Subnautica: Below Zero

If you liked Subnautica but thought it needed 1/3 of the game to be barely-traversible land segments set in identical white corridors and a protagonist who constantly says 'Erm... well that just happened' while the alien in her head constantly says stuff like 'this human concept of "hope"... i find it illogical', coupled with an unsatisfying story that gets derailed pretty much immediately in favor of a side story with a pointless conclusion, you'll probably be able to tolerate Below Zero long enough to beat it. For the love of god let Subnautica 2 be good

This game is nowhere near the first game... Here are my problems with this game - Too much land activity that is boring and difficult to traverse as vehicles work inefficiently. - Too large map but small space to enjoy to the fullest to create a nice clean symettrical base. - Creatures nowehere near being scary, I barely cared about any leviathan and one size smaller ones are like chihuahua, makes noise and growl, thats it. [spoiler] - Talkative naive alien killed all the mystery even tho it was cool design and being friend so easily? Just least enjoyable design possible. [/spoiler] [spoiler] - The purpose of talkative player character is just boring, time to time I was about to fall asleep trying to findout what happened to her bElOvEd siStEr and accomplishing what she was trying to accomplish. Quite the boring outcome. [/spoiler] - Legendary and iconic vehicles arent existing, seatruck exists only but its more of a sea limo with LLLEEESSS efficiency and movements arent convenient or satisfying to pilot. - WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF CHANGING PDA VOICE????????????? .... continuation to the row above : actually I'm glad they have changed, for such a FILLER EPISODE of a game they haven't used any iconic part of the game... - Base building is good but now the scanner room isn't even useful as we can use hand held scanner for materials. Killing their own content, nice job... - Listening to the gibberish of Alterra workers all around the map and their love drama is boring, I'd prefer scientist talking about what fascinates him about the planet like in first game... Conclusion... If you want to support developers in hope of Subnautica 2 being as good as first game or better, buy this game. If you don't care about the list I made above, you'll still enjoy this game, otherwise I dont recommend. For the entertainment of first game, I bought this game and don't care my spent money. If there was an option to be neutral, I'd choose it but here we go, I recommend this one too only in hope of devs will bring back the first game's soul.

ehhhhhh, i like it, i've been playing it since early access, but it just... doesn't feel fleshed out enough to stand on its own next to the original. i'd recommend it for anyone wanting an original twist on the original subnautica, with some fairly interesting story (ALAN <3<3<3) and some pretty cool temperature mechanics and above-ground exploration. it's just missing some of that sparkle that sn1 had. i wish this was a dlc for subnautica, tbh.

Has ZERO of the charm and engagement of the original Subnautica game. Avoid.

