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Subnautica

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Subnautica
Cover art
Developer(s)Unknown Worlds Entertainment[a]
Publisher(s)Unknown Worlds Entertainment[b]
Director(s)Charlie Cleveland
Producer(s)Hugh Jeremy
Designer(s)Charlie Cleveland
Programmer(s)
  • Charlie Cleveland
  • Steven An
  • Max McGuire
  • Jonas Bötel
Artist(s)
  • Cory Strader
  • Brian Cummings
  • Scott MacDonald
Writer(s)Tom Jubert
Composer(s)Simon Chylinski
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • macOS, Windows
  • January 23, 2018
  • PS4, Xbox One
  • December 4, 2018
  • NS, PS5, Series X/S
  • May 14, 2021
Genre(s)Action-adventure, survival
Mode(s)Single-player

Subnautica is a 2018 action-adventure survival game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The player controls Ryley Robinson, a survivor of a spaceship crash on an alien oceanic planet, which they are free to explore. The main objectives are to find essential resources, survive the local flora and fauna, and find a way to escape the planet.

Subnautica was released in early access for Windows in December 2014, macOS in June 2015, and Xbox One in May 2016. The game was released out of early access in January 2018 for macOS and Windows, with versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in December 2018. The physical console versions were published by Gearbox Publishing. The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S versions were released in May 2021. It received generally positive reviews from critics and sold over 5 million units by January 2020. A spin-off, Subnautica: Below Zero, which was originally meant to be downloadable content for the base game, was released in May 2021. A direct sequel, Subnautica 2, is planned to release in early access sometime in 2025.

Gameplay

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In Subnautica, players can commandeer submersibles to explore the game's ocean planet.

Subnautica is a survival action-adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a first-person perspective. The player controls the lone survivor of the crashed spacecraft known as The Aurora, Ryley Robinson, as he is stranded on a remote ocean planet known as 4546B.

The main objective is to explore the ocean and survive its dangers, while completing tasks to advance the plot. Players can collect resources and blueprints, construct tools, build bases and submersibles, and interact with the planet's wildlife. Some of the most extreme dangers to the player include but not limited to: Crabsquids, Warpers, Mesmers, Bonesharks, Ampeels, Stalkers, Crashfish, and Leviathan-class lifeforms like the Reaper, Sea Dragon and Ghost Leviathans.[1][2][3]

The majority of the game is set underwater, with two explorable islands, and a simulated day-and-night cycle that affects visibility, along with an eclipse that happens on a frequent occasion. Upon beginning a new game, players are given an option between four difficulty modes:

  • In survival mode, the player manages their depleting health, hunger, thirst and oxygen. If the player dies, they respawn, but certain items are removed from their inventory.
  • In freedom mode, gameplay is near-identical to that of survival mode, but without hunger and thirst.
  • In hardcore mode, gameplay includes permanent death. If the player dies, they do not respawn, and their save file is instead permanently deleted. Additionally, the player does not receive warnings of low oxygen levels as they would in other modes.
  • In creative mode, all depleting characteristics, such as health and thirst, are removed, all blueprints are unlocked, and the player can craft without needing resources. Additionally, the submersibles, a stasis rifle, a Seaglide, a mobile vehicle bay, and a propulsion cannon are provided, which do not need an energy source to operate, and are immune to crush depth.

The game supports VR headsets, such as the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, with the additional input of a keyboard and mouse or game controller.[4]

Plot

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While searching for minerals, the spaceship Degasi crashes on the ocean world 4546B. Three of its crew survive. They eventually succumb to illness, and are killed when a Reaper Leviathan attacks their habitat. 10 years later, the spaceship Aurora crash-lands on 4546B. Ryley Robinson escapes onto the planet with a lifepod. He attempts to contact other survivors, but discovers he is the only one left. He is contacted by trading ship Sunbeam, responding to the Aurora's SOS. When the Sunbeam attempts to rescue Ryley, it is shot down by an alien construct.

Ryley investigates the construct and learns that an alien race, the Architects, have placed the planet under quarantine. They constructed a Quarantine Enforcement Platform, shooting down any ships attempting to enter or leave the planet. Ryley attempts to disable the gun but learns he is infected with the Kharaa Bacterium, preventing him from doing so. Alien creatures known as Warpers begin to hunt him. Onboard the Aurora's wreck, he uses the ship's transponder to receive blueprints for an escape rocket. He begins experiencing hallucinations of a mysterious creature.

