![]() These land-based zones should be high points. The drones can squeeze into tunnels to grab resources, and bravely snatch a handful of Snow Stalker fur. I also love the idea of piloting a remote-control Spy Pengling that can blend in with the natural world. In theory, I like the idea of needing to keep my temperature up by ducking into caves during a horrible storm, deploying a Thumper to keep the pesky Snow Worms at bay, and zipping across the Arctic Spires on my Snowfox hover-bike. My advice for the snowy areas is to take your time to truly understand their winding layouts, and, if nothing else, leave some well-placed beacons so you can find your way back to the ocean. I kept trying to foolishly rush through them, which only got me more turned around. ![]() As much as I dig the wintery ambiance, the ice-covered areas are cooler to look at than they are to play. Then there’s the greatly expanded on-foot gameplay, which is where Below Zero‘s snowy theme and story are the strongest. Even as someone who went hard on the last game, I was consistently caught off-guard. From lush kelp forests to deep blue jelly fields to purple hydrothermal vents and unsettling cave systems, the scenery is begging to be fully explored. The tool gets phased out once you have a large oxygen tank and a submersible Seatruck, but early on, I used it every chance I got.Ībove all, Below Zero nails the incredible otherworldly landscape and creature designs that made the first Subnautica such a treasure. I kind of adore the Air Bladder, a sort of “oh shit I’m about to drown” emergency option that launches you toward the surface. In terms of pure helpfulness, the handheld Mineral Detector is a godsend when you know you’re in the right area for a resource but you can’t quite spot it. No spoilers!īelow Zero reuses many key items like the Scanner, Repair Tool, and Habitat Builder, and also adds a few new playthings like the Thumper, a device that will immediately make sense to Dune fans. I particularly liked Robin’s banter with an entity known as Al-An during the back half. The voice acting is a step up in general, to the point where I didn’t want to skip any audio recordings I found in the world. Robin takes everything in stride, and while she’s determined as hell, she mostly keeps it light. I thought the quiet adventurer approach worked well enough last time given the way Subnautica‘s narrative slowly came into focus piece by piece by scanning ruins and artifacts, but for Below Zero‘s more immediate and personally motivated story, there had to be back-and-forth. That said, Robin speaks her mind she isn’t a silent protagonist. Was it really negligence? That’s the official line from Alterra, anyway.Ĭompared to the first game, the story in Subnautica: Below Zero has less of a “lone survivor” feeling, although you won’t meet many characters face-to-face, and there are definitely still lengthy periods where you’ll soak in the chilled-out music and ambient wildlife noises rather than have full-on conversations or fire up audio logs. Before her accident, Sam had been working in an icy region known as Sector Zero. Ancient aliens, a nigh-unstoppable disease, and a power-hungry corporation all fit into the bigger picture. You play as Robin, a xenologist who sneaks onto Planet 4546B to learn the truth about her big sister Sam only to find out that this isn’t just some oceanic planet with freaky little cute penguins roaming around. The events of this space-faring story are once again set in motion with a crash landing, but this time, it was intentional - sort of. It’s sort of like a condensed, refined, and more character-driven take on the original Subnautica, set in a frigid corner of the same planet. ![]() ![]() You can think of this full game as a complementary yet standalone experience. Subnautica: Below Zero takes a lot of cues from its predecessor, and there are even story threads across both games, but you don’t need to have played Subnautica (though I recommend it).
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