Subnautica: Below Zero is not as large as 2014’s Subnautica but it is as deep. Between its fantastically mysterious story to its compelling biome, Below Zero builds upon what made the first game strong while being unique all on its own. The on-land segments of the game were pretty lackluster overall, which was slightly disappointing; but for a game that is all about discovering what lies beneath, Subnautica: Below Zero is a breath of fresh air.
When first released into the wild, Subnautica took the survival genre by storm, offering a unique take that both dazzled and amazed. Between its deceiving simplicity to its beautiful nautical world, 2014’s Subnautica was instantly a cult classic. Fast forward to 2021, and Subnautica: Below Zero breaches through the surface to deliver another wonderfully thrilling adventure.
Jumping into the role of Robin Ayou, a xenobiologist who is searching for her supposedly dead sister on the planet 4546B, players have the opportunity to traverse a new biome on the planet they once scoured in the original. I’ve never been a true fan of the survival genre; the lack of story and character development has always dissuaded me from putting too much time into them. However, Subnautica: Below Zero has character and story development in spades, whether they be through dialogue queues when discovering items or audio logs. There’s no mistaking that Unknown Worlds has put a lot of thought into fleshing out the characters and motivations of their universe, with Robin Ayou’s trek through the frozen wastes being one of my favorite stories in a survival game in years. Wrought with emotion and intrigue, there was always enough mystery to keep me going through the end.
Of course, the new gameplay features really take the spotlight in Below Zero. Not only is there new sea life to discover and underwater systems to explore, but Below Zero adds in the ability to embark on terrestrial explorations on the arctic locations of planet 4546B. Trading oxygen management for temperature management while exploring the frozen wastes, Robin must fend off land-based creatures and attempt to uncover the fate of her sister.
Other than the various story beats throughout the on-land segments, I found that there was a distinct disparity between my enjoyment of underwater exploration and terrain exploration. While the underwater segments of the game are filled with life and mystery, it oftentimes felt empty and lifeless when it came to the surface segments. Yes, managing temperature levels and developing technology to mitigate those issues was interesting, but there are only a few types of land creatures I encountered that were interesting.
Below Zero also adds several new tools and supplies to aid players on their quest for survival. While I won’t spoil the cooler additions here (you’ll know them when you get to them), Unknown Worlds has streamlined some of the tools at the players’ disposal. The Sea Truck, for example, is now the ultimate tool for traversing the underwater biome. Fully modular, the Sea Truck allows players to pick and choose the different components to really get the most out of exploring the world. New additions to building out your base are also very welcoming to see!
I think the biggest thing that stood out to me about Subnautica: Below Zero was its visual and sound design. 2014’s Subnautica is a visually impressive game that oozes a sort of beauty in its underwater world, even for a game that’s 7 years old at this point. Seeing a visual facelift for the PS5 version of Subnautica: Below Zero is something to behold. While you are located in the Arctic section of 4546B, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the underwater biome isn’t diverse in its color palette and creature designs. Drifting between lush blue reefs to deep green coral fields inhabited by space whales is a sight to behold.
But I think I fell in love with Subnautica: Below Zero’s sound design even more. Between the distant calls of large sea creatures to the serene yet haunting music, there’s an ambiance to Below Zero that will stick with me for years to come. There’s also something to be said about a good discoverable audio log, of which Below Zero offers a ton. All of the audio logs I discovered are wonderfully voice acted and contributed to the overall ambiance of the game.
Subnautica: Below Zero is not as large as 2014’s Subnautica but it is as deep. Between its fantastically mysterious story to its compelling biome, Below Zero builds upon what made the first game strong while being unique all on its own. The on-land segments of the game were pretty lackluster overall, which was slightly disappointing; but for a game that is all about discovering what lies beneath, Subnautica: Below Zero is a breath of fresh air.
