Subnautica

Subnautica is a single player open-world survival action game where the goal is to survive and thrive.

The Plot

You play as Ryley Robinson, a Janitor, aboard the capital ship dubbed "The Aurora". Suddenly the ship begins to fail, and you manage to get to a life pod by yourself. When the life pod ejects, you crash down onto the surface of an alien planet. When you look out of your life pod, there's nothing before your eyes but water for hundreds of thousands of miles and you are alone. But perhaps, if you consider what lurks below the depths of the abyss, maybe you aren't.

The Gameplay

As mentioned before, Subnautica is an open-world survival action game, where there is a lot of crafting. When you start your adventure on this alien ocean planet (This planet also being known as 4546B), you start out with almost nothing, and the life pod I mentioned previously serves as your starter base. From there you must dive into what this game has to offer, literally, you have to dive out of the life pod into the open ocean. From there you must collect resources and build tools to assist you along the way. While you are doing so, the story kicks in. Eventually, you will build a scanner device, which will allow you to scan blueprints of various tools, items, and destroyed vehicle pieces often found in wrecks from The Aurora scattered along the bottom of the ocean. From these wrecks you can craft various vehicles such as multiple types of submarines, and even a mech that walks along the ocean floor. There are many secrets, so EXPLORE! The game is visually stunning; it is like eye candy. So many diverse locations, anywhere from the thriving bioluminescent mushroom forest to the barren dark wastelands and anything in-between, there's a perfect spot for you. The beauty of the flora and fauna is almost jaw dropping. Even just being able to swim around is a real treat.

As mentioned previously, there is a story, but it is also open world, so you are allowed to go where you want, when you want, but the story makes it so you go way deeper than you could before, due to getting various kits and tools by completing story-based objectives. The base building in the game is great! But not perfect, it allows you to do so much, but it does feel a tad limited. You can build your base anywhere you want; the game does not limit you. Do you want to build your base near the surface of the water in front a beautiful reef? Go right ahead. Do you want to build a base near the giant eldritch scary fish monster in the abyss? Sure, why not subject yourself to horrors 24/7. Before you say anything, yes there are many sea monsters and they are diverse, none is like the one that came before it and it will not be like the next you encounter. When first starting out on your adventure, you will be in a warm and inviting area, similar to that of a tropical ocean, where the animals are almost all friendly, but this does not last. You get to explore areas that induces fear, you will be in caves, and open oceans where you can't really see what's in front of you, the darkness and the emptiness is not forgiving, and you will encounter creatures that could only be described as Primordial.

Negatives

I have already brought this up, but the base building is a little bit limited, there is absolutely no multiplayer (ignoring mods), and the story takes a second to get going, it certainly has a slow burn but has a massive payoff in the end.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy survival video games such as Grounded, Raft, or No Man's Sky, and you enjoy pushing the boundaries of what you thought you could go through as a gamer, this is the perfect game for you. Subnautica uses your own primal phobias and biology against you, employing methods like thalassophobia, isolation, and claustrophobia, however it's very rewarding and truly a game I wish I could experience again for the first time. The game is psychologically scary, however, most importantly IT IS FUN, and satisfying. The soundtrack is killer, the ambience is astounding, the story has quite a few twists and turns, the vehicles are exciting. Truly, I consider it to be a pillar of what a game should be and how great video games can be. This game has stood the test of time and is one of the greats.