That's a shame, because that isolation was exactly what made the original Subnautica so evocative as a survival horror game, especially since the harrowing sound design of its ocean comes to life when the talking stops.īelow Zero features less frights than its predecessor overall, in fact. Once Robin's consciousness is invaded by a sentient superintelligence known as an Architect early on in the campaign, the pair's inner dialogue remains a constant throughout the rest of the game, used to either contextualise discoveries with exposition and lore, push the player towards the next objective, or generally break the sense of isolation that was so pervasive in its predecessor.
Brooks, meanwhile, brings heart and humanity to new protagonist Robin, and her quest to figure out what happened to her sister on the frozen tundras of 4546B isn't without its moments of emotional payoff.īut that story is often too keen to maintain control of what should be a self-guided survival adventure. Unknown Worlds gets to explore more of the science-fiction backdrop it first established with Subnautica, for example, colouring in the exploitative Alterra Corporation with more nuanced and satirical shades of nefariousness (motivational posters are considered contraband within on-planet research stations). With full voice acting, NPC interactions, and a defined set of narrative beats, the expansion offers a survival experience that's more choreographed in structure, and – to its credit – that's not an entirely bad thing.
Subnautica: Below Zero goes in the other direction, pushing its plot to the front of your adventures at the expense of letting the miasmic mysteries of its world tell its own stories. Sure, it's interesting to learn about the true nature of your stranding on this planet, but narrowly escaping a Reaper, or first setting eyes upon a pod of Feedback Whales… these were the experiences that kept me coming back.
The answers to those questions are slowly drip-fed to the player through their own discoveries, but that larger narrative is backgrounded against the more immediate and compelling watercooler moments drawn from exploring Subnautica's world.
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