[h1]Too Long Didn't Read Version[/h1] [Table] [tr] [td]Recommend[/td] [td]✔Yes, at list price, on sale, or part of a bundle[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Game Version[/td] [td]Version Sep-2022 49371 [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Install Size[/td] [td]7.89 GB [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Protagonist[/td] [td]Female [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Hours of Gameplay[/td] [td]40+ hours [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Difficulty[/td] [td]Normal [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Graphics[/td] [td]A Work of Art [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Audio[/td] [td]Music, Sound Effects, Fully Voiced [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Bugs[/td] [td]None encountered [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Replayability[/td] [td]Only to get the Achievements[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Multiple Monitors[/td] [td]Stays up, with audio, when not in game. Cursor locked to window, except when game is paused or when in various menu interfaces. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Steam Achievements[/td] [td]13, multiple playthroughs may be required. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Steam Cards[/td] [td]Seven drops, 13 total cards [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Overall Rating[/td] [td]Very Good - (8/10) [/td] [/tr] [/table] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40330370-Kilroy%2527s/]Follow me on my curator page[/url] [h1]Synopsis[/h1] Subnautica: Below Zero is the second title in the Subnautica series and is a cold weather / under water survival game. [h1]Story[/h1] You play as Robin. Your older sister Sam died on 4546B, a cold weather planet. You have managed to catch a ship to 4546B an go searching for answers. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Most of the game takes place under water. There are two main issues you need to deal with, air when you are under water and the cold when you are out of the water. The initial bread crumbs are good to help you advance the story. Later in the game it is more you need to be in the right area to get the clue of what you need to do next. As with the original Sub Nautica you'll frequently have issues with finding the materials, or recipes you need/want. You can do a quick Internet search to get the information you need, or continue to wander around until you stumble upon it. As it typical of this genre of game, for me at least, I played quite a bit and then restarted with a better idea of how things work and where to find things. I got annoyed with the larger Leviathan and did a quick Internet search to verify you can actually kill them. Short answer, yes you can, and as far as I saw they don't come back, even after exiting the game and returning. After having that information I became the Leviathan slayer. Life is so much calmer when you don't have to worry about a massive monster coming to eat your face. One of the most handy items in the interface is the ability to color code and turn on or off various indicators. I got into the habit of carrying at least one beacon with me. I used them to mark locations, like where to go down to get to where I wanted, where a resource was located, or where I was building my next base. I would turn all of them on to make sure my bases were close enough to be accessible, but far enough away to have over lapping scan fields. Speaking of scans, once you find the blue prints for the scanning rooms they will be your largest help in the game. Partly because they will show you where resources can be found, but also because they will "force" you into new areas, as you go looking for those resources. If an item is not available to scan, there isn't one within scan range. I really would like an in game map to show you areas you have been and areas you can go. Next big request would be a distance indicator for the scanners. [h1]Final Verdict[/h1] A good successor to Sub Nautica. I found this one didn't require as much looking on the Internet to find what I was looking for. Beautiful to look at and wonderful to play. [h1]System Specs[/h1] CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D Motherboard: Gigabyte X670E AORUS EXTREME (rev. 1x) RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo Series (AMD Expo) DDR5 RAM 64GB (2x32GB) Video: ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40330370-Kilroy%2527s/]Follow me on my curator page[/url]

[h1]pAxRoc's Review at 42 – [b]Below Zero[/b][/h1] [b]Subnautica: Below Zero[/b] is a new story on Planet 4546B and I feel the negative reviews are unfair. The game map is smaller than [b][url=store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica]Subnautica[/url][/b] but the game mechanics and quests are an honest replication from the original. While the reduction in scale is disappointing, do not allow that to distract you from your enjoyment of this game. Approach this title as a new experience and not something you expect to outperform the original. I enjoyed it and if you enjoyed the previous title, I would recommend this game to you, full-stop. [h3][u]...not a sequel to Subnautica[/u][/h3] Below Zero is an unrelated character plot set on the same world as the original, Planet 4546B. Gameplay mechanics and UI are unchanged from the original, returning players will recognize familiar crafting recipes. The Seamoth and Cyclops are replaced with the SeaTruck, a 'customizable' multi-utility vehicle, and a hoverbike for above-ground exploration. These vehicle replacements are another general source of disapproval towards this game. I'd agree that the SeaTruck its not as fun as the Seamoth but the Seatruck has much more usefulness without the massive burden of the Cyclops. I find it to be a good compromise of both. Some new materials and items added but the storyline is not as compelling as the previous title. One would hope that [b][url=store.steampowered.com/app/1962700/Subnautica_2]Subnautica 2[/url][/b] will be launched as a true sequel and expand more on this franchise, expand on the gameplay and story of Planet 4546B. That said, if you enjoyed the first title, I'd recommend you purchase this $30 "stand-alone DLC" :) ...if you've not played Subnautica before, I recommend you start with that game first, linked within this review.

Its great if you just want an extension of the original Subnautica But if you were hoping for something better than the original, this Isn't it. Still a great game if you're tired of the original

Was a good franchise until they fired the creators and brought in the guy behind the worst games like dead space3 and Callisto protocol. I do not recommend subnautica 2 or this one since any future purchases benefit the people who literally kicked out their own creators of the series.

By far one of the most boring, least entertaining games I have ever played. Very few, if any redeeming characteristics. It is an absolute chore to play.

It's the kiddie pool to the original Subnautica's deep-end! Like seriously, only consider playing this if you wanna play the original Subnautica, but it's genuinely too scary for you.

