Subnautica: Below Zero

Subnautica: Below Zero
N/A
Metacritic
91
Steam
86.468
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$29.99
Release date
13 May 2021
Steam reviews score
Total
91 (78 152 votes)
Recent
90 (705 votes)

Dive into a freezing underwater adventure on an alien planet. Below Zero is set two years after the original Subnautica. Return to Planet 4546B to uncover the truth behind a deadly cover-up. Survive by building habitats, crafting tools, & diving deeper into the world of Subnautica.

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Subnautica: Below Zero system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 7 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i3 / AMD Ryzen 3 2.6ghz+
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Intel HD 530 or better
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 15 GB available space
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Pharmdoc88
Pharmdoc88

builds off the excellence of the previous game. Tense, playful, captivating, and always leaves me excited for the next gaming session. A+ title

Murf
Murf

I wish I could give this a neutral recommendation but since I have to pick one or the other, I would not recommend this game. It's really unfortunate, because a lot of the game is fun; but I just absolutely cannot bring myself to complete it.

The early game is pretty good, maybe not quite as good as the original, but still fun. If you're coming from Subnautica, you'll be swimming, scanning, and constructing in no time (I guess even if you haven't played the first game you'll be doing those things pretty quickly because that's basically the game). There are some QoL upgrades, as well as some original items that were cut that I hope they bring back in the 3rd game (I loved the med kit fabricator. If you don't give us one to start with, please let us build one. Pretty please with a cherry on top).

The map is a bit smaller than the first game, both in terms of lateral area and depth. I have two main grievances with this: first, there are some sections of the map that are barren. Unfortunately, the map feels too small (IMO) for any area to be so sparse. Secondly, and my chief complaint with the game in general, is the amount of time I have to spend on land.

In the first Subnautica I thought this was handled pretty well. Even though it was perhaps a bit clunky to be on foot, you did so in smaller, bite-sized chunks. In Below Zero, not only do you spend longer periods on land, but you also have to contend with a temperature gauge. If you get too cold you'll have to find shelter, bring (specifically) warm food or a thermos, or find heat plants. I don't really care for that mechanic, but it would be tolerable if the above ground areas weren't mazes where you can just get lost for 30 minutes or so. To end this section, I will add that in 4 or so attempted play throughs, I never acquired enough material to make the cold suit. I don't know if that's my fault or not.

The Seatruck feels a bit like a missed opportunity. It was fun to have a bunch of modules on it, but those slow it down considerably and the upgrade to help offset that penalty doesn't help enough. By the end of my last game, I had disconnected all the modules and was driving around with just the cockpit.

The base building is a lot of fun. I don't know if I just understood it better this time around, or if the mechanics themselves were refined since the first game, but it seemed less finicky in BZ. There were also some nice glass dome/roof additions, as well as a jukebox.

Most of the biomes look really good, and the story seemed pretty interesting, unfortunately I just can't bring myself to complete the land-based portion of the game.

Lumen
Lumen

Loved every minute of the first Subnautica game.

Below Zero was just an annoying experience from start to finish.

The AI from the PDA is just plain awful. Can't understand what it's saying & sounds rubbish.
The AI from first game was something godlike, why didn't you use that?

I don't recommend playing the second game. It was clearly made by someone else & a waste of time in my opinion.

maya ♥
maya ♥

At the time of me beating the game, my survival save is at 17 hours and 40 minutes of playtime, but this game can very easily offer 24hr+ gameplay
In my opinion, this game is better than the original in almost every way they could make it. Graphics, mechanics, creativity, gameplay, and story. The main thing people don't like below zero for is it's fear factors / horror elements, which yeah it doesn't have the same feeling that subnautica did when you first played it but what they missed there is made up for in the entire rest of the game.
The biomes, creatures, building potential, color palette, caves, and vehicles all feel fresh and makes you feel like you're familiar with everything, yet something just feels off in the best way possible. The uneasiness of a new environment, not knowing what's going to come next feels great and I'm glad they were able to pull that feeling off in both games.
The story is the part I enjoyed the absolute most; its detail, thought put into it, depth, and the satisfaction behind finding something huge is beautiful, and it reflects that in the ending which was amazing to watch and was a lot more conclusive + satisfactory than the original game's. I won't spoil it though, go play it yourself

Ahriiman
Ahriiman

Amazing game. A stellar sequel to the first game that was full of story. Not as long in my opinion but the voice acting for the main character Robin was a huge improvement and kept me invested. I thought I'd miss the Cyclops and the Seamoth but the Seatruck is an amazing fusion of the two that allows a reasonable amount of customization and maneuverability.

As mentioned before I'm terrified of underwater games, and don't like timed shit. But this game changed my entire outlook.

If you're on the fence about this game. Don't be. It's amazing. Even better if you've played the first one.

Kyle Anderson
Kyle Anderson

all can say is it is a really good game for any one how likes alien worlds and trying to surive on a alien planet and scavange resourses like food and shelter i would recommend to any player

Gringing
Gringing

As long as you don't go into the moonpool with addons to your seatruck, then release from the moonpool and get the main part stuck inside of the addons, great game! Also, if you do the find yourself in this situation, coerce it back into the moonpool loading then manually move the addons and you should be good.

Jaz
Jaz

Subnautica was excellent. Below Zero however, brings in Gender, race and sexuality politics that I play computer games to avoid. I am sure it is fine if you can ignore that.

Ethreix
Ethreix

In short: it's a significant step backward compared to the original Subnautica.

Cons:

- Seatruck is a disappointing step backwards from Subnautica. It's ugly, bland and unexciting to use. Cyclops was big, beautiful and immersive.
- Removal of Sonar is quite disappointing.
- Level design is too frustrating, forcing waste of too much time on "exploration" while you're trying to find a quest trigger (eg, Phi Robotics, or trying to find the first Mag's base).
- Snowfox is redundant as Prawn Suit is a perfect land walker and does more and better.
- Penglings taking control away from the player character - I hate it, in any game. This disrupts the feel of the regular gameplay too much.
- Visual bug with large rooms having gaps between windows and the adjacent walls making the window look disconnected from the large room.
- Significantly weaker sense of danger compared to original Subnautica.

Pros:

- Buildable large room. It's so much better than the clunky and awkward multipurpose room as a general living area.
- Control room because it can shut off lights for visual effect, but it sucks that it also unpowers Fabricator and such. I just want a lights-only switch.
- Removal of ultra fins gives value back to seaglider.
- Story is kinda cool with some plot twists.

All in all, the bad outweigh the good and I did what I never even considered in the original game - I just alt+f4 in frustration and uninstalled the game because it's impossible to find anything with that map design. Not recommended because it's more of a frustration and time waster than an engaging game.

Molly-B
Molly-B

carrot cake recipe

230ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
100g natural yogurt
4 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
½ orange, zested
265g self-raising flour
335g light muscovado sugar
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated
265g carrots (about 3), grated
100g sultanas or raisins
100g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
For the icing
100g slightly salted butter, softened
300g icing sugar
100g soft cheese230ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
100g natural yogurt
4 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
½ orange, zested
265g self-raising flour
335g light muscovado sugar
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated
265g carrots (about 3), grated
100g sultanas or raisins
100g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
For the icing
100g slightly salted butter, softened
300g icing sugar
100g soft cheese

Zasrakh
Zasrakh

Good. Not as good as original though.

Something isn't right with pacing of upgrades, zones in general, some materials in zones, pull of exploration.
I feel like I could skip so much and it wouldn't matter one bit.

Enjoyable improvements in base building, wish I had these options in the first game too.

Prix Plox
Prix Plox

Really good game, altthough it doesn´t quite stand up to the first game (I actually can´t point out what the problem is tho)

tvanroekel
tvanroekel

Gorgeous animation mixes with exploration. Can be chill, can be terrifying. You very much feel like you're part of the food chain here! But is also great for when you just want to take it easy. Very much a self guided game. There's two story lines to follow, but it's really up to you.

4/5 stars.

Vixus
Vixus

Really enjoyed Below Zero, it's not exactly the same feeling as the first game but it delivers on most of the story, horror and survival aspects of the original's experience. Visually it looks a lot better, with a lot of new breathtaking vistas and biomes, whoever's leading Subnautica's art style department certainly deserves a raise!
Only issues I had with the game were random bugs - for example : items disappearing below the sea floor like titanium and copper, the Snowfox disappearing through the ground upon unpacking - which once made me backtrack quite a lot.

Overall a 9/10 experience

BlackStarSymphony
BlackStarSymphony

I absolutely love the Subnautica Franchise. It's unique world building is fascinating and enjoyable. I don't like the hunger and thirst elements, but luckily you have the ability to choose different play modes. I can't wait for the 3rd installment.

Well done Unknown Worlds!

Omegative
Omegative

What to say about this game. I have not played the first installment of Subnautica so I will not compare the two.

This game on its own is the perfect balance between the epic gathering games we have nowadays and a linear RPG. The balance between having to gather necessary components and story progression is excellent. I found myself making multiple bases in different biomes.

The leviathans are scary and the murky depths gave me and my sister (running the game together on 2 seperate computers but communicating during on where to go. Super fun!) the scares we had no idea we were looking for and found ourselves regaling these tales to each other with enthusiasm.

Definite recommend for anyone. about 40 hours for a complete playthrough including all collectables. I played on custom because I hate food and water playstyles..

Gurkie
Gurkie

This game is not an upgrade of the original, but a version with the world cut back in favor of more story elements. Less areas, flora, and fauna. The Below Zero world feels smaller and less alive. Too much time was spent on the mediocre story and a large but restrictive above sea land area. This game needs a few more underwater biomes, particularly some with more life to them. Adding the original's creatures and plants would also make the game feel more alive.

sugus pulus 1303
sugus pulus 1303

Great game, basically overall better than the first Subnautica in every possible aspect.
- Better story
- Better graphics
- Better biomes
However the ending was really disappointing and I was expecting more.

[TABS] Boba_D
[TABS] Boba_D

Love it. More of the original game. Such a relaxing and yet exciting way to get through a knee op recovery :)

Calamari
Calamari

Reasons of why I recommend Subnautica Below Zero:
1) The game itself is very fun to play, you get to swim around and learn the story of Below Zero.
2) The graphics of the game is really pleasing to look at. At night when you surface from the depths, you can see how pretty the sky is. Also a lot of the areas under the water is stunning.
3) No matter which mode you play in the game it can be really nice and chill.