Ryley ventures deeper into 4546B. He discovers an alien research facility where the Warpers, actually quarantine enforcement units, were built. He learns that 1000 years ago, the Architects brought Kharaa to 4546B to look for a cure. Venturing deeper to find a possible vaccine, he discovers the Sea Emperor, a massive creature, who has been telepathically communicating with Ryley through the hallucinations. The last of its kind, the Architects attempted to harness Enzyme 42 from it for use as a cure, but the Sea Emperor was too old and feeble. They attempted to force its offspring to hatch, but they died soon after. The Architects mysteriously vanished, and the Sea Emperor has been trapped in an aquarium since.

After activating a teleporter to enable the Sea Emperor's young to leave, the Sea Emperor gives Ryley the knowledge of how to make hatching enzymes. Using them, the Sea Emperor younglings hatch and secrete Enzyme 42, curing Ryley and the ocean as a whole. Finally at peace, the Sea Emperor wishes Ryley farewell and dies. A now-cured Ryley disables the Quarantine Enforcement Platform and escapes the planet in the rocket. As he is doing so, he receives one final telepathic message from the Sea Emperor.

In a post-credits scene, Ryley's PDA notifies him he will not be allowed to land until his debt of 1 trillion credits for the use of Alterra resources is paid off.

Development

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Charlie Cleveland and Jonas Boetel presenting at the Game Developers Conference 2019

Subnautica was announced by Unknown Worlds Entertainment on December 17, 2013,[1] with Charlie Cleveland as the director and lead gameplay programmer, and Hugh Jeremy as the producer.[5] The music is composed by Simon Chylinski.[6]

Cleveland was heavily inspired by Minecraft, which he noted "transformed the game industry" and "threw away all traditional challenge oriented and progression oriented games". The release of Minecraft overlapped with Unknown Worlds releasing Natural Selection 2. Feeling exhausted, the team wanted to try something new and decided to make such a game.[7] Other influences included scuba diving, the filmography of James Cameron, and "just the feeling of exploring the deep, dark, alternately beautiful and terrible, ocean depths. Feeling like I’m an explorer, almost an astronaut, not knowing what I’ll find".[8] Cleveland did not initially view it as a survival game but as an exploration game.[8]

The development team opted to use the Unity engine rather than Spark, the engine used for the company's previous game, Natural Selection 2. Subnautica producer Hugh Jeremy justified this decision because of the different demands that the game places on the engine, and "because [the team] does not include people working on Spark, it's not appropriate for Subnautica to use Spark. By using Unity for Subnautica, Spark can continue to develop in certain directions, while Subnautica develops in others. To use Spark for Subnautica would be like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole."[9]

The game lacks the traditional mission or quest structure usually found in video games. This was a deliberate choice; Cleveland stated "with intrinsic rewards, people are instead encouraged to just do the activities for their own merit, less people would be motivated to do it. But, if they did get over that learning period they would get to the point where they internalized that activity as pleasurable on its own and they would continue".[10] Cleveland opted for this after reading an essay by Jamie Cheng who implemented similar philosophies into his game Don't Starve.[10]

Early access versions of Subnautica were released on Steam Early Access on December 16, 2014[11] and on Xbox One Preview on May 17, 2016.[12][13][14] During this initial release the game featured no hunger or thirst mechanics. After receiving criticism, specifically from one player whose critique "struck home for me", the team opted to include such a system eventually discovering that it helped players orient themselves to the early parts of the game.[8] The full version of the game was released on January 23, 2018, for macOS and Windows personal computers,[15][16] and on December 4, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.[17] The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game and a spin-off, called Subnautica: Below Zero, were released on May 14, 2021.[18][19][20][21] Previously, Below Zero was released in early access on January 30, 2019.[22][23][24]

Reception

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Subnautica received positive pre-release reception. Ian Birnbaum of PC Gamer described Subnautica as an "underwater Minecraft", remarking that "with an experienced developer at the helm and a limitless variety of the oceans to play with, it's going to take a lot for Subnautica to go badly wrong. As the toolbox gets deeper and the shape of the end-game gets set, Subnautica will be a unique example of the ways survival can be tense, rewarding, and fun."[2] Marsh Davies of Rock, Paper, Shotgun praised the rewarding nature of exploring the world of Subnautica, but criticized the "arbitrariness" and lack of intuition in some of the in-game recipes.[36]

At launch, the game received "generally positive reviews" on all platforms according to review aggregator Metacritic.[25][26][27]