[h3] Below Zero Is Polished, But I’ll Never Replay It [/h3] So let's say you just finished the beloved original Subnautica then you bought Subnautica Below Zero because you're craving more of that great experience from the first game. Subnautica BZ offering a fresh setting and a continuation of the survival exploration gameplay loop. I love the first game, so I gave this one a try, finished the game and got all the achievements. While it's definitely polished and visually stunning, I had mixed feelings about it. One of the standout strengths of Subnautica BZ is its beautiful and well crafted world design. The environments are visually stunning, with refined graphics that elevate the immersive experience. It also brings several QoL improvements that make gameplay smoother, especially in areas like crafting, building bases, and inventory management. These enhancements streamline survival mechanics and reduce friction for players. The soundtrack also very nice, I love that we can play the music in the vehicle and the base. Another positive addition is the inclusion of surface exploration, introducing gameplay elements above water and giving players more variety in how they explore the environment. The new weather system is great, adding more immersion. I like that this game featuring a voiced protagonist and dialogue driven interactions that push the narrative forward. Overall, it retains the core mechanics of Subnautica, brings in a few fresh twists that make the experience feel familiar yet updated. Despite its improvements, this game also comes with several notable drawbacks. The map is significantly smaller and more confined, with many of the exploration areas set in tight cave systems rather than the vast, open oceans that defined the original. This shift in design reduces the sense of scale and mystery. The late game biomes also feel underwhelming and lack the awe and tension of the original’s deep sea zones. One major immersion breaker is the reduced threat level of the Leviathans, they're more like very annoying than scary, and weakening the survival tension. About the Sea truck, cool concept, absolutely awful execution. It tries to merge the Seamoth and the Cyclops from the first game into one modular vehicle, but ends up being the worst of both world. You get access to several different modules (6 in total), but in practice, you’ll probably only use less than that. Worse, you'll end up reusing the same modules multiple times, not because they're particularly good, but because the rest aren't worth it. Using more modules comes with a penalty, not just in terms of maneuverability, but even with the horsepower upgrade, towing more than a couple slows the Sea truck down noticeably. Its fragility is another huge issue. Even fully upgraded, it feels weak and sluggish, and you’ll find yourself constantly stopping then exit the truck to repair it. The cramped biome layout makes it a nightmare to navigate with multiple modules, and the defensive "zap" system is barely effective. What makes matters worse is how annoying it is to detach modules when exploring deeper areas. You have to exit the vehicle, manually separate the main cabin from the rest, and if you leave any modules attached to each other behind, they still take up space and block movement unless you bring the Prawn Suit module, which is almost essential for deep exploration. But even then, the whole process feels clunky and unnecessarily tedious, completely undermining what could’ve been a fun and versatile upgrade to the vehicle system. Perhaps the biggest letdown is the narrative. Without spoiling much, there are so many plot holes, the plot is just not engaging and messy. The main protagonist feels so disconnected to the player, compared to the previous game. Subnautica Below Zero is a technically improved and visually captivating experience, it lacks the atmospheric depth, scale, and emotional engagement of the original. Its tighter map, weaker narrative, and reduced sense of danger make it feel more like a well crafted DLC than a true sequel. I can replay the first game from time to time and still enjoy it, BZ is fine playing for the first time, but I won't replay it again. It feels wrong if I give this game a positive review thumbs up too because I love Subnautica. If Subnautica is 10/10 then Below Zero is 5/10 for me. Tbh it's hard to recommend this game if you're coming from the first game. There's no reason to buy this game over the previous one unless if the game having a deep discount.

they killed the grappling hook, the best part of the first game. just replay the first one