Things I struggled with a bit:
1) I had a bit of a learning curve when it came to the crafting system, but once I got used to it, it got pretty easy.
2) I was easily afraid at the deep spooky noises you'd hear during the night, and how I couldn't see sometimes depending on the area
3) The game can be difficult, but once you get over the hurdle of what you're on it's all good.

Lastly...

Reasons of why I like Below Zero:
1) Being chased is terrifying, but the scan is worth it >:)
2) I love Potato. He's so adorable in the pictures and very cute

SemperFudge
SemperFudge

As everyone else has said, this is basically an expansion to Subnautica. That is, it's mostly the same game, but smaller, with a slightly different setting, more items and some QoL improvements. That's not necessarily a bad thing. A few notable changes:
1. Your character is voiced and not alone in the world
2. The game is less "scary", for lack of a better term
3. Enemies can rarely be dealt with using violence
I wouldn't let those items dissuade you though. While I appreciated the sense of isolation and tension of the first game, I ended up enjoying this one too.

The Good

+Still great visuals and music
+Voice acting is well done
+Main characters have endearing and often humorous personalities
+New biomes, and even a large section of surface exploration
+Impressive weather that affects how you play on the surface
+The point of no return is clearly marked
+Rare feat of a game ending I thoroughly enjoyed
+Stable and no major clipping through floor bugs like Subnautica
+Still getting QoL updates in late 2022
+Base-builders will have a field day with the new modules and decorations
+Multiple modes of play (normal/survival, creative, etc)
+Seamoth replacement is pretty nice
+Continues some story elements of Subnautica
+Still an enormous amount of minor loving details and nuances to mechanics that you'll never see without playing multiple times or reading the wiki.

YMMV

~A few minor bugs, usually UI related
~Other characters to talk to and even see in person
~Discount Alan Rickman as a major voice actor, if you liked his voice
~There are a ton of new items, though you can get by with very few of them
~No more cyclops
~Pretty easy so long as you have a vehicle and a repair tool
~There's really no problem you can't solve most effectively with a Prawn Suit
~Some optional blueprints are in exclusive and hard to find locations
~Smaller and shorter than Subnautica
~Not nearly as "scary" as Subnautica. There's fewer creepy areas, and hostile leviathans end up being annoying after you realize they can't do much to your vehicles. There were no enemies that quickly became your love/hate nemesis like Subnautica's reapers. Which leads me to the bad:

The Bad

-My only gripe is the lack of a stasis rifle and thus, the inability to get scans of a lot of hostile creatures I would have liked more information about. This also all but ruled out the harrowing but thrilling possibility of approaching leviathans with adrenaline-fueled violence.

Kneesocks X Stocking
Kneesocks X Stocking

While this game has a lot of the traits that makes the first game enjoyable, fans of the first game may nonetheless wish to avoid this one.

The game itself feels unfinished, with lots of wandering aimlessly in the hopes of stumbling across where to go. Story locations that in the previous game would be hinted at by data logs are instead left incredibly vague at best, or simply go entirely unreferenced. Most egregious of these is the first location you are supposed to find: You are told to seek out a communication tower that is supposedly visible from anywhere. Problem is between nighttime and the sheer amount of vision-obscuring weather, the tower is basically never visible, making it feel like the weather effects were an untested late addition.

And the story... oh boy the story. If you liked the world-building of the first game, the hints as to the alien society and goals, this game tramples all over it. From the sinister implications that you're given by their captives, to the difficulty in ending the quarantine, the second game entirely makes a mockery of these former story beats. Bacterium are trivially countered by people using basic chemistry with no knowledge in the subject, and the sinister nature hinted at disappears entirely - and is not even explained away, just straight up ignored.

To conclude, if you enjoy Subnautica... play Subnautica, give Below Zero a pass.

Froglief
Froglief

Subnautica is the perfect game for anyone who enjoys solo survival, base building, and sci-fi exploration. Below Zero does a great job of expanding on the first game with new tech, characters, story and land-based exploration.
And the terrifying, deadly deep sea monsters that want to make you their next meal. Can't forget about them!

GFreak
GFreak

Really loved this game! It is a great follow up to the original. Much fewer way points than the original. My only recommended change would be an option for way points to be added for the various quests. It would help out the people who get fed up exploring without finding what they are searching for.

c4_s3y
c4_s3y

I personally like this game much more then the first mainly because it looks better, runs better, and is generally less buggy.

If you are looking for a more, scary game then dont bother with below zero. It's fun sure but scary? Not as much as compared to the first one.

I Love it. Play it.

Ragnarok
Ragnarok

Being afraid of the open ocean i was skeptical but OMG i had had so much fun playing since the original Subnautica. Hoping for another Subnautica in the future!

Bababoi042
Bababoi042

a very engaging game. The unstuck is a life saver i love the story and the way things are revealed to you but there are a few things i miss about original subnautica like the seamoth but there are a lot more thing that are major improvements to the first game

Sev07Sniper
Sev07Sniper

Spoilers ahead

It's fun but the first game is 100% better in terms of story and immersion IMO.
Having the character Voiced was a big turn off for me personally, let ME react to things in the world, instead of having some occasional scripted reactions that are either understated or overstated.
The environments are gorgeous, though some areas only feel like they exist for one or two moments just for the sake of plot.
Creatures design is cool though the Ice worms are part of the above complaint, they're in one spot and don't really do much.

Personally a lot of the wonder and mystery of the first game just isn't there, purely due to being a sequel that doesn't really venture in to new lore (apart from Al-An). One of the main goals is to figure out what happened to your sister, and honestly it fades out of importance pretty quickly, at least for me, but what replaces it isn't really that interesting either.

The ending (which I will keep vague) personally didn't feel remotely satisfying (though looked great).
Worth playing but absolutely play the first one if you have to pick one.

SarahTonin
SarahTonin

As someone who's played this on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and now PC I can proudly say that this game is great on all platforms in every way.

PokePuppy185
PokePuppy185

Me: Mom, can we get Subnautica?
Mom: We have Subnautica at home!
Subnautica at home: I don't have anything from the original game that made it fun.

rasabt
rasabt

absolutly wonderfull
already liked the first game, but Below Zero is a masterpiece
it's still a survival game at it's core, rather "small" compared to the genre kings, like Ark or even NMS,
but some of what makes this series great is the focus.
the 2nd game feels a lot smoother all around, the U.I. still looks and feels great, the voice over is absolutly stellar.
perhaps because i played the first game i had a lot easier time getting into the sequel, but i do feel some of the progression, aka tools, upgrades and exploration gains felt tighter.
the soundtrack is perfect, the game still looks very pretty; it's no technical masterpiece ala Cyberpunk, but the art-style, athmosphere, colors and ambient light effects create an almost artsy picture to look at.
i encountert 0 bugs or technical issue playing around 30 hours.
the plot was again quite interesting to discover: it's the mix between finding what happened before you arrived through often voiced logs, and some text, while also progressing events by interacting with actual NPCS.
trying to avoid spoilers here, but i do hope the next game will take the sci-fi aspects even further, the ending kinda hints in this direction, or even drop the name and go full on space/upper athmosphere or sky exploration...who knows.
but i do know i want another game in the same vain from this great studio.
10/10. absolutly loved it.

Your Aunt Carole
Your Aunt Carole

I am a 45 yo mother, probably one of the oldest people playing this game. I am a single mother to my Son, who is 14 now. My son got this game for Christmas from his uncle, so we installed it on his computer and he started playing. By the end of the week he had 24 hours on this game. This was horrible for me, as it was already hard for me to find ways to spend time with my son, as he is always out with his friends or just, watching YouTube. So i decided to make a Steam account and get this game to see if I could maybe play alongside him. loaded into the game, made my character and world and started playing but I was stuck on what you where supposed to do. I asked my Son for help and he hosted a game for me to join. loved it as it was the best time had spent with my Son since my husband had died. This game has ever since brought me and my son closer again and now we actually spend time together outside the house together as well. This game reminded me that there's fun to be had in everything, and it has brought both me and my Son many happy memories.

Shinigami
Shinigami

Everything from the lore and story to the actual game play is immersive and captivating. They have only expanded on the building aspect of the first game and the map is unique. i really enjoy the change of biome as it poses new challenges.

Opalopex
Opalopex

This game is fucking terrifying and I love it. It would take me 10 minutes to decide if I want to go into the deep dark cave with possible big scary creatures. great story and one of my favorite games of all time.

MindTheMugger
MindTheMugger

I started a longer review, then steam updated mid typing.... This game is little more than an expansion pack of subnuatica. It certianly has its good bits, but the scale is so pared down it feels lost. At least there is something approximating an "ending" here, but compared to where your character starts - it misses the mark very wide. That said , it's not BAD, just lacking. So many elements of this game exsist only to pad out gameplay length. Killed by cold? Killed by absolutely ridculous low time limit on super-advaced space-fairing civ oxygen tank??? Mauled by creatures that speed match you even whilst you are using afterburner? It's not a bug, it's a feature. Also, as with the original, where are the darn weapons at? Everything wants to eat me, but there are no real ways to fight back. It gets tired - FAST.

Anuj
Anuj

This game just awesome, mind-blowing visuals, smooth game play and a ton of improvement as compared to its previous version. It's a must-try game.

AboriginalFrog
AboriginalFrog

An awesome sequel to the first one with many quality of life improvements and story. I would recommend that you play the first one, first (don't worry, it still holds up.)

Anonymous
Anonymous

If a like a Robinson Crusoe game where you do not have to massacre everything you meet and looks beautiful then it is one to enjoy.

CharsEntity
CharsEntity

This game was a bit of a disappointment, considering the amount of effort and time put into Subnautica 1, this one feels incomplete. It's a decent game, however compared to the 1st one it's absolutely lacking. They removed several useful features, ocean does not have as much to explore/do, and worst of all, the game is extremely short with no beneficial advantages what so ever.

macleila
macleila

An amazing experience. Can not tell which game I enjoyed more! The story is engaging, I had to complete it within 19 hours to find out everything - it is a huge difference since I had 100 hours on the previous game, lol.

