![]() The world of the original Subnautica was a dangerous and terrifying place. For me, this is counter the best thing about the original.Īnother problem with Below Zero is that it lacks teeth, literally. It wants you to listen to what Robin has to say, and to experience what is in front of them. Below Zero sets a precedent that it doesn't want you to be the pilot anymore. In the original game you could miss the sunbeam getting shot down because you chose to not show up to the rendezvous or find the floating islands early with a keen eye. It's now the player acting out the will of the story. It's no longer the player being autonomous here. In Below zero the intro cutscene features a brief talk where the main character introduces her motivations, a crash landing, and when you gain control over Robin you are put in front of a corridor that when you travel down Robin tells you that you should get in the water and find your survival pod. This is not the case in Below Zero, and I strongly dislike it. ![]() The original game did not put blinders on you and tell you where to go or make decisions for you. ![]() To avoid going too deep into the weeds I'll be brief from here. You are presented with a problem, a raging fire inside the cab, a tool to pick up and use to fix it, and are let go to pick your path into the big blue ocean. In the former, you gain control over your silent vessel and immediately have complete control over your actions. Both Subnautica and Below Zero start with a crash landing. It was merely a vessel for the player, and it worked. Previously, the player character might as well have not been a character. This is a really big problem for me, but to understand why I have to talk about the original Subnautica for a moment. The player character, Robin Ayou, is fully voice acted and has a personality and will of her own. My first qualm with the game is one of the first things you will notice after starting your save, and funnily enough it is one of the very things I praised in the previous paragraph. Every facet of the presentation comes together to make a game that will constantly make you say "that's gorgeous" and pick your jaw off the ground before returning to the task at hand. Geothermal vents rumble, silt shifts, sea monkeys chatter outside while you snuggle close to the jukebox speaker in your newly built arctic base. These environments are made even more breathtaking by the stellar sound design. Each bioluminescent biome is unique and gorgeous with vibrant colors, stark contrast, and a haunting stillness. ![]() The eyes are not left wanting either, because the undersea world is a treat to behold. Whether it's a back-and-forth conversation about the legacy a human leaves behind, or a pre-recorded Human Resources interrogation, all of Below Zero's dialogue was compelling and kept me listening. Below Zero features a diverse cast of likeable and interesting characters who are all given convincing and entertaining performances by their respective voice actors and actresses. Unknown Worlds Entertainment are masters of presentation at this point. ![]()
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