Subnautica: Below Zero

Subnautica: Below Zero is an open-world survival action-adventure video game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It is the sequel to the 2018 game Subnautica.

Introduced in early access via Steam and the Epic Games Store in January 2019, Subnautica: Below Zero was released for the Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on May 14, 2021. The physical versions of the game are published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Subnautica: Below Zero is a survival adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a first-person perspective. Like its predecessor, the player's goal is to explore the environments and survive in an alien environment while also completing objectives to advance the game's plot. Players collect resources, construct tools, build bases and submersibles, and can interact with the planet's wildlife.[1]

To survive and complete objectives, player must collect raw materials from the environment and craft equipment, vehicles, shelters, and food. Each of these has its own recipe, and some ingredients can only be found in the far-flung and deeper corners of the game world. Habitat structures provide shelter, storage for equipment and collected materials, and crafting stations. Inside a habitat, the player can also craft living amenities such as beds as coffee tables, although this are purely cosmetic since the game does not track fatigue.

Each piece of equipment that can be crafted has its own recipe, and the player begins the game knowing only a handful of recipes. The player learns new recipes by scanning scraps of technology or recovering databoxes, which are strewn across the game world. Alongside raw materials, finding new crafting recipes is a major reason to explore.

Generally, the game requires the player to visit ever-deeper sections of the game in order to find exotic materials, technology to scan, and complete objectives. The final objective of the game is in fact located at the very deepest point in the game world. The main issue with accessing deep sections of the water is oxygen capacity. At the start of the game, the player can only hold her breath for 45 seconds and if she dives below 100 m, she will lose oxygen at a faster rate. The player must craft equipment that will allow her to breathe underwater for longer, such as high-capacity oxygen tanks, as well as vehicles. Like habitats, vehicles provide limitless oxygen to the player, but vehicles need to be upgraded in order to survive the water pressure at great depths.

The game primarily takes place underwater, but unlike its predecessor, there are significant land-based areas to explore in the north of the game's world. There are more explorable structures to find both above ground and underwater which serve both as key locations for the story, but also for blueprints that the player can find for crafting. There is a day-night cycle which affects visibility and dynamic weather which further affects visibility, such as wind, snow, fog, and hail. In addition, the game introduces new gadgets like the Flashlight Helmet, the Mineral Detector, and the Booster Tank.[2]

Alongside returning mechanics such as oxygen, hunger, and thirst, players now have a body heat gauge which comes into play when walking on land. The player will slowly lose body heat and eventually die of cold, but they can replenish their body heat by jumping into water or standing next to a heat source. It functions much like the oxygen gauge does underwater.

Upon beginning a new game, players must select a difficulty mode from the following four:

Survival — The player must manage health, hunger, thirst, oxygen and temperature. Upon death, they respawn, but certain items are lost from their inventory. This is the "standard" game mode.

Freedom Mode — Just like survival, but with hunger and thirst disabled.

Hardcore Mode — Just like survival, but if the player dies, the player will not respawn and their save file is deleted.

Creative Mode — Health, hunger, thirst, oxygen and temperature are disabled, all the crafting blueprints are available at the start, and no resources are required to craft. Additionally, the submersibles, a Seaglide, mobile vehicle bay, knife, flashlight, habitat builder, scanner and a propulsion cannon are provided. They do not need an energy source and cannot be damaged (unless the player damages them intentionally).

Subnautica: Below Zero is an open-world survival action-adventure video game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It is the sequel to the 2018 game Subnautica.

Introduced in early access via Steam and the Epic Games Store in January 2019, Subnautica: Below Zero was released for the Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on May 14, 2021. The physical versions of the game are published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Subnautica: Below Zero is a survival adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a first-person perspective. Like its predecessor, the player's goal is to explore the environments and survive in an alien environment while also completing objectives to advance the game's plot. Players collect resources, construct tools, build bases and submersibles, and can interact with the planet's wildlife.[1]

To survive and complete objectives, player must collect raw materials from the environment and craft equipment, vehicles, shelters, and food. Each of these has its own recipe, and some ingredients can only be found in the far-flung and deeper corners of the game world. Habitat structures provide shelter, storage for equipment and collected materials, and crafting stations. Inside a habitat, the player can also craft living amenities such as beds as coffee tables, although this are purely cosmetic since the game does not track fatigue.

Each piece of equipment that can be crafted has its own recipe, and the player begins the game knowing only a handful of recipes. The player learns new recipes by scanning scraps of technology or recovering databoxes, which are strewn across the game world. Alongside raw materials, finding new crafting recipes is a major reason to explore.

Generally, the game requires the player to visit ever-deeper sections of the game in order to find exotic materials, technology to scan, and complete objectives. The final objective of the game is in fact located at the very deepest point in the game world. The main issue with accessing deep sections of the water is oxygen capacity. At the start of the game, the player can only hold her breath for 45 seconds and if she dives below 100 m, she will lose oxygen at a faster rate. The player must craft equipment that will allow her to breathe underwater for longer, such as high-capacity oxygen tanks, as well as vehicles. Like habitats, vehicles provide limitless oxygen to the player, but vehicles need to be upgraded in order to survive the water pressure at great depths.

The game primarily takes place underwater, but unlike its predecessor, there are significant land-based areas to explore in the north of the game's world. There are more explorable structures to find both above ground and underwater which serve both as key locations for the story, but also for blueprints that the player can find for crafting. There is a day-night cycle which affects visibility and dynamic weather which further affects visibility, such as wind, snow, fog, and hail. In addition, the game introduces new gadgets like the Flashlight Helmet, the Mineral Detector, and the Booster Tank.[2]

Alongside returning mechanics such as oxygen, hunger, and thirst, players now have a body heat gauge which comes into play when walking on land. The player will slowly lose body heat and eventually die of cold, but they can replenish their body heat by jumping into water or standing next to a heat source. It functions much like the oxygen gauge does underwater.

Upon beginning a new game, players must select a difficulty mode from the following four:

Survival — The player must manage health, hunger, thirst, oxygen and temperature. Upon death, they respawn, but certain items are lost from their inventory. This is the "standard" game mode.

Freedom Mode — Just like survival, but with hunger and thirst disabled.

Hardcore Mode — Just like survival, but if the player dies, the player will not respawn and their save file is deleted.

Creative Mode — Health, hunger, thirst, oxygen and temperature are disabled, all the crafting blueprints are available at the start, and no resources are required to craft. Additionally, the submersibles, a Seaglide, mobile vehicle bay, knife, flashlight, habitat builder, scanner and a propulsion cannon are provided. They do not need an energy source and cannot be damaged (unless the player damages them intentionally).