Madlark
Madlark

Just play the original, this is nowhere near as pretty, scary or immersive. The new mechanics are either pointless or just... no, that's about it. The story is okay, but the sense of being stranded on an unknown planet is completely gone. Also, the last segment of the game is literally you swimming around huge maze-like areas trying to find first one thing then another, without a single clue where to look OR a minimap (yes, they didn't bother to include it in this either), bored out of your skull.

At least it's short.

Rastfarian
Rastfarian

A fun and relaxing game. Gathering and crafting is fun and the scenery is just so beautiful while doing it. The bases that you build can be vast or tiny - up to you. As you explore, more upgrades are found enabling furthering of the excellent story line. In the water or on land, just so much to do.

KPAX
KPAX

It's fun, but it is basically Subnautica reskinned and obviously pushes a liberal agenda if you like that. Nothing will ever beat the original.

Mindblower21000
Mindblower21000

Hehe, I'm never coming back to this game, EVER. This game lacks help on where to find the endgame parts for building ALAN so it was really hard looking for them. I'm still giving this a good review though because its pretty, scary, fun at the same time and not knowing whats in the dark abyss below me gives me the chills but I am still not a fan of the ambience in the crystal caverns, I get goosebumps every time I hear it but I got to know where the shadow leviathan is. I enjoy the open snowy area because having a break from the depths of the ocean is nice but every light must have a dark side... I'm talking about you ice worm! Compared from the first Subnautica, I think Below zero its less scary, probably because I played Subnautica before and I got enough reapers in my head for one lifetime. Please like :)

Niga Higa Bahun Bachha
Niga Higa Bahu…

I love this game with all my heart, got Subnautica for free on epic and had to buy this one cuz it was amazing

Cuba
Cuba

I started this game after it left early access phase and was disappointed because it was a buggy mess. I saw that some weeks ago, they released a patch with lots of bug fixes and gave it another try. Surely they fixed a lot but its still not running stable. The game crashes so hard, that even my entire PC shuts down, never had that happening with any other game. Would not recommend until they fix more bugs.

Anonymous
Anonymous

great game and great story so far, i love how some of the features of the OG game got expanded upon here

paperplanes
paperplanes

I loved Subnautica so I was super-eager to play this. Very happy with this iteration.

Great visuals + terrifying sounds when exploring the depths. Above the sea, I thought the fog was a bit too much and hid some of the beauty of the game - but I suppose that's a part of the arctic theme.

New vehicles with intuitive controls, but personally, I miss the ones from the old game.

The story is brilliant, with some NPCs (compared to none from the first game) - excellent taste of sci-fi without overbearing jargon. I was satisfied with the ending.

I absolutely love the base-building aspect - build where you like in the world, with lots of customising options.

Definitely recommended - 9/10

SithR2
SithR2

I liked Below Zero; not as good as the OG Subnautica, but still a very fun game with lots of updates that make the gameplay from the original more streamlined. Personally i really liked the ability to pin crafting recipes - very handy :)

Bigsmiles_4
Bigsmiles_4

great game i absolute love but they need a auto save ive been loosing too much progress due to crashing

Alphazero
Alphazero

More Subnautica with some slick new toys, and more time above the waterline. It wasn't always clear what to do next, but fortunately the new Seatruck has a sound system.

Sixteenvolts
Sixteenvolts

Loved the first game and loved the second one, there both different in there own ways without changing how you progress thought it I would buy this game for a friend to enjoy it just as much as I do.

MrPyro
MrPyro

its fun. its a good sequel to the first game and has a much more deeper story, but it doesnt leave the player alone its almost always shoving story in your face. i would suggest the first game its more fun in my opinion.

IRWorm
IRWorm

Would be a 5 star review except for the very occasional sexual story lines in the voice acting and the obviously phallic and ejaculating shrooms in the deep. Otherwise I could share this with my kids. Totally unnecessary game design choices, IMHO.

Chonkster
Chonkster

The story line is really rich and it leaves a lot of freedom to explore and stumble upon goodies. 10/10 would recommend!

jerusalem_deckard
jerusalem_deckard

Another entry in the Subnautica series, as well crafted and enjoyable to explore as its predecessor. This is, for all intents and purposes, basically a standalone expansion to Subnautica, promising basically more of the same, with the addition of land exploration and temperature as a survival element. This installment, however, would appear to be significantly more challenging than the first, which should very much appeal to players who feel they've mastered the original and want more.

Poison Arrow
Poison Arrow

Mostly an improvement, but the story is not. The main character is this smug snob that makes this game difficult to enjoy, so mute all that and get to building. I've played both games, and I would have been cool with skipping this one.

soughtforscores
soughtforscores

Some people have said this one isn't as good as the first Subnautica, but I would have to disagree. It's true the map isn't quite as large, but there is still enough to keep you busy exploring for an undetermined number of hours. The base building is better in this one, and I personally loved getting to know the different characters through the PDA as opposed to just a couple faceless people like in the original. There was so much more to learn about them, and this game didn't feel lonely like the first one. I guess for some people that's probably a negative, but for me, it was great.

Bodziu Trol
Bodziu Trol

Fells like story DLC.
Story is great. Gameplay is too grindy, for a story expansion.
Would feel great if not played the 'base'.
Can't offset those time consuming thing like crafting everything per hand or so limited inventory(with such 'advanced' technology), as updates seem to break mods(I tried mods 2 weeks after what the dock update).
I will return after some time to check on the game again, but now feeling like it's just time devourer and not cost time effective.
Looking forward to train those delphins. There was hint, that it will be a thing, but not found out yet to be true

Yuki Sukafu
Yuki Sukafu

I would recommend the game but the newest update made it unplayable. Looks like older computers are left behind once again but that's nothing a few hundred bucks can't fix during a worldwide finance crisisi right?

Jokes aside the game is great otherwise, atmospheric has lots of details that result in an interesting mix of thrilling adventure and dread for what lies below the surface of the water.

Again though, the new uodate made it unplayable for older CPUs which is a shame and something that should be adressed soon.

andriibessarab
andriibessarab

Graphics are way better than in first game, but the storyline is not as good. Still a really interesting game.

Ash
Ash

In nearly all ways this is an inferior game to the original subnautica. The story is not quite as interesting, the progression not quite as smooth or enjoyable, the vehicles are not as fun, the exploration not as robust or rewarding. Very little was added to the gameplay, and what was added is not as good, but otherwise it is very similar to the first game. Despite all of this, keep in mind that though this is a slightly worse version of its predecessor, its predecessor was an amazing game. If you enjoyed that game you will enjoy this one, and it was still great to return to the subnautica world an experience all over again with a slight twist.

maloware
maloware

Followed this game all throughout its development stages. Loved the fact that the devs gave us more land to explore in this sequel, but it came at the cost of underwater exploration being stunted aka not a lot of depth to explore. Kinda disappointed with how Sam's story ends, it led on to one conclusion but stranded us with another. The leviathans of this game aren't even that terrifying, the ice leviathan tho...

Can't wait to see more games from Unknown Worlds Devs. Cheers!

yeah
yeah

I know people want to act like this game was a pure dissapointment but for me personally I loved it just as much as the first. I like that the game focuses more on caves and the such, gives it some of its own identity rather than just being Subnautica again. I know the first game had the lost river and such but it feels like in this game every biome has an expansive cave system to explore. The leviathan are by far the most dissapointing part of this game, none of them are very scary or threatening, compare this to the first game where all of them with the exception of the ghost leviathan I was always scared to approach. That being said however I enjoy the smaller aggressive creatures far more in this game, in both design and how threatening they are. Overall this game is definitely harder, and while I see some people say its not harder but just more annoying I personally disagree. Now the only other major problem I have with the game is the land stuff. A lot more of this game takes place on the land compared to the first and it is not very fun. The hover bike thing (I forgot the name) doesn't feel good to control and is very buggy. The ice worm is far more annoying than challenging, and needing to constantly find places to stay warm is just stressful. I wont talk much about story but its just fine, not as interesting as the first in my opinion, but its fine and actually pretty fun to play through and complete. The ending is just kinda weak though. The game obviously has a lot of major improvements in vehicles and base building but that's expected. Under-rated

LeopardBunny
LeopardBunny

Mechanical Improvement, Misses the Point

I want to start this review by saying the first game is probably one of the best games of all time for its ability to immerse you in the world. You really feel like you're there, isolated from everyone, with nothing to do but survive and learn about the world around you. While this sort of thing has, of course, been done before, for its genre, it was unique in that it almost exclusively took place underwater. Dry land was a scarcity, and hardly a focus.

These two points... are exactly where Below Zero seems to falter. By far the biggest problem I have with this game is the focus on the main character. Giving her a voice was the worst idea, because it makes it almost impossible to put myself in her shoes, especially after coming from the first game. Even if it were just her own voice, it would detract from the feeling of isolation on a psychological level because it's clearly not your voice, even if it's the main character's voice. This is the sort of game where you should actually start talking to yourself out loud in real life due to the oppressing feeling of being alone. The long silences from the first game are now interrupted by useless monologues about items you pick up.

This is only worsened by Robin receiving direct communication right in the beginning of the game, which keeps coming as you go. The first made it a point that two-way communication just wasn't an option. You were so close to getting out of there, if you could only just say something back! This is completely lost when you open up the game and establish that two-way communication will be the norm. One of the logs even mentions needing to stay sane, which is far less of a challenge when you have communication readily available.

I actually think this sort of character-centric story could've worked and still kept most of the appeal of the first if it was handled more like how Slime Rancher is. First and most importantly: no obnoxious quips about stuff you picked up. Second, any speech on Robin's part should be implied rather than actual voice acted or even typed dialogue. Third: bring back the radio. Yes, on paper, in the average game, having communication go directly to your menu rather than to a device you have to trek home to access would be a major QOL improvement. But the thing is, in this game, it just further detracts from the feeling of being alone. Any actual human contact directed at you should still be sparse. In the first, seeing that the radio picked up a signal was an impactful moment because of the lengths you had to go to just to get this one-way message after long stretches of just nothing. If this game had something similar, perhaps with the characters sending each other long-distance messages, it could probably work. Again, pointing to Slime Rancher on this one, which had a similar idea of isolation, but with a more liberating feeling than one of being trapped.

