“Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in this region. Are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?”
Subnautica is one of my favourite games in history, and I’ve only played it twice. Spoilers ahead, of course.
Let’s get this out the way. This game terrifies me. I do not consider myself to be a man afraid of the ocean; she and I have been entangled in a long-term affair. But the ocean in Subnautica? Suddenly, yes, I am afraid.
I’ve been watching a lot of content about this game lately! Special mention to this video and also this video, which were the start of me spending 2 days consuming every inch of newer Subnautica content I could. I think it speaks to how good this game is that 11 years after the first early access release and 7 years after the full release, people are still making new content regularly.
There is something just so brilliant about it. It’s a game you can tell has had immense love and care and time put into it. That intro sequence, the panic of putting the fire in your lifepod out, and then climbing that ladder to stand on top of said pod and assess your situation. The cutscene of you seeing the ruined Aurora for the first time, looking around you and realising there is no land. Nothing in view except you, your pod, the Aurora, and water. It’s such an effective way to get you to go “well, shit”. I LOVE it.
One of the things that I think makes Subnautica so good is the way it forces you to step outside of your comfort zone if you want to progress. I’ve played my way through a lot of horror games, I like horror, and nothing has ever scared me as much as the realisation that I…do not get the choice to stay in the Safe Shallows. Subnautica is not horror, it is terror. It is not the fear of what’s there, it’s the fear of what could be there. The realisation that I must first go to the Aurora…and then deeper.
Nothing will beat that feeling of pure dread when I first made it to the lost river in my little Seamoth. And then the discovery that the lost river WASN’T EVEN THE LOWEST POINT. WASN’T EVEN THAT CLOSE. HORRIFYING, MAN. I remember distinctly thinking…”fuck”. Because, well, the story is so good, so engaging, that I really knew that I had no choice. Yeah, sure, I could’ve closed the game, never went back, and just re-watched Markiplier’s playthrough from episode 33 when he actually starts playing the full game. But…I didn’t want to. Part of the reason this game is so good is because you realise Very quickly that you need to experience it for yourself, that no matter how scared you are, you have to work through the story yourself. And, of course, the biomes are so gorgeous that I knew I had to see them myself.
On the note of the biomes! My GOD are they stunning. Wow. The lost river is my favourite; I think I’m definitely not alone in that opinion. But I cannot name a single biome that I dislike. Well…except for the Mountains and the Dunes. What the fuck do you mean there’s 8 Reaper Leviathans in one biome. I think the fuck not, thank you and fuck you. They’re still beautiful biomes, I just…don’t wanna man.
The sound design is SO fucking evil. The music is so beautiful, my god. And then the noises. Climbing out of your pod for the first time, looking around the Shallows, and hearing all kinds of horrifying creature sounds. That fateful first time I got near the Aurora and heard the Reaper Leviathan roar I nearly shit my pants I’m so serious. The PDA voice is so fun, and can really add some terror sometimes.
I’ve loved this game for a long time, and I will continue to love it. I mentioned Markiplier’s playthrough earlier, but I want to highlight one more incredible series: Neebs Gaming’s. Taking a relatively lonely feeling game and adding well-done voice acting and roleplay to add a whole new layer to the story is so good. I’ve seen it several times, and I’ll probably re-watch it soon once more. Funnily enough, I’ve never watched anything else they’ve made on their channel. This sole series, however, I love so very much. So, imagine my joy when I was playing the game, and discovered an easter egg in which Appsro and Neebs have a funny little chat about sandwiches in a recorded voice message.
On the note of content creation, I’d like to talk about the second time I played Subnautica for a sec. I’ve not really mentioned it on this site before, but I had a phase where I streamed on Twitch. Yeah, yeah, I know, but it was really fun. By the time I came around to streaming this game, I had a little community built up who tuned in to watch me play whatever, and god did they enjoy Subnautica. I had a free sound redemption thing, which included some loud sounds meant to jumpscare me, and there’s several funny clips of me shitting myself at a sound someone played while also shitting myself in-game. I won’t share them here – my time of streaming is long-over now, a bygone, almost-forgotten era. Just wanted to mention it because it was an entirely different way to play the game compared to my first, and I loved it just as much.
Anyway, I love this game. It has stuck itself to me in a way not too many games can. This shrine is unfinished, as I want to add a lot more of my thoughts on the biomes and sound design. But I need to go shower and live my life for a while, so that is a task for later. Thanks for listening.
Gif credits to