Subnautica: Below Zero is an exceptional underwater survival adventure that builds upon the success of its predecessor by delivering a richly immersive, visually stunning, and emotionally engaging experience set in a beautifully alien arctic ocean world. Developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, this sequel transports players to the frozen planet 4546B, where they must navigate treacherous icy waters, mysterious ecosystems, and unravel a gripping narrative centered around survival, exploration, and discovery. With its seamless blend of open-world exploration, crafting, and story-driven gameplay, Below Zero manages to capture the sense of awe and isolation that defined the original Subnautica while introducing new mechanics and environments that keep the gameplay fresh and compelling. At the core of Subnautica: Below Zero is the survival experience, which challenges players to manage resources such as oxygen, food, and warmth while exploring the sprawling underwater biomes. The game expands on the crafting and base-building systems, allowing for more customization and complexity in underwater habitats that serve as safe havens from the harsh environment. Players can gather materials, develop new tools and vehicles, and construct elaborate bases that not only provide shelter but also enhance exploration capabilities. The game’s crafting system is intuitive yet deep, rewarding experimentation and strategic planning. Exploration is a standout element in Below Zero, with the game world teeming with unique flora and fauna that range from the serene to the terrifying. The diverse biomes—from frozen tundra and icy caves to geothermal vents and alien coral reefs—are meticulously designed, each with its own ecosystem and hazards. The introduction of new creatures, some hostile and others neutral or curious, adds to the sense of wonder and danger. The underwater environments are both breathtaking and intimidating, perfectly capturing the loneliness and beauty of alien oceans. The dynamic weather and day-night cycles further immerse players, impacting visibility and gameplay strategy. The narrative in Subnautica: Below Zero is more structured and character-driven compared to the first game. Players assume the role of Robin Ayou, a scientist searching for her missing sister while uncovering secrets about the planet’s past and the mysterious research facility buried beneath the ice. The story unfolds through audio logs, environmental clues, and encounters with other survivors, creating a compelling mystery that motivates exploration and discovery. The emotional depth of the narrative adds a human touch to the survival experience, making the player’s journey feel purposeful and impactful. Gameplay mechanics have been refined and expanded, including new tools like the grappling arm and the introduction of customizable vehicles such as the Prawn Suit and Sea Truck, which make traversing the underwater terrain more engaging and versatile. The game also improves on its predecessor’s accessibility and user interface, streamlining inventory management and map navigation to reduce frustration and keep the player focused on exploration and survival. Despite its many strengths, Subnautica: Below Zero is not without minor flaws. Some players may find the pacing slow, especially during early-game resource gathering and exploration, and certain late-game challenges can feel repetitive. Occasionally, bugs or glitches may disrupt immersion, though the developers have been proactive in addressing these issues through updates. Additionally, players who are less patient with survival mechanics or open-world exploration might find the game’s deliberate pace less appealing. In summary, Subnautica: Below Zero is a masterful sequel that expands on the foundation of the original with a richer story, diverse biomes, and enhanced gameplay systems. It offers a captivating blend of survival, exploration, and narrative depth set in a stunningly realized alien world that is as beautiful as it is perilous. For fans of atmospheric survival games and immersive storytelling, Below Zero delivers an unforgettable adventure beneath the ice, inviting players to lose themselves in the mysteries and majesty of the deep. Rating: 8/10

This game was the best. Live streamed it all the way through. Great story line, awesome leviathans and biomes and quests, and much more. AL-AN also looked really cool, the entire game was over all great, and would love to play Subnautica 2 when it comes out.

Overall its a good game, i did enjoy it but like others have said before if you are looking for a better game then the original, this is not it.

Playing in survival mode kept me busy eating, drinking and beating the elements. While exploring the world's backstory was fun at first, the lack of direction added 3 days to my game. I had screenshot and taken notes on a wall poster map and by the end there where over 20 way points I re-visited looking for a single quest item. This made me so OP, after consulting a guide for the item location, I finished the game withing an hour.

I get that they had to rewrite the whole story and did what they could with the assets they already had, but it just leaves so much to be desired after the first game. There's still no excuse to try and make the map seem bigger by slowing down player movement though.

