tl;dr: More of the great environments and collect-craft loop that the original Subnautica gave, Below Zero is a worthy companion game even if not a worthy successor. This game started out as DLC and that scope is reflected in the final product: lots of interesting new areas and creatures, but it is smaller and the land portion could have been ditched (not even replaced) without losing much. The story is good, but know that the larger cast (including NPCs!) gives a much different vibe than the lost-isolationist atmosphere that was a core part of the original.

Whether you, a fan of the original, should get this largely boils down to if the player-against-the-world feeling of the first was the main reason you loved it or not. If it was, this might disappoint and you should wait for a discount. If not--or if you even hated the relative silence--then you'll get great enjoyment out of this.

I feel it's important to address the story immediately. The planet, the general mechanics, and most items are carry-overs from Subnautica, so the largest changes are the story and the environments. Subnautica was an astounding game for these two reasons: the story there was largely optional, told through PDAs and delayed broadcasts, making it largely about the player surviving and trying to figure out how to leave. Each new biome you discovered was an absolute treat, from the features to the caverns to the critters (and those PDAs/broadcasts were helpful in guiding the player towards new areas.)

İlk olarak warning tarafından gönderildi:

Oh, right, if you haven't already had it drilled into your head: the best experience for both this and the original is playing as blind as you possibly can. I avoid spoilers in this review but you're still better off reading only the tl;dr and skipping the rest of this review if you think you'll play it.

For Below Zero the story is both better and worse. There are actually two main stories here, which intersect but never really intertwine. It's possible to beat the game without seeing one story out, and possible to complete that story without beginning the ending-critical one. They have good beats and interesting characters, but the interactions you'll have as protagonist Robin Ayou gives a very different focus than the lone-survivor aspect of Subnautica. The low-key dread is gone, and to fill its place there are discussions about humans and flavor voice logs between people who are no longer around. Even without her eventual companion and the one other NPC, Robin is rather chatty and the very early game has her talking to herself in order to prompt the player about what to do next. While I liked the story and dialog, this hand-holding felt annoying (especially considering my time spent in Subnautica). Thankfully, it doesn't last too long and for players who want to skip the later dialog most of it seems to be "optional".

All environments in the game are new; the two exceptions would be a handful of smaller plants returning plus an equivalent to the Creepvine forest (though that still has unique changes). Many are just as beautifully crafted and awe-inspiring as the original... but there are fewer of them, and no in-game reason to return to half of them after an initial visit. A very large chunk of the playable area is taken up by an ice shelf, and about 20% of game time takes place on this. It's an obvious answer to "where do we go from a game that's largely underwater", but the entire shelf could have been cut with little loss. The leviathan-type creature that's there is simply annoying and the intended main method of traversal--the Snowfox--is difficult to control (and you get thrown from it whenever that creature appears, regardless of how close.) Despite being so huge, the biome variety is incredibly disappointing and it's quite easy to get lost. A few other biomes also feel like vast nothingness; the deepest two biomes, while initially astounding, completely lack internal variety except the one plot-point each that they contain.

All large creatures are new, with only some of the "cannon fodder" fish appearing in this side-quel. If you've played Subnautica you already know how to use (and even mostly craft) 85% the tools and items you'll be using in the game. A great addition for those who love building bases is the "Large Room", where interior walls can be placed to section off rooms as desired. For on the go, the only vehicle to carry over is my beloved PRAWN; the other two options are replaced by a modular Sea Truck. With sufficient modules, the Sea Truck makes a great home-away-from-home; it's an excellent addition despite some minor quibbles. Sadly I found the PRAWN less useful this time around; not that the functionality has changed, just that the scenarios that made it a go-to option in Subnautica don't really apply here.

Because it's built on largely the same engine, Below Zero has benefited from better execution: Even on my aging PC I experienced very little pop-in and the few bugs were annoying rather than game-breaking. There are still many areas where Robin will slide in because collision is too tight on some objects (such as rock piles) but I never got stuck in one like I did a few times in Subnautica. The original game took me about 30 hours to complete and Below Zero 25 hours, which included unnecessary sight-seeing (and wasting two hours right before the end of the game constructing a base that almost immediately became pointless.)

I greatly enjoyed my time in Below Zero and recommend it to both fans of the original and new-comers while I do believe it is overshadowed by the base game. (Making this more "sub" and less "nautica", I suppose.) I bought the EA at release for a cheaper price but I would have felt fine paying the current $30 MSPR; seeing as how the base game is the same cost, though, I can't fault someone for waiting on a discount before diving into Below Zero.

