After playing Planet Crafter I had a thirst to try some more crafting and exploring type games. Subnautica has had an amazing rating for a long time, however I ignored it for a long time thinking it was another diving type simulator game. My friend group was looking for a new cooperative to play together and somehow ended up playing this one. For a water exploration type game, I have to admit, it is pretty good.

Subnautica's gameplay is pretty solid and straight forward. The goal of the game is to survive and build enough to escape the prominently water based planet. The controls are also simple and straight forward, including all necessary movements to provide the player with maximum control. Basic controls like jumping, sprinting, interaction, and movements are included. The ability to swim and the ability to dive into the water is a pretty cool feature, and is only the start of what is in the game. As good as a swimming/diving game can get Subnautica did a good job representing that. Building in the game is simple and straight forward, and can be compared to Fallout 4's building scheme (or Raft, or Planet Crafter, etc...). The ability to rotate buildings or placing them is easy, some buildings will require a little more attention, strategy, or research to know how to properly use and place them. Building a suitable base is a bit of a challenge since most of it is designed to be underwater. The player can build up to a certain depth before the water pressure begins to close in on the structure. Again, building is relatively easy, but finding a suitable spot in addition to ensuring leaks don't occur as the base grows is an interesting challenge in itself.

Some of the basic structures include hallways, T and X hallways, glass hallways, curved glass hallways, and other structures are available upon unlocking parts found around the (sea) world. As the player explores the vast deep sea they will find parts that they are required to scan in order to acquire the blue prints. Some cool building structures include multipurpose rooms (which can house different machinery), scanner room, and something called a moonbase (which allows the player to park and charge their Seamoth - doesn't repair it for whatever reason). Materials are found all over the map, however there is generally a pattern to what the player can find. Most copper, silver, and titanium ore can be found from 0-100m depth. 100m-200m seems to house other materials depending on their biome like lead, lithium, diamond, and gold. The deeper depth sometimes have a mix of the previous two, but generally hold much more rare materials. There are different biomes within the game that host different challenges and resources. Some biomes are friendly and laid back while others are a little hostile. Some areas are extremely hostile and may have the player drop something in their pants if they're playing late at night by themselves. The dev did a solid job creating a fine balance between a mysterious and a beautiful environment.

The visuals and graphics were well done. The way the sea looks (especially while treading above water) is phenomenal. Paired with the visual of the day and night cycle makes the whole experience awesome. The water impact against structures at sea level are okay. The impact of the water itself goes up and down, but the faint splashing/mist effect after water comes into collision with something isn't quite there. Even though that particular detail is missing I have to admit even on the low graphical setting the game still looks pretty good. Every environment feels lively and as if though there is something (or maybe someone) there and going from biome to biome is made obvious not only through the environment, but the shaders and lighting. Character designs are minimal but do not in any way impede on the game. A huge addition in the visuals department is the use of beacons and being able to turn on or off any point of interest. The sounds and music were also well done. The sounds are absolutely necessary to keeping the player aware in their environment (in case they hear something odd). All required sounds are there from mining minerals to moving about in the water. The music was also really well done. Well suited to the game, to the biomes, to the atmosphere, it creates a solid mood, and most importantly it's enjoyable to listen to.

Overall, this is a pretty rock solid game whether you're into exploration and crafting type games or not. It has a bit of a learning curve at first, but once the player familiarizes themselves with the flow of the game everything becomes within reach. One small gripe I have is a lack of map (which is most likely due to almost always having one). There is something like that in the game called a scanner room, but a map would certainly help the player navigate biomes better. There is at least a compass that is available in the game. Playing this game alone can be pretty fun compared to other cooperatives. Nonetheless the cooperative feature is greatly appreciated as it adds another layer of fun into the game. Would certainly recommend purchasing the game on sale and even if its not, I'd highly suggest taking a really good look at it. For those wondering the map remains consistent and does not change every new go.

