Subnautica: Below Zero

An Odd Addition to a Great World

Below Zero, the sequel to Subnautica, takes place in the arctic area of a (primarily) ocean planet. While it has a lot of the same charm of the original game, Below Zero feels like a game going through a bit of an identity crisis.

The positives:

The underwater sequences in the game shine nearly as bright as the original. The exploration has depth, the biomes are beautiful, and draw intrigue immediately, and the creature design is magnificent as always. The leviathans are menacing, the "living biome" creature is a fantastic concept that feels awe inspiring, and the game invites that same balance of eager exploration and anxiety that fans of the first game love. In addition, the base building is largely improved as well (something I enjoyed)

The negatives:

Unfortunately there are a lot of negatives to call out as well. Perhaps none more so than the "on land" sections in this game. It feels clunky, unnatural, and is by far the weakest sections. Unfortunately, this game has a lot of it relative to it's predecessor. The sea truck feels clunky even if it was a cool concept, the story is confused at best and feels like a degree of whiplash from the environmental story telling that made the first one of my favorite games ever. That feeling of isolation doesn't exist in this game, and it is a shame that the game went in that direction. I can appreciate what they wanted to do, but it missed the mark for me.