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Subnautica: Below Zero – Above Average
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Subnautica: Below Zero – Above Average
Unknown Worlds Entertainment releases the next installment of their fantastically innovative Subnautica. How does Subnautica: Below Zero stack up against its predecessor? Red Thomas dives in to give readers his thoughts on the new game.
Comments
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
I'm not saying it should've happened this way, but the new game features a new protagonist, and both aren't the kind of sandbox where you're "creating your own story." Rather, you're creating the details of a narrative protagonist's set story.
I thought their sales suffered because they've delayed release for a month and it happened in the middle of sales season when everyone was distracted by 66-90% discounts. Also 98% of game developers on the planet would kill to have that kind of suffering when you sell 7 millions copies instead of 8 millions.
Thank you for your time!
Like, @MadFrenchie said, I think part of it is the narrative they're building. From the story side of things, I don't think there's really any way to smash them together like that. I WOULD like to see a single explorable ocean that combines both maps, though. It'd be really neat if they'd create some sort of mode that allowed owners of both games to combine the two in some sort of build-mode. Don't think they could do that with how closely exploration, story, and recipes are linked, though.
The same thing happened with me. I re-started the game half a dozen times always quiting at the last leg of the journey with the big sub but finally I mustered the courage and I gotta say, it was really epic. First, for me to even craft the big sub I had to build myself a couple of sacrificial teched out seamoths just to get to the resources I needed to build the big sub. I got out of those hot, deep pressure life threatening caves with not even seconds to spare with breath but I got the resources I needed. Lost two seamoths in the journey but it made my big sub extreamly valuable to me. It was no easy task. Mostly taxed my nerves and wit more than actual resources.
Added to this I only ever played the game on the hardest perma-death setting. I got the big sub to the alien compound and every inch I got towards the complex navigating that big sub ever so painfully was pure adrenelline. I ended up at the doorstep with like a dozen holes in my sub, I went outside, patched it up, terrified because one fireball from the leviathan or an attack would have killed me but fought the fear, patched up the hull, repaired my badly leaking sub that was half full of water and in the end saved it and was able to continue my journey. The rest of it, just awesome. The final story told and getting off the planet was just amazing. So its good and bad. Its true that many times fear itself made me take a break from the game but it was so good I kept coming back. Each time I conquered my fears a bit and got further. Finally completing the game some 150 hours later was made all the sweeter because they made the game as they did.
What a game... hope they do Below Zero in the same vein. Subnautica is definitely one of my top 3 favorite games. Just as an FYI, that top 3 list consists of: Subnautica, EverQuest and Final Fantasy Tactics. I've played a LOT of games but Subnautica was more than a game to me. Was an experience. Taught me a thing or two about conquering fear. I'm terrified of the water, particularily the deep, dark places. Subnautica got me to face those fears and beating the game, due to this, felt a lot more like a real life accomplishment. What it translated to in my life was I was able to go snorkeling on my last vacation and go out into deep water, even swim with small sharks and not lose my nerve. Now I can't wait to go deeper, swim with bigger fish, maybe even someday do a night dive (the scariest thing you can do in life in my opinion).