As someone who adored the original Subnautica, Below Zero felt like a letdown. Not because it’s a [b]bad game[/b], but because it never quite lived up to the atmosphere, mystery, or emotional weight of its predecessor. It reuses a lot from the first game but doesn’t push things forward in meaningful ways. Where the first Subnautica dropped you into a vast, alien ocean with little more than curiosity and fear to guide you, Below Zero feels more boxed-in—both literally and figuratively. The world is smaller, more segmented, and more guided, which robs it of that same sense of scale and discovery. Instead of charting unknown depths, I felt like I was checking off objectives on a to-do list. Wash, rinse, repeat. It got tedious and rather boring quite fast. Surface exploration also didn’t do it for me. The cold mechanic felt more like busywork than an engaging survival challenge, and trekking around on land never matched the joy (or dread) of deep-sea diving. Naturally, since the majority of the game takes place underwater, the land mechanics aren't as developed and that’s understandable. But they’re also [i]extremely[/i] janky. The Seatruck was an interesting idea; a modular blend of the Cyclops and Seamoth, but like many things in this game, it just didn’t work for me. A lot of the gameplay systems—scanning, crafting, base-building—feel copy-pasted from the first game. There’s not much innovation here if you were hoping for a new twist on the formula. The creature design feels like a big step down from the first game. There are fewer truly dangerous predators, and the ones that are there just don’t hit the same. The Shadow Leviathan is creepy, but it's confined to a specific zone. The Chelicerate looks cool, but it’s relatively easy to avoid and smaller and less threatening than the Reaper Leviathan. Nothing compares to the tension of hearing a Reaper’s roar from the dark. Most fauna here is more passive or scripted, and the ecosystems don’t feel as alive. Even the Ice Worm (heavily featured in marketing!) feels more like a scripted gimmick than a real threat. Biomes feel cramped yet empty at the same time. Transitions between them are abrupt and lack the natural, immersive flow of the original. Exploration rarely rewards you with true discovery just more objectives and the occasional lore crumb. Scarce incentive to actually go out and explore beyond doing what the game tells you. The game tries to expand the Subnautica universe with a heavier narrative focus, but in doing so, it loses much of what made the first game so compelling. The quiet loneliness and environmental storytelling are replaced with constant exposition, mostly between Robin and AL-AN, that leaves little to the imagination. AL-AN questions human behavior, Robin gives a one-liner defense, AL-AN shrugs and says he doesn't understand. Rinse and repeat. There’s so much potential between them, but their conversations never go deeper than surface-level musings. The pacing also suffers from odd bottlenecks or unclear objectives. Sometimes I felt lost with no sense of what to do next and other times I felt like the game was holding my hand. The smooth, natural progression from shallow to deep that the original nailed just isn’t here. Robin’s main motivation, finding out what happened to her sister Sam, [i]should[/i] have been the emotional core of the story, but it falls flat. You mostly get scattered logs and secondhand accounts, with little personal connection. Alterra claims Sam died of her own negligence, Robin insists she didn’t...and then it turns out Sam did exactly that. There's no catharsis, confrontation, or emotional payoff. Even the fear of Alterra abusing the Kharaa bacterium ends up being a red herring they weren't even planning to weaponize it. Also, Sam can apparently find a cure for Kharaa by herself but an entire civilisation of hyper-logical aliens could not, and apparently Enzyme 42 from the first game is nonexistent? The Architect lore is interesting in theory, but undercooked in execution. AL-AN gives you scattered nuggets of information, but nothing gets explored in depth. Robin as a protagonist also falls flat as she has no real arc or development. A voiced protagonist isn't a bad thing either, but it's when they're a flat character like her, it misses the shot. Her constant interjections about the environment really undermine the peril she's in. Even Maida’s return, which could have been impactful, feels like shallow fanservice. Realistically, she shouldn’t have survived the Kharaa infection this long, and her appearance feels more like a checkbox for fans than a narrative choice. That said, not everything is a miss. The expanded base-building tools are a welcome addition. Some biome ideas show potential, and the environmental and visual design is generally excellent. The soundtrack and sound design while stylistically different from the original still hit the right notes and build atmosphere well. The QoL improvements are a welcome addition, and the game's finer mechanics feel overall more polished. I really wish I enjoyed this game more than I did. Again, this isn't to say the game is awful, but it simply doesn't live up to the original and feels empty when it's supposed to be full.

pointless story, boring land-travel segments, small map, annoying and cliche character voicelines just play subnautica again while we pray that they learned from their mistakes for subnautica 2

Good game, terrible new leadership. I worry for Subnautica 2, due to the fact I've seen first hand how a company lies to a team to make them feel safe after firing leadership. They have the remaining group train the new replacements, then slowly let go of remaining members, until all good assets are merged into the main company.

