mysteries. From the shimmering beauty of bioluminescent coral reefs to the eerie depths of ominous underwater caves, every dive offers both wonder and danger.
In this submerged world, players must harness their ingenuity to gather vital resources, craft essential tools, and construct elaborate underwater bases to withstand the perils of the deep. Amidst the breathtaking scenery and tranquil moments lie hidden threats, from towering leviathans prowling the abyss to cunning predators lurking in the shadows.
As they delve deeper into the ocean's secrets, players unravel the enigmatic history of the planet and its ancient inhabitants, piecing together clues scattered throughout the underwater landscape. Yet, with discovery comes peril, as players must contend not only with the harsh environment and its inhabitants but also with their own dwindling oxygen supply and relentless hunger.
Through exploration, experimentation, and sheer determination, players forge their own path in this vast and immersive underwater world, where every decision carries weight and every encounter holds the potential for both peril and revelation. Subnautica offers an unparalleled adventure beneath the waves, inviting players to embark on a journey of discovery, survival, and wonder in a realm where the line between beauty and danger is as fluid as the ocean itself.
Subnautica is one of the coolest video games I've ever played. This game has an amazing world and feeling of exploration as the player swims deeper and deeper into the alien ocean, discovering unique ecosystems and increasingly more terrifying creatures. Although Subnautica isn't technically a horror game it definitely felt like it at times as you swam into silence and complete darkness only to see something swimming across the screen ahead. Moments like this are when Subnautica feels at its best, you travel further than you ever have before and find a small cave to swim into which widens into a massive cavern filled with glowing mushrooms and huge snakes. Despite being almost entirely set underwater this game still has better exploration and myster in its world than any open world I can think of.
The game starts with your giant spaceship crashing into a planet covered entirely by water, you escape in a lifepod and land near the wreck which has irradiated the water, attracting a deadly Reaper Leviathan. You dive into the water in search of materials in the safe coral reef you landed in, craft tools and equipment and slowly explore out of the reef to find rarer rescources. At this point you won't have seen anything scarier than a big sea cow floating around and no other survivors from the wreck.
Eventually you recieve an emergency distress call on the radio from another lifepod. Upon reaching the location you discover it's been ripped open by something massive and the survivor is gone. This creates a lot of tension in the area as you now know there is something dangerous lurking nearby. As the game continues you gain the gear needed to swim deeper and discover more terifying and beatiful areas of the map, unlocking submarines and building an underwater base to scan the map and grow food. There's so much to do and explore in this game and it feels so unique compared to other exploration games because of its underwater setting, the exploration is also helped by the lack of clear quests and markers, leaving you to discover the secrets of your environment.
As usual, here's my list of positives and negatives from playing Subnautica.
Positives:
Amazing game world and atmosphere
Unique gameplay
Great environmental storytelling
Good base building
Excellent soundtrack and SFX
Can create pure terror when it wants
Huge variety of creatures and great design
Beautiful graphics
Great modding community
VR Support
Negatives:
Clunky gameplay on land
When it came to writing negatives for Subnautica I really couldn't think of anything I didn't enjoy. I think the game would've been amazing with realistic graphics but games graphics are a stylistic descision from the devs and doesn't take away from the atmosphere of the game at all. This is one of the best games I've ever played, I definitely recommend anyone who enjoys survival horror games to buy this game.
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