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I’ve never enjoyed games that focus on survival mechanics. I find them dull, and I lack the motivation to explore their vast worlds as there is no thread to tug on, no incentive to make we want more. Subnautica Below Zero changed that for me. This survival game pushed me to explore and urged me to craft as I followed its engaging plot.
Fans of the first game, Subnautica, will be able to make comparisons and may view Below Zero as an enjoyable expansion. But for a newcomer, like me, Below Zero is enthralling!
“Alterra” Motives
Unlike other survival games I’ve played, Below Zero starts with a plot. The main character, Robin is making her way down to planet 4546B to investigate her sister's death. Her sister, Sam, worked for Alterra and supposedly died on the job due to negligence. Robin, knowing her sister better, is ready to discover what this shady company is really hiding.
However, Robin’s arrival on the planet doesn’t go smoothly and she ends up crash landing on the icy surface. From this point, she must explore, craft and build a base to survive the planet’s harsh climates. Unlike the first game, Below Zero has areas of land to explore but the weather is deadly, and you’ll find yourself freezing to death. But most of the game still takes place underwater which is inhabited by terrifying creatures.
As you explore, you’ll find audio logs which tell the story of the Alterra expedition. It’s a great way to unravel the plot and piece the mystery together yourself. Exploring different areas will unlock new information and I was always hungry to know more.
Alongside this storyline, Robin also discovers a mysterious transmission which turns out to be an alien lifeform named AL-AN. This story runs parallel to your sisters as you try to help AL-AN build a body for himself so he can escape the planet.
One story is personal and the other takes players deeper into the lore of Subnautica. It was the addition of these that made me continue playing Below Zero and fall in love with the survival genre.
Surviving Subnautica
Like most survival games, you will have primary functions to take care of. You must keep yourself topped up on water, food and O2. When outside you must also watch Robin’s temperature as she can die from hypothermia. Some players might find these stressful to manage, so there is an option to turn them off. However, I loved this aspect of Subnautica as you always had to keep track of where your next meal was. There were plenty of times I found myself desperately chasing Bladderfish as they gave me water. For a planet made of water, finding something to drink was difficult.
As you explore more, you learn to build new tools and you find new materials to craft with. This added a nice progression. You’re rewarded with exploring and the game gets easier as you build better tools. The snag with this, is finding new gear. To build new items, players must scan broken items around the map which will form a blueprint. I spent ages without the Seaglide as I never scanned all the parts. This slowed down my progress as I couldn’t travel very far. This was frustrating as there was no guide to tell me what to do or how to build it. Thankfully, I had access to Youtube and looked it up. One thing Below Zero doesn’t do, is hold your hand through the gameplay mechanics.
Additionally, base building is really fun to mess around with. My main base currently has a 3-story aquarium, and I love placing eggs in it and seeing what hatches. Yet Below Zero is lacking on customisation. After 15 hours I felt like I’d scanned everything, and I had nothing else to populate my bases with. There aren’t many assets to make each base unique. This was my main gripe with Below Zero. I wanted to spend more time crafting and creating great spaces underwater. Sadly, there aren’t many room options or items to place.
But Below Zero isn’t all about crafting. It's also about dodging the creatures which roam the ocean floor. This isn’t a fighting game. You don’t have tools which will kill monstrous Leviathans. Instead, you must lay low or speed away in the Seatruck. Even after building the Prawn Suit, I didn’t find myself firing off many missiles. Not being able to fight, adds to Below Zero’s atmosphere. You are always looking over your shoulder and for the first few hours you’ll find your hands tensely gripped on the controller. And in my case, my finger was never too far from the pause button.
Surviving Subnautica is a juggling act. At the start of the game, I was barely getting by. Robin was at deaths door a lot! Mainly because I couldn’t find enough food and water. But as you progress through the game, surviving gets easier and you can explore with relative ease. Lack of oxygen always remains a threat even once you craft the huge oxygen tank. There was an underwater ship that I got lost on a few times which resulted in many untimely deaths.
Beautiful Biomes
Below Zero’s map is smaller than its predecessor but it's extremely detailed. Each biome has its own distinctive look and feel. From the famous Twisty Bridges to the Vent Garden. Players will start to know there way around the world despite not having a map.
Underwater locations are beautiful and as you travel into the depths the darkness can be very isolating. That being said, the surface of this game was bleak and made the water feel safer. I spent a large proportion of the game on the frozen surface dodging Ice Worms, and I longed to be back below the water. Which was a mad thought when it’s filled with roaring Cryptosuchus.
The sound design is also superb! At times, Below Zero can really freak you out. At the start of my journey, when I had no gear, each roar and groan of the creatures had me pausing the game or fleeing back to base. The sounds were ferocious, and the 3D audio design meant you could locate where they were coming from. The soundtrack also built upon feelings of isolation and terror. I can't praise the audio enough! It created an incredible atmosphere and really took Subnautica Below Zero to the next level.
Due to its graphical design, Subnautica Below Zero can experience frame dips on the Nintendo Switch but it runs well on PC and console platforms.
Final Verdict
Subnautica Below Zero was one of those games I couldn’t put down. After 30 hours I was watching the credits roll. It's not a long game if you chase the story but you can take your time exploring the world for as long as you like.
I had lots of fun building bases all around the map and seeing how close I could build them to the lethal Leviathans. Building an Ice Worm observatory was always risky as they could sometimes clip into the base and take a chunk of your health.
As a newcomer to the series, Planet 4546B was completely new to me and its isolating watery depths terrifying. For those who have spent hours on Subnautica, Below Zero might seem like an expansion as its map and runtime are smaller. There are fewer areas to explore and fewer Leviathans creeping about. That being said, Below Zero delivers a more engaging experience and each biome is well designed and populated. There wasn’t much empty space in this game. In fact, the empty space, named the void, contained some nasty surprises.
Overall, Subnautica Below Zero is a fantastic game. I’ve never had so much fun exploring a world and screaming as Shadow Leviathans appear out of nowhere. I had a great time shouting after Sea Monkeys before eventually befriending them. The game has moments of terror but as you build bases and advance your tools you feel as if you are leaving your mark on this solitary world.
A must-have for fans and a great introduction for newcomers of the survival genre.