While this game can be immersive and can suck you in for a few hours, there are some problems which caused this game to be worse than the original. 1. Story, story and story The first game had a story telling style that no other game did before. The exclusion of any cut scene, the fact that you won't meet anyone in person and your character didn't say anything over the whole game made the experience yours. No one decided what you should think. You were free to just observe and make your opinions based upon it, like in real life. This game just fucked that idea totally, but to make it suck more they chose horrible voice actors and made the main character(upon others) extremely annoying. Thus the dialogues are often cringe and they feel empty and soulless. 2. Map size The map feels significantly smaller(and it is indeed smaller) than it should be. You go in one direction for 5-8 mins and you can easily reach the end of the map. 3. Unpolished game mechanics: The new vehicles, the prawn suit, the seaglide doesn't feel as good as it did in the previous. The enter/exit animations are annoyingly slow and doesn't add anything to the whole experience. The base building feels clunky and has a few annoying bugs that the previous didn't. Some modules feel like it is under development. 4. PDA Entries quality: Poor quality, boring pda entries about many things. There are even some unfinished ones. It really adds to the whole experience if you have some interesting insights about the fauna, animals, etc.. 5. The size and voice of the leviathans Leviathans are generally smaller in this game, but maybe the devs thought if they make them sound louder it will make them scarier. Apparently no, but instead it takes a lot from the feeling that you are exposed to the wild nature and elements of the planet 4546B. The loud roars makes you scared for the first time, but after you realise that most of the big screams doesn't come with actual threat, you will ignore it. And because of this, you won't be that scared from the actually dangerous leviathans, because they sounds the same as the little ones. Overall, if you are patient and like the world of subnautica, you can give this a try. Deep down, this is a subnautica game and it won't be too bad. On the other hand, if you want something original and truly immersive, try the first one instead. Most of the things that made this game enjoyable came from the first Subnautica in most of the cases. This isn't a bad game, but if I look at it like a sequel, it is way more worse than the first part.

A downgrade from the original. I was happy that this game ended not sad. The world is a cramp series of caves, with varying biomes being cave variants. There is 2 leviathans, both forgettable and they are not scary because they are partnered with either a bright colourful environment or a bright beak. One leviathan (the red one) just exists, having no presence. The other leviathan that numbers in 4, is an annoying rat that demands you leave your sea truck every 5 seconds to repair. Though I believe you can use the perimeter defence upgrade, it can easily be nullified by an immediate second attack.If you are really lucky they will cross paths and destroy your truck immediately, something I was fortunate enough to experience as it skipped me having to squeeze through a cave for 5 minutes just so I could speak to a guy and end the game. No feeling of being lost when you notice that you are in an apparent void only the desire to be in one. Might replay the original.

The Subnautica games are the only other franchise like the Elder Scrolls where I really just want to slow down and take my time enjoying all the scenery. I probably could have beaten the story in half the time, but I just finished the campaign at 50 hours. I spent the first 30-40 just building my base and exploring and then enjoyed the campaign after that. Probably one of my favourite franchises of all time. Excited for SN 2! :D

Subnautica 1.5 is good but has its flaws While it retains much of what made Subnautica special such as : - The stunning visuals - Immersive exploration - An eerie underwater atmosphere The game is more story-driven, with other characters and less dense biomes, fewer dangerous creature and a smaller map wich make you feel less alone, isolated, and on edge. Below Zero is a solid standalone experience, offering enough new content to be worth exploring But it lacks the magic, scale, and emotional impact of Subnautica. A good sequel, but not a great one.

its not better than the other game but its good! you should try it out allthough the strory is a bit messed up