After playing Planet Crafter I had a thirst to try some more crafting and exploring type games. Subnautica has had an amazing rating for a long time, however I ignored it for a long time thinking it was another diving type simulator game. My friend group was looking for a new cooperative to play together and somehow ended up playing this one. For a water exploration type game, I have to admit, it is pretty good. Subnautica's [b]gameplay[/b] is pretty solid and straight forward. The goal of the game is to survive and build enough to escape the prominently water based planet. The [b]controls[/b] are also simple and straight forward, including all necessary movements to provide the player with maximum control. Basic [b]controls[/b] like jumping, sprinting, interaction, and movements are included. The ability to swim and the ability to dive into the water is a pretty cool feature, and is only the start of what is in the game. As good as a swimming/diving game can get Subnautica did a good job representing that. Building in the game is simple and straight forward, and can be compared to Fallout 4's building scheme (or Raft, or Planet Crafter, etc...). The ability to rotate buildings or placing them is easy, some buildings will require a little more attention, strategy, or research to know how to properly use and place them. Building a suitable base is a bit of a challenge since most of it is designed to be underwater. The player can build up to a certain depth before the water pressure begins to close in on the structure. Again, building is relatively easy, but finding a suitable spot in addition to ensuring leaks don't occur as the base grows is an interesting challenge in itself. Some of the basic structures include hallways, T and X hallways, glass hallways, curved glass hallways, and other structures are available upon unlocking parts found around the (sea) world. As the player explores the vast deep sea they will find parts that they are required to scan in order to acquire the blue prints. Some cool building structures include multipurpose rooms (which can house different machinery), scanner room, and something called a moonbase (which allows the player to park and charge their Seamoth - doesn't repair it for whatever reason). Materials are found all over the map, however there is generally a pattern to what the player can find. Most copper, silver, and titanium ore can be found from 0-100m depth. 100m-200m seems to house other materials depending on their biome like lead, lithium, diamond, and gold. The deeper depth sometimes have a mix of the previous two, but generally hold much more rare materials. There are different biomes within the game that host different challenges and resources. Some biomes are friendly and laid back while others are a little hostile. Some areas are extremely hostile and may have the player drop something in their pants if they're playing late at night by themselves. The dev did a solid job creating a fine balance between a mysterious and a beautiful environment. The [b]visuals and graphics[/b] were well done. The way the sea looks (especially while treading above water) is phenomenal. Paired with the visual of the day and night cycle makes the whole experience awesome. The water impact against structures at sea level are okay. The impact of the water itself goes up and down, but the faint splashing/mist effect after water comes into collision with something isn't quite there. Even though that particular detail is missing I have to admit even on the low graphical setting the game still looks pretty good. Every environment feels lively and as if though there is something (or maybe someone) there and going from biome to biome is made obvious not only through the environment, but the shaders and lighting. Character designs are minimal but do not in any way impede on the game. A huge addition in the visuals department is the use of beacons and being able to turn on or off any point of interest. The [b]sounds and music[/b] were also well done. The sounds are absolutely necessary to keeping the player aware in their environment (in case they hear something odd). All required sounds are there from mining minerals to moving about in the water. The music was also really well done. Well suited to the game, to the biomes, to the atmosphere, it creates a solid mood, and most importantly it's enjoyable to listen to. Overall, this is a pretty rock solid game whether you're into exploration and crafting type games or not. It has a bit of a learning curve at first, but once the player familiarizes themselves with the flow of the game everything becomes within reach. One small gripe I have is a lack of map (which is most likely due to almost always having one). There is something like that in the game called a scanner room, but a map would certainly help the player navigate biomes better. There is at least a compass that is available in the game. Playing this game alone can be pretty fun compared to other cooperatives. Nonetheless the cooperative feature is greatly appreciated as it adds another layer of fun into the game. Would certainly recommend purchasing the game on sale and even if its not, I'd highly suggest taking a really good look at it. For those wondering the map remains consistent and does not change every new go. [h1]RATING: 8.45/10[/h1] [table] [tr]       [td]Gameplay[/td]       [td]B[/td] [/tr] [tr]       [td]Story / Campaign[/td]       [td]B[/td] [/tr] [tr]       [td]Visuals / User Interface[/td]       [td]B[/td] [/tr] [tr]       [td]Sounds / Music[/td]       [td]B+[/td] [/tr] [tr]       [td]Replay-ability[/td]       [td]B[/td] [/tr] [tr]       [td]Overall [/td]       [td]B[/td] [/tr] [/table]