The other big gripe I have is the increased focus on land. While I haven't gotten that far, I hear it also meant less focus on the water biomes. However, what I do know is that more land focus defeats the very purpose of the game and runs counter to what set it apart in the first place. Subnautica NEEDS to be about the water, because the water is what makes it more than just the average survival game. You've got a whole Z-axis thanks to being able to swim, you've got fauna and resources unlike any other game, tools and base building centered around aquatic survival. No other game does it like this. This is not a game that should open up from the start on dry land, because while you're on dry land, it's just an average, or even below average survival game, because the core mechanics are not built around being on dry land.

Strictly from a gameplay perspective, yes, this game is an improvement on the original. A lot of controls and mechanics are fine-tuned, a lot of the weird bugs seem to be fixed, it seems overall more polished. But at what cost? Without the core themes that set Subnautica apart, what is the purpose of this game?

W3iRdFl3X
W3iRdFl3X

One of the best survival games out there. The visuals are amazing, the game play is smooth, and the music is beautiful. I believe this one is better than the first one imo. Only reason why is because they polished the first one off in this game. The animations are so much better, and the enemies have more of a personality. They actually act like they would in real life. I highly recommend this game, its worth every penny!

ssmar8285
ssmar8285

Personally i like how better the no clipping is, there is still some no-clipping but its so rare that i like to see it time to time, the game is worth 30 bucks

Timoco
Timoco

Just as much fun as the first one! Story is not as great as the first one and it's not as scary but the gameplay is better. 5/5 better than most things coming out these days.

Kobyonekonoby
Kobyonekonoby

This game is an immense improvement from the previous title. The story is captivating and effects are top notch.

bcpeterson7
bcpeterson7

This is a fun game. I wouldn't say it is as good as the first game, but it is close. I haven't completed the game yet. It's a little difficult because it's harder to find things than in the first game and I've had to watch a few YouTube videos (feels like cheat'n). Still fun though and I like the story.

panku6369
panku6369

Really good game, but the original just has more scare factor.

I personally prefer the original Subnautica over this, Subnautica: Below Zero just feels like a DLC of some sort.

blaze
blaze

great storyline but missing some key conclusions to different parts. beautiful scenery and biomes. overall great sequel

MichaelKnowsNot
MichaelKnowsNot

i think the game was really well made, and after playing the game for 34 hours i can say that i am very content with it.

Arcane Blades
Arcane Blades

I don't know why...just didn't do it for me like the first game...meh...it's beautiful and plays well and there is a lot of new stuff compared to the old game but...I just don't know...I lost interest for some reason...

Other people obviously like it....but I just couldn't get into it...wanted more of....I don't know...something...

zxcvbsm987
zxcvbsm987

I still prefer the first generation and the second generation, the ocean is too little, rimp, a grilled squid, there is no sense of oppression of a God of death, including its is to save aliens. There is no sublimation theme. There are many publicity facilities fe, but there are more bugs in the second generation than in the first generation. It is the land main taskor the senot recomis too much, but the land is still inferior to the forest, there is no sense of oppression,,cm very perfunctory plot once again, tells a story of salvation, two in an alien. In the endond generation. The terrain is also very disgusting. All kinds of intricate caves are brigended. a mantis, I thinkht as a w sh ithol

SoundsMad01
SoundsMad01

compared the subnautica, this game has much more story put into it but it is much more casual. subnautica was basically a horror game as well. this is more of a explore the world kind of game. i recommend playing this!

9wells05
9wells05

This game possesses all of the defining qualities of it's predecessor, namely aesthetics and a fine balance between crafting, survival and exploration. However, this game unfortunately falls short on a very ropy story-line and failure to introduce anything drastically new and improved. In spite of the game's minimal ambition however, it still delivers a brilliant, immersive experience and will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who have played it's predecessor.

[PEDL]PappaGrizzly
[PEDL]PappaGrizzly

If you liked the original, you will love this. Imagine a sequel with the core remaining the same but with some new building mechanics, much better story and some other new elements but is very similar

- points for no more sub

daschus
daschus

4/5. Better than the first one with regard to level build and gameplay. The plot wasn't as interesting, but I still enjoyed it. It definitely made me want a third Subnautica game. I ran into one bug that caused me to lose my snowfox, but otherwise glitches were near non-existent. A few of the PDAs blend into the background and you may need help to find if you want them all. I recommend both games. Play the original first,though!

Charles
Charles

The original Subnautica is a masterpiece. I tried Below Zero in early release, and its plot was soulless and aggressively boring, so I avoided the game until just recently, over a year after release.
It turns out that Unknown Worlds, the developer, scrapped the original shell of a plot and worked out a new one altogether.
While I have not completed the game yet, I can say that so far, this is a worthy successor.

flamepunisher1
flamepunisher1

you already know this is the best game ever made

Toasted Butter
Toasted Butter

Amazing game. I love everything about it. There were a few bugs here and there, but overall it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it. 11/10 would play again.

MotoBaggins04
MotoBaggins04

Great survival game that will keep you on the edge of your seat the deeper you explore.

darkness1123
darkness1123

This great sequel to the original. i liked the early access beginning better. with the asteroids and the explosions. anyway, amazing game.

jwchance
jwchance

Having never played the first subnautica, this was suggested by a friend so i thought i'd check it out -- i'm almost to the end of the game however I'm the type that likes to explore. I've repeatedly gotten stuck and had to reload, god forbid you try saving THEN reloading, you'll be stuck in the same spot, hoping for a death that may never come. I'm 81 hours into the game right now and I don't even want to finish playing it because I'm so sick of these bugs. It's a great game if you somehow manage to avoid them but since there's no "unstuck" feature, you're boned. Good luck.

al-melon
al-melon

I'm gonna start this review by fully admitting that I have my problems with this game. Yes I absolutely still recommend it, but I feel it's only fair to start with my problems and then talk about what I like.

I will admit I'm a little sad this game isn't as unsettling as the original Subnautica. Subnautica was really good at building a tense, unsettling or even downright frightening atmosphere, and that is almost non-existent in Below Zero. I can also get a bit frustrated at times running back and forth to places over and over again, but after a few playthroughs/with some foresight you learn to pick things up ahead of time, so I suppose that's technically a matter of experience/patience.

I'm almost hesitant to admit this, but I'll go ahead and say it: the fact that leviathans can't grab you or attack your seatruck so long as you are standing in it by having at least one module attached is absolutely busted. I'm very nearly fearless charging into areas with leviathans in them knowing full well that if I pay attention they basically can't hurt me. Even in the end game, where you would expect your prawn suit to be a necessity, you can get by perfectly smoothly with your seatruck so long as there's at least one module on it.

I HATE the ice worm section of the game. I think it was completely unnecessary to have such an obnoxious enemy in here. The fact that the worm can force you to dismount your snowfox when you're literally nowhere near it so they can try to force you to use the thumpers is ridiculous. I will openly admit to having cheated once or twice just to get through that section faster. I genuinely cannot stand it.

The other thing is the story feeling a bit rushed at the end, but I fully understand why/what happened with the writing team, so I feel it's unfair to be harsh about that. I will say that it feels like the plot with Sam ended incredibly abruptly even WITH the story changes. I really expected her to have been murdered by Alterra in secret, not for her to have genuinely made a mistake, especially with how much other characters kept hyping up how careful and calculated she usually was. Oh well.

On to the good! I enjoy the gameplay more in this game overall than I do in base Subnautica, even if it can get repetitive going to the same place over and over. It feels good when things line up and you can do one task after another, and things feel overall a bit smoother in this game when it all comes together. I also appreciate how pretty the game is, again with everything feeling a bit smoother and more polished than in OG Subnautica. It's nice to sit back and take in the sights every now and then, even if I feel there aren't as many pretty biomes in Below Zero.

I really liked what they did with Marguerite in this game, it was fun to check in with her and see how she was making a life for herself the best she could after everything that happened. I took a liking to her almost immediately, and was glad to see her hanging around.

!!! SPOILER WARNING FOR THIS PART! DO NOT READ THIS SECTION IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS !!!
I adore our new friend Al-An. Their relationship with Robin is easily my favorite part of the game. I love hearing them talk to each other, and listening to Al-An explain their point of view on things. Their conversation about how it feels to be connected to the network always strikes me as deeply lonely and sad. I also appreciate that (while Al-An may have been cranky and rude in pre-release versions) our Al-An is curious and overall courteous, usually only being blunt in their questioning due to a genuine desire to understand. Trading information openly and honestly is the fastest way to learn, and I feel it's more realistic for them to be genuine than mean if they want to learn new things. I won't spoil the whole ending just in case someone read this and didn't heed the spoiler warning, but I will just say that the details and emotions put in to the performance of the big reveal with Al-An always leaves me a bit emotional myself. As I said, Al-An and Robin are easily my favorite part of this game, and it's a big part of the reason I recommend it.

tl;dr while I have my gripes with the atmosphere/repetitiveness/certain story bits, it is outweighed by my overall appreciation for the gameplay/aesthetic/friendship between Robin and Al-An. I would definitely recommend this game to someone looking for a unique and fun survival game with an interesting enough story and wonderful character moments. But you'll probably want to play the OG Subnautica first, to make sure you have full context for the big reveal at the end of this game.

LuluLola
LuluLola

Loved this so much. Explore, Build, Collect- underwater and space elements. A great game.

Daniel
Daniel

Good game
I still have ptsd from that black leviathan.
Good story

SwimSwim
SwimSwim

Below Zero is a mostly brilliant sequel, narrative is a little weak sometimes.
Must play

bonecrusher
bonecrusher

Review has no spoilers~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TLDR version of review - great game, would definitely recommend, rate it probably 9/10. Many of my pro's and con's are comparisons with the original Subnautica which I would also highly recommend. If you are only gonna play 1 of these 2 games, I would recommend the original. Below will be a more detailed review that will mostly seem like criticism but please keep in mind my TLDR - awesome game that I highly recommend - and that most of the comparison is to the original that is also an amazing game.

I got over 120hr out of this personally but I take things very slow and over-do it even for a completionist. Likely about 40hr gameplay for someone playing normally would be my guess. The map is quite large but seems a good bit smaller than the original (not sure if it is actually smaller but feels smaller). The environments are quite detailed and look great in most cases. However that comes at a cost ; even on a high-end PC the environment sometimes loads right in front of you and when it does it sometimes loads items inside of unreachable areas.