By January 2020, more than 5.23 million copies had been sold across all platforms, excluding free copies given as part of promotions.[37]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2018 Golden Joystick Awards Best Visual Design Nominated [38][39][40]
Best Audio Design Nominated
Breakthrough Award (Unknown Worlds) Won
PC Game of the Year Won
Ultimate Game of the Year Nominated
Gamers' Choice Awards Fan Favorite Indie Game Won [41]
2019 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Nominated [42]
National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards Game of the Year Nominated [43]
Sound Effects Nominated
15th British Academy Games Awards Original Property Nominated [44]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Console versions co-developed by Panic Button
  2. ^ Physical versions published by Gearbox Publishing

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Carlson, Patrick (December 17, 2013). "Natural Selection 2 developer Unknown Worlds announces ocean-based Subnautica". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Birnbaum, Ian (January 9, 2015). "Subnautica: Early impressions of Minecraft under the sea". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  3. ^ Jeremy, Hugh (December 2013). "Subnautica: Descend into the Depths". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  4. ^ "Subnautica Review - Surviving A Whole New World Of Wonder". January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Jeremy, Hugh (December 17, 2013). "The Crew of Subnautica". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  6. ^ "About Unknown Worlds". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  7. ^ Unknown Worlds (December 4, 2018). Making of Subnautica - Charlie Cleveland - Game Direction. YouTube.
  8. ^ a b c Shubhankar, Parijat. "Subnautica Interview – A Conversation About The Game's Console Launch, and More". Gaming Bolt. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Jeremy, Hugh (December 18, 2013). "Why is Subnautica using Unity, and not the Spark Engine?". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Shepherd, Henry (January 23, 2018). "How Subnautica's community helped create an underwater world dying to be explored". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (December 17, 2014). "Natural Selection 2 dev's Subnautica is out now on Steam Early Access". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  12. ^ Santangelo, Nick (December 23, 2015). "Subnautica is now in development for Xbox One". XBLA Fans. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  13. ^ "Subnautica Xbox Preview Releases on 17 May - Subnautica". Subnautica. May 16, 2016. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  14. ^ "Subnautica (Xbox Game Preview) Is Now Available For Xbox One". Xbox Live's Major Nelson. May 16, 2016. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  15. ^ Chalk, Andy (January 9, 2018). "Subnautica will finally leave Early Access later this month". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  16. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (January 24, 2018). "Underwater, open-world adventure game Subnautica has been released for PC". VG247. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Fischer, Tyler (November 18, 2018). "'Subnautica' PS4 Release Date Revealed". Comic Book. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "All-new Subnautica: Below Zero gameplay revealed in State of Play". PlayStation.Blog. April 29, 2021. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Kalina, David (May 14, 2021). "Subnautica: Below Zero is Now Available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S". Xbox Wire. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "Subnautica for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details". Nintendo. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "'Subnautica: Below Zero' devs defend the sequel's riskiest change". Inverse. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  22. ^ Holt, Kris (August 18, 2020). "'Subnautica' arrives on Nintendo Switch in early 2021". Engadget. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Romano, Sal (August 18, 2020). "Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero coming to Switch in early 2021". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  24. ^ Shabana, Arif (January 30, 2019). "Subnautica: Below Zero Out Now as Early Access Title". IGN. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  25. ^ a b "Subnautica for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  26. ^ a b "Subnautica for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Subnautica for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "Subnautica review: "I haven't felt this petrified in a video game since Resident Evil 7"". GamesRadar+. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  29. ^ "Review: Subnautica". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  30. ^ "Subnautica Review". IGN. January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  31. ^ "Subnautica Review: A Water Wonderland". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  32. ^ "Subnautica review". PC Gamer. January 29, 2018. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  33. ^ "Subnautica A Sea Of Infinite Possibility". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  34. ^ "Mini Review: Subnautica - A Wondrous Trip Under The Sea". Nintendo Life. May 11, 2021. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  35. ^ "Subnautica (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  36. ^ Davies, Marsh (January 5, 2015). "Premature Evaluation: Subnautica". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  37. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (January 14, 2020). "Subnautica has sold over 5m copies". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  38. ^ Hoggins, Tom (September 24, 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  39. ^ Andronico, Michael (October 26, 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards: Vote for Ultimate Game of the Year". Tom's Guide. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  40. ^ Sheridan, Connor (November 16, 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  41. ^ "2018 Gamers' Choice Awards". Gamers' Choice Awards. December 9, 2018. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  42. ^ Makuch, Eddie (January 10, 2019). "God Of War, Spider-Man Lead DICE Awards; Here's All The Nominees". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  43. ^ "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  44. ^ Fogel, Stefanie (March 14, 2019). "'God of War,' 'Red Dead 2' Lead BAFTA Game Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
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