Why Subnautica is one of the best games I’ve played this year
By: Thomas Jenkins
Tags: Gaming, Design, Culture, Writing, Videogames

Why Subnautica is one of the best games I’ve played this year

A unique setting, an engaging story, and intentional design make this game stand out

I can count on a few fingers the number of times that playing a video game has left me truly terrified. There are a few scenes in The Last of Us and its sequel that would be on the list, as well as a few other games that boast equally scary moments. But the thing about video games is that they’re often designed so you can beat them, which means that (usually) even the biggest bad guys can be beaten down with enough time and energy.

However, there are some games where the most threatening enemies can’t be beaten. All you can do is hope to avoid them. Subnautica is one of those games (though it’s also much more, which I’ll explain below).

Subnautica is definitely not a scary game, but it has moments of pure terror and adrenaline that have already terrified me multiple times. The atmosphere in the game is incredible, and its design has kept me coming back many times. I love when video games break off from genre tropes and create something truly unique. Through its detailed setting and close commitment to engaging gameplay, Subnautica cements itself as one of those rare games.

What Subnautica is and how you play it

First, a quick description. Subnautica is an open-world (ish) survival game set on a planet where water is everywhere. The game opens as your character’s ship goes up in flames, prompting a crash landing in the middle of this mysterious ocean. The ship is beyond repair, so within a few minutes of playing you realize that long-term survival on the planet is your only hope of living. And well over 90% of that survival will take place underwater.

There isn’t much exposition — the entire opening of the game doesn’t take long at all — so you’re dropped into the world pretty quickly. There’s a list of things to find and craft, and the more you find the more opens up pretty quickly. It’s also worth noting that Subnautica is not procedurally-generated. There are dangerous, terrifying areas to find, but they’re intentionally mapped pretty far away from where you start out.

The mechanics of the game involve swimming to ever-greater depths to find materials and resources. With these in hand, you can build an underwater base, pipe in breathable air from the surface, and even build underwater vehicles. The world is tough and inhospitable, but before long you can make it much more inviting.

Why I love Subnautica

Swimming through the waves and exploring the world have been one of the most enjoyable video game experiences I’ve had in forever. Most of the planet is bright and colorful, and the varied topography of the ocean floor keeps the gameplay from getting too repetitive. There’s a sense of wonder that’s so enthralling, and even though I’ve played for several hours I don’t feel like I’ve come anywhere close to finding even half of what’s out there.

I bought Subnautica because it was on sale and because I wanted something to scratch the itch that Outer Wilds left me with a few months ago. The games are different in many ways: Outer Wilds is based purely on story, is much shorter, and is a game about exploring in space. But the themes of exploration, searching for answers, and navigating incredible worlds are present in each title.

There’s a story in Subnautica, and what I’ve found of it so far has been pretty interesting. However, it’s clearly complementary to the survival experience rather than the sole objective like it is in Outer Wilds. I have to wait for new message to come to my radio before I can progress much further, giving me plenty of time to work on my base and find materials for vehicles. When that next message comes, though, I’ll be ready.

Why Subnautica is like nothing else out there

But what I keep coming back to in Subnautica is the sense of wonder that I get by swimming through its world. The plant and sea life is so varied, so incredible, that it’s easy to see how much work went into its design. And since progression has been so well designed, I’m rarely wondering what I should build next or where I should be exploring. You can do everything at your own pace, but the game is pretty generous with hints and tips.

And the moments of pure terror are exhilarating in ways no other game can match (at least for me). I don’t play horror games often, so I’m used to levels where even the biggest bad guys will eventually be conquered. And in truth, that’s a pretty unrealistic setting for a science fiction survival game.

Here, there are underwater creatures called “leviathan class predators” that I just can’t do anything against. I can avoid them by staying in more shallow waters, but I need to go deeper to find everything and progress the story. When I see one in the distance, it reminds me how small and weak my character is. No other game has done that for me.