The crafting and base building (very important components of the game) are great, no major complaints there. Would even rate them higher than the original which I also thought was great. Some of the craftable items/tools/upgrades seem useless but does not detract from gameplay at all.

The soundtrack the game is great. Adding fan-made music in the form of collectible discs to use in a craftable jukebox was well done and the music is amazing. Kind of a shame you can't listen to it outside your base though (could maybe add craftable radio or transmitter chip?). With that said the normal outside-base soundtrack is still quite good. The sounds are good too except the Cryptosuchus (spelling?) that sounds like an imposing leviathan-esque creature. The "leviathan roar" should be scary if you didn't hear it every 10 seconds everywhere from these guys. The "roars" should have been left to the actual leviathans IMO as using it on every creature takes away from the ones that should actually be scary. Which kind of leads to my next point.

The flora and fauna... The creatures and plants were much better (more varied, more distinguished) in the first game IMO. Lots of them were cut from this game and even some of the ones that did return are not usable/harvastable in this game. Kinda disappointing. Particularly disappointing were the leviathans. They did not seem nearly as scary or interesting to me as the ones from the original.

The story was kinda "meh" in my opinion and seemed to hold your hand much more than the original. I preferred the discovery style diary/audiolog story of the first game that made you connect the dots yourself a little bit. Not a bad story but not great. Kind of along the same lines is the databank entries ; they seem bare bones and sometimes even incomplete compared to the original game but I suppose that makes some amount of sense considering it was more integral to the story in the original.

The vehicles, oh the vehicles. The Prawn returns from the first game and is pretty much unchanged which IMO is a great thing. Then there is the Seamoth/Cyclops vs the Seatruck... The Seatruck seems to be a hybrid of the seamoth and cyclops but does not seem to do anything as well as either of them. The seamoth was the small early-game sub used for getting to deeper areas early on and getting places quickly later on. The cyclops was a huge, slow and clunky sub that acted as a mobile base that you could build almost anything you could build in a regular base. Cutting the seamoth and cyclops seems like it was basically manditory to make the seatruck relevant. The idea of it being modular is kinda cool but several of the modules seem pretty useless and therefore make the whole modular idea not great. The cyclops was much more customizable and had way more "cool factor" going for it. The seamoth was more speedy and maneuverable.

As mentioned in the beginning, most of the longer review seems like criticism but I loved this game and highly recommend it. Just seems like it could have been so much more when you look at the original that they were building off of. I believe the devs are still actively updating the game though so who knows where they will take it from here.

Dumb Best
Dumb Best

More deep, scary water, but COLD this time! Pretty dang good.

MenonMal
MenonMal

Not as good as the first one but still good

Mr Glorf
Mr Glorf

Amazing exploration with a compelling story!

Balcora
Balcora

This game is really good, if you liked Subnautica, you will love this too. The feel of the game is a bit different though. In Subnautica, you were a survivor of a crash, The only living person on the planet that you knew of. The only connection to other people that you have are the audio logs you find, and the ruined habs they constructed and left behind after they died.

In Below Zero the planet feels more connected to Earth in the sense that your character made the decision to be there, and people have already established a number of facilities. You're not so much surviving as you are researching. You find audio logs of people that were there before you, and you find ruined habs, but its not the same. Now that said, the story is about finding out what happened to your sister, it is very interesting and it develops the Subnautica lore really well. There are new areas, new lifeforms and there is much more surface gameplay.

I highly recommend this game if you like Subnautica. Just don't expect the same feel as the first game. This is very much a standalone game with its own story and its own unique direction..

Ogreman
Ogreman

This tried to fix some of the problems of the first game, while having a more engaging story. For me it failed on both accounts. Survival was trivial and the biomes were less interesting that the first one. I like that they tried again, but for me it's a bust.

explodoboy
explodoboy

This review is spoiler-free.

---{ Graphics }---
COMMENT: Below Zero's graphics are very good, and appear to be better-optimized than the original Subnautica.
☐ Better Than Reality
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Very Bad
☐ Horrible

---{ Modding }---
COMMENT: Below Zero has a good number of minor mods that tweak gameplay, or add small things. Subnautica's most major mod, Nitrox (multiplayer mod), hasn't yet been ported to Below Zero. There's also several mods that I used in the original Subnautica that haven't (yet?) been ported to Below Zero, that would fit in Below Zero.
☐ Incredible Modding Community; Has Total-Conversion Mods
☐ Strong Modding Community; Has Several Major Mods
☐ Decent Modding Community; Has Some Major Mods, Many Minor Mods
☑ Weak Modding Community; No Game-Extending Mods
☐ Practically/Literally Nonexistent Modding Community
☐ Developers Are Anti-Modding

---{ Gameplay }---
COMMENT: Below Zero's gameplay loop is very similar to that of Subnautica, where very few resources regenerate, which forces you to keep going further out into the world and exploring new biomes to find the resources you need. Below Zero doesn't hold your hand much at all, but it does guide you better than the original Subnautica. I relied on the wiki less in Below Zero.
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Poor
☐ Bad

---{ Audio }---
COMMENT: Below Zero's SFX and music are both very good, very similar in quality to the original Subnautica.
☐ Incredible
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Put My Ears In A Blender

---{ Audience }---
COMMENT: Below Zero, just like the original Subnautica, is a game that can be enjoyed by almost everyone, though kids may have difficulty with the aimless nature of Subnautica's gameplay.
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☑ Elder

---{ PC Requirements }---
COMMENT: Below Zero can be played on most computers. I found Below Zero's performance to be superior to that of the original Subnautica, despite the fact I think Below Zero looks better.
☐ If Your PC Runs, You Can Play It.
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Enthusiast
☐ Supercomputer

---{ Difficulty }---
COMMENT: Below Zero is one of the easier games I've played, though navigating through the map to places you want to be can be difficult earlier on unless you have a map mod--which I had from the very start. Below Zero is less difficult and deadly than the original Subnautica. I died one or two times in my second playthrough of the original, but didn't die once in Below Zero.
☐ Freebie
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Needs Serious Critical Thinking
☐ Difficult
☐ I GIVE UP

---{ Grind }---
COMMENT: Below Zero's grind, just like the original Subnautica, comes from resource-gathering, and potentially exploring.
☐ No Grind Whatsoever
☐ Only For Leaderboard / Completionists
☐ Unnecessary For Progression
☑ Average
☐ High Amount
☐ Beyond Excessive

---{ Story }---
COMMENT: I liked Below Zero's story over the original Subnautica. Like in the original game, most of the storytelling is done through text and audio PDA entries, but there's more dialogue in Below Zero, which was introduced in a way that, in my experience, never interrupted gameplay or forced you to stand around to wait for the dialogue to complete--excluding the very end, which is highly forgiveable.
☐ No Story
☐ Basic Lore
☐ Decent
☐ Good
☑ Very Good
☐ Beyond Incredible

---{ Game Time }---
COMMENT: Given the fact the game can be aimless at times, playtime can really vary, especially if you're not very observant. Time can be cut down with access to the Subnautica wiki. I relied on the wiki at times to keep me progressing through the story, so I wasn't wandering aimlessly much at all.
☐ Less Than 30 Minutes
☐ 30 Minutes - 2 Hours
☐ 2 Hours - 4 Hours
☐ 4 Hours - 10 Hours
☑ 10+ Hours
☐ 100+ Hours
☐ Practically Infinite

---{ Price }---
COMMENT: Well worth the price. If you have the money to spare, I suggest trying it out.
☐ It's Free!
☐ Very Worth Price
☑ Worth The Price
☐ Buy When On Sale
☐ Not Worth Any Price
☐ Do NOT Buy. You (and your wallet) WILL Regret It.

---{ Bug Severity }---
COMMENT: Below Zero's bugs, from my experience, were less disruptive overall than the original Subnautica, though the modular vehicle can be annoyingly buggy if you exit its seat at a significant angle, and I once encountered the issue of interaction points being severely offset, making getting out of the vehicle an entire ordeal that was greatly frustrating. On land, the PRAWN suit with a grappling hook is very broken, and if you know what you're doing, you can get to places you're not supposed to with it.
☐ Bugs Enhance Gameplay
☐ No Significant Effect
☐ Minor Bugs
☑ Potentially Disruptive Bugs
☐ Seriously Disruptive Bugs
☐ Literally Unplayable

---{ Bug Frequency }---
COMMENT: I encountered few bugs through my playtime in Below Zero. The frequency of those bugs were fewer than the original Subnautica.
☐ Practically None
☑ Few
☐ Decent
☐ Many
☐ Unacceptable Amount
☐ Literally Unplayable

---{ ? / 10 }---
COMMENT: Below Zero is a very good game, with only its few but somewhat severe bugs. I enjoyed Below Zero more than the original Subnautica, with a significant part of that specifically because of how much I enjoyed the original Subnautica. I'd strongly suggest that you get Below Zero if you enjoyed the original Subnautica, and want more of Subnautica. Below Zero innovates a decent amount, though the main area in the sea is mostly refined, rather than innovated upon, but I still greatly enjoyed the additions and changes made to Below Zero. In the sea, the game feels like a refined version of Subnautica.
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

Anonymous
Anonymous

I would barely put the effort into mumbling yes to anyone who asked if they should play this game. It seems to be something that a person who hasn't gone through puberty would enjoy most. If you were wondering where glitches go to die, it's here. The story it self is decent and it's nice to need most of the facilities for one task or another and that most tasks are of import. The entirety of the land portion of the game serves only to provide a single mission and then you can forget about it. The cold suit is more useless than tits on a bull. It must have been used by the developers' HR to test new hires to see if they can perform to minimal expectations. What idiot thought that not having a world map was freaking clever? Must have been someone from management's ex-wife's retard step sister giving out hand turkey drawing ideas while tripping on mushrooms and trying to pierce their own labia with a fork in hopes of saving the environment or some crap. For an adult not huffing glue on a regular basis, this game is simple, glitchy, and about as satisfying as a wet peanut butter sandwich that has been rained on.

SilverGamez_3
SilverGamez_3

i preferred the first subnautica but this is still good

DammitKriss
DammitKriss

This game was a massive improvement on the previous one, and was very much more story focused. I enjoyed the challenge of the game and the intricacies of the protagonist and her reasoning for being on the planet.

