Subnautica: Below Zero (PC & Mac)

The worst part is, I went in with no expectations other than what happened in Subnautica 1, and I still ended up disappointed. Sure, the jukebox is a nice addition, as well as the fridge, but that’s about it. Not worth it. The Sea Truck was a good idea, but it’s slow, sluggish, and the land vehicle is honestly the worst! I’d love to have a jukebox in Subnautica, but with better music and maybe an option to add personal tracks. The player feels so "nerfed" that the SMALLER map seems bigger than the larger map in Subnautica—this doesn’t make it feel bigger; it just feels slower and less enjoyable overall. If you liked Subnautica and are hoping for the same experience here, you might want to stick with the original.

Also, I accidentally clipped the land vehicle into the ground twice—which is two times too many—and it just handles terribly. The Prawn Suit is completely different from what it should be, though I kind of expected that as soon as I crafted it. I didn’t even bother much with the story because the characters feel like they know they’re in a video game. The PDA entries feel like a downgrade too! In Subnautica, you’d get interesting info on things like limestone deposits; here, it’s just “a rock containing silver and titanium,” with each node giving either titanium or the other material. Titanium is almost a waste product in this game, nowhere near as valuable as in Subnautica 1.

The entry animation of the Sea Truck is way too long for such a small craft. I tried to play some of the story, but it felt so disconnected that I ended up quitting. First, you crash-land for no real reason, then you find an island and nearly get killed by someone in a Prawn Suit with anger issues, so you follow her (why not, right?). You “meet up” with her later, but all you get is a PDA with some bare-bones info that your sister is dead (I didn’t play that far; I watched a video). Then, some random alien merges with you and later admits to causing the destruction of his own species. You end up traveling further, probably getting infected again and dying in the end. The whole experience feels unfinished, sluggish, and underwhelming, which is just sad. I’m not sure there’s hope for Subnautica 2, but I can still hope!

To be fair, it’s not all bad. Like I mentioned, the jukebox is nice, and some of the other decorations add something to the base-building. It’s also cool to have some sort of land vehicle, even though the lore tells us the planet is over 90% water, which doesn’t make much sense.

Oh, and one last point—the biome transitions in Below Zero feel abrupt and oddly placed. Moving between environments feels artificial, with visible borders rather than a seamless blend. This kind of design takes away from the immersion, making the game feel less cohesive than Subnautica.

this game was actually so good, all the factors made it great, long game, scary fish, survival, temp, they all made the game a lot more fun and challenging. The different from the first game is massive, adding new features and characters.

I love this game sm. I was looking for something that i could play on my own and this is it. its a little scary which I like but not too scary where i can’t play it on my own.

I love how open world it is and how i can take my time and just explore at my own pace. i’ll be playing this one for a while.

Subnautica Below Zero is an Awesome Survival Game in a pretty interesting setting. For everyone who played the First one this is a must have then. You wont be dissapointed since Below Zero improved in any way.