Have you been spending hours trying to pass a level? Or maybe you are completely addicted to a newly bought game. Do you have a question about a game or would like to share something else? In the Weekly Discussion Thread, you can do it all!
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I’m playing Subnautica: Below Zero and I’m enjoying it very much. Even compared to the first one. It even runs better on my modest rig and I don’t mind the new additions as much as some people seemingly did. Playing those games without checking infos/wikis on the net is what make them specials imo (just like Outer Wilds). It’s all about the sense of wonder and figuring out stuff by yourself.
How does the exploration feel? I loved the original Subnautica but reviews of Below Zero turned me off.
To add: I thought Below Zero felt more “designed” than the original. The biomes feel less natural, the progression is a bit more obvious, the story guides you along quite a bit more. Even just the vehicle progression makes it a little less satisfying to explore around—finding a route to get the cyclops through small cave systems was just amazing.
I ended up treating it more like a game and less like a survival sandbox, if that makes sense. I was given goals rather than finding them.
If subnautica is like 10% above ground and 90% underwater exploration, then Below zero is closer to 50/50 split. Personally I was hoping for more underwater exploration and felt pretty disappointed by below zero because there wasn’t enough of what IMO made the original great.
I still halfway through, but I feel like the map is more compact, which I personnaly don’t mind. I understand why people would consider it a (fully fleshed) expansion though. Just like the first, I still have those “holy shit” moments when discovering a new biome or something of importance. It also took me a long time to get going in the first time, and I appreciate the fact to be far more efficient right from the start. The above water areas are not that bad imo. Oh, and the sound design is still amazing.