ONLY THE DEAD SHALL FIND PEAS
ONLY THE DEAD …

Sad, sad attempt to follow the previous game, with none of the fun and identity politics ruining everything good as usual. DO NOT BUY! do not support the devs bad decisions both in and outside the game. And to the devs, don't write black characters who sound like they never met another black person. You wont listen to any of my other many, many, MANY criticisms'. Play the original or move on, nothing to see here but broken, awful content

Spartan Rules
Spartan Rules

This game is truly amazing, you can never get bored, once you start playing it, you can't stop.

Aleo
Aleo

Instead of feelings of wonder, discovery, terror, very well serviced by a neutral and silent main character, allowing you to identify, whoever you are... You get : small environnements with SJW agenda pushed to you through very poorly written dialogues.

Robo bobo
Robo bobo

if you liked the first subnautica and are looking for a similar experience, just play the first one again. constantly somebody is speaking, they don't let you feel alone, vibe got absolutely fucked

matej.alren
matej.alren

Very fun, good game play, story was too direct and map was too small.

dummlott
dummlott

Not as good as the first, but still a good game especially if you liked the first one, this one is a decent sequel.
The main issue i have is that the map isn't that big if you take away the land section its quite small it doesnt feel like the originals giant empty ocean.
To describe the map, its a kind of ramp the start is the land section of the game then it goes down to the deeper areas.

The second issue is the caves, the entire game is very narrow it makes you feel very claustrophobic which isn't a bad thing, the original had caves aswell but if its most of the game it gets annoying quickly especially when you have a seatruck with 4 or more modules.

The story is great no problems there.

Overall fun game improves on a lot of aspects, but is missing some others which made the original so good.

eater of cement
eater of cement

i find the alien voice in my head highly relatable!

Trev
Trev

Please add 2 person online co-op

the_red_stoormtrooper
the_red_stoorm…

Good i think Subnautica the first one is better tho

jmc003
jmc003

It's not really a thumbs down, just a middling "eh".

If you liked Subnautica, this game has a much better technical implementation: fewer bugs, fewer graphical issues, runs better, has an improved UI and a lot of quality of life features. But the writing and plotting is much much worse: there isn't as much of a sense of atmosphere, the story is more bare and less interesting, and the bread crumbs are poorly done and easily missed or lost, especially because the overall area is small and so it's easy to miss a main quest objective in an area because you thought you were being pointed at a side quest area.

If you haven't played the first game, go play that instead. If you did play the first game, this is a fine addition on sale, but it's more likely to make you wish you could go back and replay the original with all of the new UI and QoL features than it is to feel like a satisfying game on its own.

Lime
Lime

1) Not as good as original but still good and worth playing. Ending was better than original. Way less bugs than original.
2) Bit shorter than original, took me 20 hours to beat original a 2nd time while this only took 17 hours to beat this 1st time.
3) Kinda confusing where you needed to go had to use google for some things (spoiler: putting interferer in and then pressing button downstairs then finding Marguerit by going east, probably should have put a marker where she was I got so lost lol and have Robin say after putting interferer in 'now I need to put it in test mode' ).

FadleLight
FadleLight

fish eat you you die
worse than the first game by a lot but still a good game if the first didnt exist, i wish they made more scary open areas and bigger leviathans

scotts9ine
scotts9ine

Its a beautiful game if you like survival craft games

Froskyy
Froskyy

This game is the most relaxing scary ocean game i have ever played.

sonaahri
sonaahri

Is a good game . I played the first one since the alpha and this was not the exception, one hundred percent recommended, you will have a little less than 20 hours of history, of course it depends on your pace of play the game,and a lot of exploration. good survivol in general. recommended

Apoptygma
Apoptygma

Great game. The world was smaller than the original but the story felt more fleshed out leading to an interesting conclusion.

Toon57
Toon57

Not as good as the original but it still keeps the feel of the original while having its own new twist to the underwater theme, though I believe the first game is better the sequel definitely has a better storyline while still staying within the same universe. Remember to breath and stay warm!

ericlee31
ericlee31

It isnt as scary as the first, and is diffrent lore wise, but it still is fun

Anonymous
Anonymous

I love the graphics and the mystery that keeps getting better the longer I play

Sam
Sam

I liked the game alot and it has an interesting storyline, worth it !

RektRaj
RektRaj

I love getting lost in the frozen world of SNBZ. For the longest time I resisted these types of games but Valheim opened the door to me and now I cant get enough and this game is one of my favorites.

nietzshy
nietzshy

9/10

DIFFICULTY

🔲 My 90 year old grandma could play it
🔲 Easy
☑️ Normal
🔲 Significant usage of the brain
🔲 Hard
🔲 Dark Souls

AUDIENCE

🔲 Your Mom probably would enjoy this
🔲 Kids
☑️ Everyone
🔲 Everyone except kids
🔲 Pro players

GRAPHICS

🔲 Graphics dont matter in this game
🔲 Bad
🔲 Cute
🔲 Decent
🔲 Good
☑️ Beautiful
🔲 More real than reality

MUSIC

🔲 Bad
🔲 Not special
🔲 Okay
☑️ Good
🔲 Beautiful

VOICE ACTING

🔲 No Voice Acting
🔲 Hahaha
🔲 Bad
🔲 Acceptable
🔲 Good
☑️ Perfect

STORY

🔲 This game has no story
☑️ It's there for the people who want it
🔲 Well written
🔲 Epic story
🔲 You choose your fate

PRICE

🔲 Free
🔲 Complete waste of money
🔲 Underpriced
🔲 Worth its price
☑️ Should be cheaper
🔲 Overpriced
🔲 EA Game

REQUIREMENTS

🔲 You can run it on a calculator
☑️ Average
🔲 High end
🔲 NASA computer

LENGTH

🔲 0 - 5 hours
🔲 5 - 15 hours
☑️ 15-50 hours
🔲 50+ hours
🔲 No ending

FUN

🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
🔲 Repetitive
🔲 Likable
🔲 Very entertaining
☑️ Ride of your life

PHYSICS

🔲 Bad
🔲 Could be better
☑️ Acceptable
🔲 Good
🔲 Realistic

REPLAYABILITY

🔲 It's a one-time experience
🔲 If you wish to see the other endings
🔲 For achievements
☑️ If you wait a few months/years
🔲 Definitely
🔲 Infinitely replayable

WORTH BUYING

🔲 No
🔲 Wait for sale
🔲 Yes
☑️ Absolutely

Additional OBS:

This is a highly addictive game, there is a wide range of items and stuff to craft, and the sea exploration is something I find quite unique and enjoyable.

I'm not really into sci-fi stuff; it typically bores me, but the story managed to capture my attention; it took me 30 hours to complete the campaign. If you're looking for a game that will capture your attention and keep you hooked, this is it.

PHAN33NDRA
PHAN33NDRA

It's a great game, with true open world exploration. Very low violence

TheBeanSlayer
TheBeanSlayer

Great sequel, when it works. I have not personally finished this game, because, well, it's buggy as hell. I lost my 21 hour save file, I have no idea how, it was just gone when I launched the game on another computer. I can recommend this game, if you don't mind the risk of starting over. 7/10.

BambooBoi
BambooBoi

the big thing ate me
10/10 would cry agian

SpeedyNipple
SpeedyNipple

who tf made this? after locking myself into some texture for 20th time and no auto save feature so its always 1 or 2 hours lost - i have no hope for the developers. fu and goodbye

firefoot87
firefoot87

Perfect game for multiplayer. The devs don't care. It's never about what players want or even beg for. If they release a third one, I will not buy it unless they implement early multiplayer access. Such a shame.

StankRoshi
StankRoshi

Not bigger not better.
Much smaller much lesser.

margas07
margas07

OG subnautica is better in almost every way, but this game is still worth the 30€ you're paying. Recomended only if you've played OG before.

Paulo2Gamer
Paulo2Gamer

At first it felt very much like just Subnautica in the Artic, but this game really comes into it's own with a good story and that classic "can I make it back to the surface before air runs out" feeling

MrMckey
MrMckey

Cathartic. Something about traipsing about an alien world under the ocean just makes me happy

Viking Eggplant
Viking Eggplant

This is a worthy sequel to the original Subnautica. If you enjoyed the original, you'll likely enjoy this one. I like that we get a voiced protagonist this time around.

dulcembt95
dulcembt95

I LOVE IT, i played subnautica 1 and i really liked it (80 hours until i finish it) and i was scared of played this game cause i had high high expectations from the first subnautca, but the company just improve the original game, i love the new one, it has more story, more creatures and more action "on land" than with the other. i really really recommend this game, super yes.

Chiddle
Chiddle

Came back months later and the new PDA voice was just ass. The on ground part of the game just isn't it. If they could take the base building from this game and throw it in the first, I'd be content with that. I prefer everything else in the first minus the base building (The first game had great base building but this is just objectively better)

jdizzle
jdizzle

just play the first one, the amount of time you're on land is awful and the land vehicle sucks butt

Snippity Snap
Snippity Snap

I just feel that this game was too hyped up and couldn't live up to those standards that the first game set

Ethan
Ethan

fun but scary if you get scared very easily buy at your own risk

Amfibius
Amfibius

Its fun, has the chilled underwater beauty and stark terror of the previous games.
The weather seems a bit weird, and most of the time I feel the sea looks a bit more tropical than arctic when your in it, however for someone who loved the first game there's lots of new stuff to do so I am happy

storm_trooper5779
storm_trooper5779

Amazing game arguably even better than the original!

TURBOCUCK SAFARI
TURBOCUCK SAFARI

Super great. As good as OG Subnautica and equally worth it for any survival fans.

Yoshi #VTM
Yoshi #VTM

This game is truly amazing.

With the same amazing exploration ability and survival aspect as its predecessor "Subnautica", this game makes me enjoy survivals again and makes me feel truly immersed in the story and world that "Unknown Worlds Entertainment" has created. I hope to see many more Subnautica games in the future as there is truly nothing like this series. The horror aspect of the game, in my opinion, also improved. In "Subnautica" I feel I could evade the leviathans much easier, however in this title, there were multiple times when my heart was in my mouth.

Carnotta
Carnotta

Si te gustó el anterior entonces éste tambien

mycocacola banditcamp.com
mycocacola ban…

just dont uninstall because it deletes your saved game if u do

Butter
Butter

if u like subnautica u will like this game too but less

Squid
Squid

Not as good as the first one, but its still a good story. You take a deeper dive into the backstory of 4546B and the Precursors.