[h2][b][u]Recommendation:[/u][/b] Buy It (Perhaps on Discount)[/h2] [b][u]tl;dr:[/u][/b] More of the great environments and collect-craft loop that the original [i]Subnautica[/i] gave, [i]Below Zero[/i] is a worthy companion game even if not a worthy successor. This game started out as DLC and that scope is reflected in the final product: lots of interesting new areas and creatures, but it is smaller and the land portion could have been ditched (not even replaced) without losing much. The story is good, but know that the larger cast (including NPCs!) gives a much different vibe than the lost-isolationist atmosphere that was a core part of the original. Whether you, a fan of the original, should get this largely boils down to if the player-against-the-world feeling of the first was the main reason you loved it or not. If it was, this might disappoint and you should wait for a discount. If not--or if you even hated the relative silence--then you'll get great enjoyment out of this. [h1]Thawing Out[/h1] I feel it's important to address the story immediately. The planet, the general mechanics, and most items are carry-overs from [i]Subnautica[/i], so the largest changes are the story and the environments. [i]Subnautica[/i] was an astounding game for these two reasons: the story there was largely optional, told through PDAs and delayed broadcasts, making it largely about the player surviving and trying to figure out how to leave. Each new biome you discovered was an absolute treat, from the features to the caverns to the critters (and those PDAs/broadcasts were helpful in guiding the player towards new areas.) [quote=warning]Oh, right, if you haven't already had it drilled into your head: the best experience for both this and the original is playing as blind as you possibly can. I avoid spoilers in this review but you're still better off reading only the tl;dr and skipping the rest of this review if you think you'll play it.[/quote] For [i]Below Zero[/i] the story is both better and worse. There are actually two main stories here, which intersect but never really intertwine. It's possible to beat the game without seeing one story out, and possible to complete that story without beginning the ending-critical one. They have good beats and interesting characters, but the interactions you'll have as protagonist Robin Ayou gives a very different focus than the lone-survivor aspect of [i]Subnautica[/i]. The low-key dread is gone, and to fill its place there are discussions about humans and flavor voice logs between people who are no longer around. Even without her eventual companion and the one other NPC, Robin is rather chatty and the very early game has her talking to herself in order to prompt the player about what to do next. While I liked the story and dialog, this hand-holding felt annoying (especially considering my time spent in [i]Subnautica[/i]). Thankfully, it doesn't last too long and for players who want to skip the later dialog most of it seems to be "optional". All environments in the game are new; the two exceptions would be a handful of smaller plants returning plus an equivalent to the Creepvine forest (though that still has unique changes). Many are just as beautifully crafted and awe-inspiring as the original... but there are fewer of them, and no in-game reason to return to half of them after an initial visit. A very large chunk of the playable area is taken up by an ice shelf, and about 20% of game time takes place on this. It's an obvious answer to "where do we go from a game that's largely underwater", but the entire shelf could have been cut with little loss. The leviathan-type creature that's there is simply annoying and the intended main method of traversal--the Snowfox--is difficult to control (and you get thrown from it whenever that creature appears, regardless of how close.) Despite being so huge, the biome variety is incredibly disappointing and it's quite easy to get lost. A few other biomes also feel like vast nothingness; the deepest two biomes, while initially astounding, completely lack internal variety except the one plot-point each that they contain. All large creatures are new, with only some of the "cannon fodder" fish appearing in this side-quel. If you've played [i]Subnautica[/i] you already know how to use (and even mostly craft) 85% the tools and items you'll be using in the game. A great addition for those who love building bases is the "Large Room", where interior walls can be placed to section off rooms as desired. For on the go, the only vehicle to carry over is my beloved PRAWN; the other two options are replaced by a modular Sea Truck. With sufficient modules, the Sea Truck makes a great home-away-from-home; it's an excellent addition despite some minor quibbles. Sadly I found the PRAWN less useful this time around; not that the functionality has changed, just that the scenarios that made it a go-to option in [i]Subnautica[/i] don't really apply here. Because it's built on largely the same engine, [i]Below Zero[/i] has benefited from better execution: Even on my aging PC I experienced very little pop-in and the few bugs were annoying rather than game-breaking. There are still many areas where Robin will slide in because collision is too tight on some objects (such as rock piles) but I never got stuck in one like I did a few times in [i]Subnautica[/i]. The original game took me about 30 hours to complete and [i]Below Zero[/i] 25 hours, which included unnecessary sight-seeing (and wasting two hours right before the end of the game constructing a base that almost immediately became pointless.) I greatly enjoyed my time in [i]Below Zero[/i] and recommend it to both fans of the original and new-comers while I do believe it is overshadowed by the base game. (Making this more "sub" and less "nautica", I suppose.) I bought the EA at release for a cheaper price but I would have felt fine paying the current $30 MSPR; seeing as how the base game is the same cost, though, I can't fault someone for waiting on a discount before diving into [i]Below Zero[/i].