This game had a lot of potential but no matter how many times i come back to i have the same exact issue. The game encourages you to explore the world and do things at your own pace, unfortunately there is literally nothing to do besides progress the story and while there are some upgrades and things of the sort to get that aren't strictly necessary at the end of the day their purpose is to make following the story easier. This would be fine except the way the game encourages you to explore is by giving you no quests, no instructions, no map nothing. You have 2 plots which come together where without spoilers you have to go to certain places to scan certain items to craft something. And to find this place you just have to go deeper as is the gameplay progression of this and the last game. Going deeper means going into caves, open expansive caves with barely any land marks, meaning you will be lost at some point either trying to progress or just go back to your base. Of course the game tries to remedy this with the beacon item which shows up on the HUD but the only real way to use these is to place one at the entrance of a cave, at the entrance of the opening, at any places where you lose direct line of sight with the previous beacon. This means that since no items stack in your inventory your inventory MUST be full of beacons to explore any caves without a headache all as a work around to a missing feature that every game has had over the last 20 years. I have been told that being lost is part of the experience since its a foreign alien planet and the ocean is scary but as a game I think game play should prioritize most things, the amount of boredom as i randomly explore caves trying to stumble on my objectives for 15 20 of just aimless driving is worth any reward the game offers. And the leviathans that inhabit these places don't feel like a threat since the sea truck can stun them every time before they even do damage so they go to just being little annoyances. TLDR; if you are not a living GPS you will get lost and it will be extremely time consuming and boring. To me this felt like the original Subnautica with some cool new mechanics and vehicles, tools and items but the worst level design I've ever suffered.

Just buy the first game, and if you already have that, play anything else. Straight downgrade from the first game in every way.

Initial reaction was to set voice volume to zero. The writing really tried too hard that it distracted from actual gameplay. I got fed up with the overall story mission about halfway through. Finished to see if it got better and to grab the 100% achievement but was more thrilled to uninstall the game. Was excited for Sub2 after playing the OG game but now I'm gonna be at the back of the line to purchase by choice.

- No Cyclops, no Seamoth. Both were replaced with a boring, unaesthetic, train-like mobile base. - The story and dialogues are bad, most environments are ugly. I never found a good place to build a base. - Gameplay-wise, collectibles to unlock new stuff are scattered in a way that I struggled to find them — wasn't an issue in the first game. - The "on-ground" part was fun the first hour, then turned into an annoying "search for what you missed while being attacked by giant worms you can't dodge, even with the bike." Yes, I hate this game, give or take. IMO, it definitely can't compare with the first one. Play the first if you haven't, wait for the second if you did. Do yourself a favor: skip this one.

"Subnautica: Below Zero – A Lukewarm Sequel to a Game with Great Potential" I honestly didn't expect the follow-up to Subnautica to be such a step backward. While the original wasn't perfect, it had charm, mystery, and a genuine sense of exploration that drew players in. It felt like the foundation of something that could grow into a truly amazing series. Unfortunately, Below Zero feels more like a rushed, low-budget remake than a worthy successor. The gameplay loop is flatter, the survival mechanics are simplified to the point of feeling redundant, and the narrative—while more prominent—lacks emotional impact or depth. Glitches and bugs persist, and not the fun, emergent kind—I'm talking about immersion-breaking UI bugs, clunky animations, and annoying pathfinding. Many players have echoed these frustrations across forums and reviews, especially when it comes to technical polish and lackluster storytelling. I didn't belive it. Now I do. In short: Subnautica: Below Zero had potential, but ends up being a disappointing shadow of its predecessor. For fans of the first game, this might feel like a missed opportunity.

Look up my subnautica review and then come back. If you did then you might wonder why bad well, this game is a disapointment. The map is smaller so they made you slower to have it seem bigger. The creatures and biomes are less colorfull and interesting and the game seems way harder to figure out what to do next in resonable amount of time. Overall a fail I hope to be fixed in Subnautica 2

You should only consider playing this game if you really want more subnautica content. It lost a lot of its charm with its talkative people and small and simple map, not to mention that traversal on land is unbearable.

7.5/10 Very fun, but not as fun as the Original. It has an extremely deep story and lore connecting to the events of the first game. It has an abundance of secrets to find throughout the world. I would recommend to use a map found online if you don't want to get lost. The main story of the game is very good and answers some questions from the first game, which is one of the main reasons for making a direct sequel to a game, in my opinion.

Its a good game and gave good jumpscares in new areas, But my only downside is the African Pda I wish it was the first games one that i didnt get bored of hearing a million times

I liked this game and I'd highly suggest it if you enjoyed the original but I will say it just doesn't have the same magic as the first one for me.