Galorit
Galorit

If you enjoyed Subnautica, you will enjoy this. The mystery and desperate situation of the first game is gone, but the story and writing is compelling enough to keep one intrigued up until the credits roll.

Sunshine
Sunshine

A perfect follow up to the first with plenty of improvements

Lamakoo
Lamakoo

Isnt as good as the original, fun but the story makes no sense at all.

Nonnak
Nonnak

Played for 5 hours then tried to save and it wouldn't. This apparently has been a problem since release and it still hasn't been fixed. Super unfortunate because I loved the first one and was excited to play this but ended up refunding.

mrjazzpanda
mrjazzpanda

fun but not fun fun compared to sub 1

hsailoG
hsailoG

Great singleplayer adventure game. Lots of exploring and very great story

T A C O
T A C O

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”

iceyman8
iceyman8

Still a great game, falls short of the first but I am excited for the second

Anonymous
Anonymous

A very fun and interactive futuristic game i personally play this game daily and i think this has more potential for it to be a high end game with more story

MASTERCHIEF_357
MASTERCHIEF_357

full of adventure and hazards and huge creatures that are unforgiving and dangerous. recommended on survival. creative is recommended for players who just like to explore and build. no O2 no story no hunger water or anything just you and those creatures of this dangerous planet. freedom, like survival but no hunger or water, recommended for players who mostly focus on the story and of course why wouldent this game have HARDCORE this game mode tests your capability to be a TRUE GAMER! no O2 alerts AND ONLY 1 LIFE this game mode is ONLY TRUEST GAMERS CAN SURVIVE MORE THAN 10 DAYS

bajibence
bajibence

10/10 game, well done, better than the prequel

Velocipedestrienne
Velocipedestrienne

This game has a lot of frustration reduction in it compared to the original, which I found nice at times, and other times I thought it took away from the sense of discovery a little. It didn't feel like as big of a deal to find exotic materials as it did in the first game. I liked the story fine, the protagonist talks in this one and has some personality and that mostly works for me because it isn't constant. It wasn't as scary as the first game but it did get me to jump a couple of times when I wasn't paying close enough attention to my surroundings. If you're thinking of skipping the original and going straight to this, I would say don't, but this is still a worthy followup and a good time.

Lickingfire
Lickingfire

Its a great game its fun to adventure throgh new well desighned biomes also unlocking new bits of tec is always fun and rewarding and expanind your base really feels open and like your making your mark on the sub 2 world but there are defintely some downsides for example the base building aspect is a bit premitive for example you dont have to set up an oxagon system a heat system or anything whitch i personally think owuld add a lot to the game also even tho this game is about exploring sometimes it can be quiet hard to find places or things and the player isnt well supported so acahsonally expect to be forced to search up a guid.

also this game is very sadly lacking a multiplayer system even tho it would add a lot to the game also it would be useful to have a seprate gamemode witch greated the map with natural generation without story

Torin
Torin

I love this game and the first one so much. You did amazing work.

Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius

as a standalone game: 6/10
as a sequel to subnautica: 3/10

math_belisle
math_belisle

its really a good game, theres a lot to do and even after over 40 hours of play time i still find it good, you should buy it, thank you

D00M1
D00M1

I like it better than the first in some places, and the first in others. They both have equally good story and game play in places.

Personal Jesus
Personal Jesus

Haven't played a while, and decided to complete the game. What did I encounter with? That's correct! Can't load my save! Ok, then, I'll start a new game, perhaps? No way, buddy! You can't save! Suck it! Avoid at all costs. That's an epic fail comparing to the first game.

Chef Joh
Chef Joh

Truly a masterpiece!
Great graphics.
Great sounds.
Unique feeling while exploring Planet 4546B.
Good gameplay - with some minor bugs.
Worst case scenario: You might get stuck here or there, however it does not happen very often. Had to basically suicide once during the entire game, because of that.

hindenbag
hindenbag

M1 MAC Player: Only about 4 hrs in, but fantastic so far. Lots of improvements over the first. It is a beautiful game, very rich atmosphere. I feel a bit like it is move really fast, and I don't know if that is just because I'm familiar with the mechanics or if the game is shorter (I have 85 hrs in the first game to beat). I hope this one goes as deep as the other, but it feels like it might be much smaller. Also, I'm a Mac user playing on a 2nd LG ultrawide monitor and have had few issues. I know that can drive purchasing decisions (it did for me), but rest assured, if you're running an M1 or using a large monitor, this game plays well. I will call out two problems I encountered:

- Each time I start the game, I have to kind of trick the settings into getting it on my 2nd monitor because I keep the laptop open for searching for help. Options>Uncheck full screen>drag to 2nd monitor>maximize>hit back button>Options again>hit back button on resolution then forward again (to get max resolution)>check full screen>close Options.
- To take in-game pictures on a Mac, I had to remap the button to F12, even though F12 triggers the picture capture, it doesn't save the file. I had this problem in the last game and the internet wasn't very much help.

Felixsheep
Felixsheep

Very fun game! i like the ocean and stuff so this is by far my fav. game :D

Pio
Pio

2nd best survival game in the world (right before minecraft)

Zombicider
Zombicider

In an age where there is interplanetary space travel. hover bikes and hand held devices that can rearrange matter to create entire buildings - they still try and dig a creature out of the ice using a tower crane and forklift truck? Not sure on that little detail.

Not quite as good as the first game. It lacks some atmosphere and its not as scary. The dialogue from the characters doesn't sound quite as believable either. Other reviews are correct when they say that the land exploration element is too big. Its a nice addition, but it plays too big a part. The water element is also not as big / deep as the original - probably as a result of the land element. That being said, this is still a good game! I'm going to give it a thumbs up as I am still enjoying it. 24 hours in and I haven't quite completed it yet. Its actually more difficult in some respects. If you can pick this up when on sale then you will definately get your £$ worth in terms of play time. I am hoping that this game is a test bed for Subnautica 3. Despite not being as good as the first one, its still a thumbs up. Its still worth buying to help make S3 a reality.

rock_lobster576
rock_lobster576

It was... okay. I didn't enjoy this game as much as the first one, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. I feel like the instruction could have been better, because there were times when I had nothing to do (story wise) so I had to look up where to go next. Also, the end felt somewhat rushed. However, still a fun survival game, and I do recommend it if you liked the first one!

NostalgicFruit
NostalgicFruit

Great Game its really fun but to my knowledge theres no autosave and the game freezes and crashes every 20-45 minutes of playtime with no warning whatsoever, becomes a royal pita when you get carried away in the middle of something and forget to save constantly. In total ive lost multiple hours of grinding.

tlitschel
tlitschel

Great Game, but much harder than the first one

ImGenosis
ImGenosis

I note this game below zero/10

deadpoolbxm
deadpoolbxm

this one is a meh for me. it takes a pretty different direction from the first game. the first subnautica didn't feel like it was really trying to tell you a traditional story. sure, there was some lore here and there, but for the most part, it felt more like "this is YOUR story about YOU trying to survive and escape this planet" rather than "this is the story of some random ass person with a mediocre personality intentionally stranding themselves on the planet in search for answers". this game feels less open, less immersive, has less interesting new features and cuts some of the best features from the original, and it forces a really uninteresting narrative instead of being more open-ended like the first game. this just feels like subnautica without a lot of the charm of the original.

that being said, it's still kinda fun. if you loved subnautica, you'll probably "like" this one. but don't expect much from this, it's essentially just a less unique, less interesting subnautica.

it's a solid 6/10 game, but considering it's the same price as the original, it feels wrong to say i recommend this game when there's a much better game already available.

GamerShower
GamerShower

This game does not provide good directions to what you're supposed to do, but that can be solved with a quick google search. This is one of the best games I have ever played. Would recommend that you recommend.

Casualotter
Casualotter

Love the game so far. kinda had to reset but that's my fault.

TO4STPredator
TO4STPredator

They changed hardcore and cant save properly

Mikey
Mikey

The game is really fun and has some different dynamics from the original but you will recognize most things in the game from the original. Honestly when it's on sale its a must have in my opinion. Completely worth it to spend more time underwater.

TSGPL
TSGPL

Subnautica but with it's own twist of being an arctic part of the world.
Story is pretty nice, up until you get to the [spoiler] Frozen Leviathan [spoiler] , After that the story feels like it's super sped up and just ends abruptly.
Would recommend if you loved the original Subnautica for more than just the story.

Daboi658
Daboi658

Regular Subnautica beats this game in many aspects, but this game is still better than most other survival games.

Att112233Att
Att112233Att

Not as good as the base game 6/10

Phos35
Phos35

A huge let down compared to the first game. Nobody cares about the land and the story.

Smileyrat
Smileyrat

I love the way you go from just barely stronger than the weakest creatures in the sea, but with technology and experience you go deeper, get tougher, become better allowing you to solve the mysteries and find the secrets of this world. Then you sail as one that owns this land to and ending that caps it all off.

Raderen
Raderen

Its ok. I feel like they lost a lot from the original that made the game great. The things they added just didn't really add up to enough to push this game into a better category.

Is it fun? Yes. As good as the first? No.

If you enjoyed Subnautica, you'll probably find enjoyment with this game, but if you haven't played either I'd definitely recommend the first one over this.

SpartianBrawler
SpartianBrawler

Venture into the frozen depths at your own risk.

MaelstromCdn
MaelstromCdn

I really wish there was a "Do you recommend" option between thumbs up and thumbs down, "meh" maybe? A certainly playable game but nowhere near as good as the original. The story was fairly interesting but it was the world that made the first game unique. Sure, Sub Zero has some interesting biomes but they always felt more like a museum slideshow than a living world. Look at this biome! Isn't it pretty! Okay, now look at this biome! Wow! They're something you see once and move on.

As for the above water areas which were advertised so hard throughout the previews... I found them more tedious than fun, something I would try and speed run through so I could get back in the ocean. The ocean is what made Subnautica so much fun, it made me sad to see it given so little love in this game.

I've played through the first game at least 4 times, will I play this one more than once? Probably not.

Terrance Yeakey is a Hero
Terrance Yeake…

im so depressed, I wish this was real life. get me outta here!

Nutella
Nutella

Not a bad game.. just low on content in my opinion.

MikeKozar
MikeKozar

First, gotta address the Leviathan in the room: How do you follow Subnautica?

The first game was a masterpiece - terrifying, and wonderous, beautiful and nightmarish. I can't remember the last time any art made me feel the kind of things Subnautica made me feel, and it's a solid game as well. Exploring the oceans of 4546b, discovering new gear and building a base, hunting for resources and hiding from monsters - it was fun to play.

Below Zero is even stronger than Subnautica in terms of gameplay. Many quality-of-life additions, new vehicles, in-universe music, more characters and story. Almost entirely new creatures, new mechanics, and new biomes to explore. Tons of stuff to love.

I think a lot of the negative reviews come from comparing the emotional impact of Below Zero to the original Subnautica. In a lot of ways, the story feels smaller. The stakes are personal, not global, the threat is less immediate, and the sea monsters aren't as terrifying as the original Leviathans. The cutscenes are great, but they don't have the same emotional rollercoaster as sealing the reactor core and realizing there is a Reaper waiting at the exit. Subnautica was a masterclass at creating genuine terror, and then inspiring you to choose to go forward anyway. Compared to our first trip to 4546b, Below Zero feels like a vacation.

I love the world of Subnautica, and I'm pleased I got a chance to visit it again. I hope someday we get to combine both games into something even bigger & better. Until then, take my advice: Run quiet, watch your fluids, and never mess with a Reaper!

Arthenan
Arthenan

Got it to work in VR, it was absolutely mind-blowing. I still remember standing around in awe with the synthetic smell of my headset (that somewhat matches that of diving gear). Amazing experience.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Cant believe that aliens invented a planet for this game!

Rafael Cavacchini
Rafael Cavacchini

Terrible story, terrible music and ambient sound, smaller map, it's really downgrade from first game.
Original Subnautica is one of my favorite games, but this "below zero" is a trash.

maz lion tail 007
maz lion tail 007

Such a wunderfull imersive game!
If you like exploring and crafting, this is the perfect game. The soundtrack and the grafics are really beautiful and take you deep into the world of subnautica. The way you can upgrade your stations and tech is just fantastic and fun.
The game is well polished and give an intressting story too.
I would love to have more subnautica games.... please :D

The One True Morty
The One True Morty

Good game. Shorter than 1. Couldve been better with stuff like more side quests like in 1. Better base building. Harder resource scavenging. Still great.

Sigh, wish there was more to do end game. Good game hyped for 3!

Curaka
Curaka

I've enjoyed Subnautica so much back in the day. So, obviously, I wanted to try this game out. Subnautica: Below Zero is a variation of Subnautica with a different story, creatures, dangers, accessories, etc. It was familiar but new and exciting at once. I wasn't disappointed with it at all. Like its predecessor...it's fun, simple, and replayable especially with mods.

Matrino15
Matrino15

Cute and colourful game that will stress you out and make you traumatised when in deep water, would highly recommend the gem end the trauma!

Gremper1
Gremper1

If you liked Subnautica, you're probably going to like Below Zero as well.

Subnautica's unique gameplay design with exploration, crafting and almost no combat is fantastic, but seems to create a design challenge: How do you prevent the player from rushing through the game in a few hours? Subnautica's sulution to this was that in order to progress through the story, the player had to pick up certain PDAs, and since the game didn't tell the player what is needed to advance, I spent a lot of time not really knowing what to do.
Below Zero has more map markers and clearer instructions, so I ususally knew what my next objective was. On the other hand, probably in order to maintain a balanced difficulty level, aggressive fauna plays a bigger role in Below Zero, which brings along its own set of problems: If you hear and see large carnivores all the time, they stop being scary and just become a nuisance since Subnautica doesn't have a fully fleshed out combat or stealth system.
Another aspect where the devs surprisingly drew attention to Subnautica's weaknesses was the large portion of gameplay that was set on land. As long as the player just visits small islands, this is fine and even adds to the atmosphere because it shows you that the magic of the sea is invisible from above the surface, but when Below Zero forces you to play on land for long periods of time, it loses much of its unique strength.

Still, highly recommended!

MaulCop
MaulCop

This sucks compared to the first one, Buy that instead.

It COMPLETELY missed the mark on what made the first one a masterclass in survival horror. In any good Survival Horror you GENERALLY need a strong silent protagonist, it allows you to immerse yourself into the environment. The characters talk CONSTANTLY and incessantly and the dialogue is way too high bright it doesn't make you feel alone and scared as the first one did.

The story is unbelievably weak, there's nothing compelling about it, in the first Subnautica, it's a story of survival, of hopelessness which is far more gripping.

It feels like most of this game is recycled ideas, which funnily enough, it is from the first game; it's ideas left over that weren't implemented in the first game which would have been much better suited there. This entire game would be better as an expansion of biomes from the first game.

Overall really just buy the first one, and if you own the first one the survival in this won't grip you, nothing feels quite as urgent and a bastion of hope in survival

Hypercane120
Hypercane120

Super scary jump scares. Not even Phasmophobia is this terrifying. 10/10 would recommend

listenfreak
listenfreak

best under sea adventure game and very good storyline

Malcolm Sex
Malcolm Sex

Subnautica:BZ is maybe 70% of the experience of Subnautica, but that still makes it a ton of fun.
You start off with many base parts unlocked or in the first area to scan, and you'll find a lot of customizations along with a great new vehicle, which really makes this feel like an established arctic research base for you to explore and expand.
The map is small but varied, with many unique interesting biomes within deep pockets of others. As you explore you'll uncover multiple side quests, each of which has little reward other than learning the story and exploring a dead-end biome usually just once. Much of the map and questlines take place above water, which is less fun.
Subnautica BZ is as unique as the first, with quality of life improvements, multiple quests to bounce between, and good but less-inspired music. A great game through multiple replays.

MrSkme
MrSkme

The world, the vehicles, the animal life, the story, the exploration, all worse than the first one. It makes it feel like the developers just got lucky with the first one and didn't think fully through what made it so great and went ahead and added a bunch of stuff that just served to dilute the experience instead of building on their strengths. Its still a decent game so if you loved the first one and really want more it might be worth your time. But if you haven't played the first one go play that one instead.

samael
samael

Not as fun as the first game. Devs should have just added it as a DLC.

LuckyFractal
LuckyFractal

the ocean is cold dark wet and SCARY

Shadow
Shadow

Im more afraid of the ocean now

JACK_LIKE...IDK
JACK_LIKE...IDK

you know what? 3 games lost due to the manual saving and all of them with at least the sea truck i still play it. The game is incredibility smart and fun with the monsters bumping into you and scaring the shit out of you this is possible with the horrible draw distance that you cant change. The world could never be more alive with fish everywhere and different fish more challenging the more you explore. the feeling of right when you think you're defeated you find something new and you need to find a way to hit the surface so you don't die and some of you're stuff disappears and the swim home is never more terrifying its just fantastic with the criminally generous price tag you can never go wrong with either subnautica. BUT MAKE SURE YOU SAVE!!! IF YOU CRASH ALL YOU PROGRESS THAT YOU DIDNT SAVE IS GONE FOREVER AND BACK UP ALL YOUR DATA TO A DIFFERENT DRIVE IF YOU'RE GONNA RESET YOUR PC BECAUSE I LOST EVERYTHING AND THE CLOUD SAVES DONT WORK!!

Anonymous
Anonymous

There's a little bit of lag when going into a big/new area and when moving head, other than that it's a very well made game. Close to nothing like the first yet stays on the same track with it.

espionage isnt dead
espionage isnt dead

Amazing game! Absolutely love this series... excited for the next installment!

Kryo
Kryo

Good game but I think the original was better, but maybe that's just me. I wish there was a good map system because some things are pretty hard to find, and although there are maps, it's really hard to read and find where you are and stuff. I had to search up a lot of things to finish the game. But definitely worth the money.

Battle Bunny
Battle Bunny

Starts out very interesting, and has many interesting possibilities, but it's just not very deep - if you pardon the pun. It's a giant fetch-quest, making you go back-and-forth really without reason. For example: you need a remote-controlled robot to retrieve fur, but killing that same animal doesn't give any.

Many blueprints aren't in an interesting location, but randomized in sea monkey nests.

The levels are too cramped, and feel like a maze. The main form of transportation, the sea truck, doesn't fit properly in many caverns. There are also leviathans everywhere. They are not a scary encounter, but a normal part of the dodge-and-weave route to your next fetch quest.

I had trouble putting Subnautica down, I have trouble forcing myself to continue to play Below Zero, because I really want to finish it.

Note: hours played contains many hours AFK... Whoops.

MOI
MOI

was fun but definitely had some problems and it doesn't really have the same feel as the first game. enjoyed it though

Marx
Marx

For 30 dollars? No way would i purchase this game, thankfully i got it on a steam sale so i would say i kinda spent my money well. The issue with this game is the lack of content, small map i'm actually able to completely remember through one go (not that many defining features in them as well), very small amount of upgrades and "useful" tools, an incredibly forgettable story, and small creature count kinda makes this game not super long and not really worth revisiting. You have probably noticed i have 21 hours and that's due to the fact that i spent a lot of my time base building and (well this is kinda dumb so please don't mock me) moving my base's inventory around every time i felt like i wanted more space or wanted to change something, another reason was that i got lost A LOT, this game seems to have padded a lot of what it was lacking in big confusing tunnels and mazes that where pretty much empty and bland So i got lost a lot and if ya do get the game ya may need to give each maze a good looking through because they reuse all of em some of them a few times :). Basically what i'm say'in is either wait for it to go on sale or just get the good version (that being the original subnautica)

Czernobog
Czernobog

As it was the case with its prequel, Subnautica: Bellow Zero definitely did not dissapoint a bit. It continued right in the path where the much needed revelation about the Precursor story line ended in the first part. Nice new environment in the arctic regions, new breath taking landscapes and also a lot of surface exploring on the icy wastelands. The story about the frozen leviathan and the cure was definitely the guide point to explore almost all of the map while frequently hearing AL-AN in you head when coming across some Architect tech or base. The last two missions assembling the architects body and assembling the alien ship to go to the architects home world were breath taking. It was a shame it was a little bit shorter than the prequel but 78 hours game play spent well. I hope they continue on a next sequel and explore further the story with the Architects and touch their origin and state of their home world deeper.
Overall A+ :)