This was a good (not sequel) expansion. There were parts that brought everything together. It just felt too cramped and 1/2 was on land... the opposite of what the game is. I still can't fault it.

Although it is very similar to the first game, thats what i like about it! Also I really like that the character we play actually has voicelines and backstory! i literally just started playing this game a few days ago but i really enjoy it!

Another excellent delightful survival game! Very fun and enjoyable!

this game could be a bit better i mean if it came before the OG subnautica it would be amazing but its just the same thing!

Good but not amazing if your looking for more subnautica this is it (ish) but if your looking for a twist on the old format this games not quite for you mabye wait till subnatutica 2 and play with friends unless you really want more subnutica (also sea truck both sucks and is amazing at the same time)

Enjoyed this one a lot, it falls a little short to the original Subnautica but I would still recommend playing it. The expanded lore is fun to learn about and we get a few questions answered, but the land sequences were unfortunately more tedious than fun to explore.

After 6 hours I'm loving this game. Maybe it's because I played the original so long ago and I'm just thrilled to relive the same sort of game loop of exploring cool environments to get stuff to build the next awesome tool or vehicle, or to build up my base, that I'm not seeing why some were so disappointed in this title. Perhaps it will not end up being as good as the original, but so far I'm in love.

This is a great game with amazing graphics, a well written story line, with gorgeous environments to explore.

Is it as good as the first one? No. Is it more Subnautica? YES. Make sure to pick it up on sale.

I absolutely love this game! It's such a pleasure to explore the environments. The inventory system is great also and I love the graphics style. One thing in particular I love about this game is the ability to tweak the settings so that the game is more enjoyable for me as I have GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). The settings allow me to tone down the aggression of the predators to make it less intense. I hope this is added to Subnautica and included in Subnautica 2!

Good game, just not as good as the first one. The story just isn't very good or engaging, a rewrite partway through development left a lot of plot threads going nowhere. I think a silent protagonist works better for Subnautica than a bantering duo, and in general the audio is a lot louder and more cluttered than the first one. The inclusion of so many land segments was an odd choice. They aren't enjoyable to explore, given how the weather often prohibits any sort of longer sightlines, and it just feels like a distraction from the core of what Subnautica is about: being underwater. The map in general is a lot more claustrophobic, a vehicle the size of the Cyclops simply wouldn't be able to navigate much beyond the surface regions, so instead you get the sea truck, which combines elements of the Seamoth and the Cyclops in a way that is innovative but ultimately unsatisfying—for such an unweildy thing to drive, it would have really benefitted from some additional cameras like the Cyclops had. On the bright side, many of the underwater biomes are visually very interesting to explore. Would have liked a few more open areas, but they explored the idea of a more dense and packed-in underwater world in great detail. Worth a playthrough if you really enjoy Subnautica and just want more, but for me at least it didn't instill any desire to play it a second time after beating it once.

its a ok game, the first one was better (bigger map etc) it just did not make me shit myself as much as the first one did

Good graphics, great entities, and overall just a great and fun game too play.

Loved it just as much as the original, for different reasons. The first dive into the water was just as awe-inspiring as in Subnautica, and that moment alone sold me, nothing else needed (I’m shallow like that - pun intended?). It might be true that the map is smaller, but the atmosphere, exploration, and overall vibe are still spot-on. What I do wish is that the story had been better explored. I didn’t play through all the early access versions, so maybe stuff got changed or cut, but it feels like a huge chunk of worldbuilding and character threads just got dropped. Hopefully the next game picks up some of those pieces (probably not. but hey, a girl can hope). If you liked Subnautica, I do recommend giving this a shot too. I got put off by the negative reviews initially, but replayed it several times afterwards, so - judge for yourselves. PS. some people complained about the leviathans not being very scary (they must have nerves of steel) and that the Ice Worm was boring - I hated it (in the way you're supposed to hate scary mo-fos impaling you from below). 20/10 would panic-throw the mouse again.

it's not meant to be subnautica 2 it's an experimental spinoff what were you guys expecting it's still good of course despite clunky world design, rushed biome transitions, blah blah blah come on guys it's subnautica the characters really don't yap that much it's just a once in a while thing