There’s a dire force abroad in the open world of Subnautica, an irresistible entity hell-bent on warping or destroying everything that world contains, and just for once, it isn’t the fucking player.

(Beware: moderate plot spoilers follow.)

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Underwater survival game Subnautica has a feature I neglected to mention in my review time capsules! These titanium pods are player-made containers. They can hold a message, a screenshot and a few small items. At a certain point in the game you get to make one of these capsules. It s then put through a voting process, vetted by the developers and – if it’s good enough – finally plopped into the ocean for other divers to find. Some of these gifts have been useful, others sentimental. One is even an easter egg from the game s technical artist. Here’s the best ones we found when we went trawling (through Reddit). (more…)

Subnautica is remarkable for a great many reasons, and one of them is a particular creature discovered at about 300m deep, stomping their way in long processions across a well worn path of the seabed. The Sea Treaders. These titanic crustaceans(?) are a herd of complete joy. (more…)

I’ve long been absorbed by the pleasure of games as safe places. Those oases that allow you to be entirely distracted from the outside, encased in a fantastic world that let you find calm. As someone who lives with the incessant turmoil that is generalised anxiety disorder, such games can offer extraordinary respite. And none has ever done this more for me than Subnautica. (more…)

Subnautica is an underwater survival game about crash landing on an alien planet and becoming best mates with its fish. It surfaced from early access this week and John and Brendan have both been for a dip. Here they share their thoughts on leaky bases, scary whales and the urgency of an alien flu. Note: Spoilers to follow. >

John: Here s a thing. I think it s impossible to discuss Subnautica – the Official Best Survival Game Ever Made – without spoiling it. Like, if we say anything beyond, You crash on a watery planet, and there are some fishies nearby, then we take away from the reader the experience we both had approaching it. So what I say is: if you haven t played Subnautica but want to, bloody well go play it and stop reading this nonsense. For everyone else who has, or needs convincing, we ll say some other stuff.

Brendan: I agree with all of the things this man is saying. If you don’t care about spoilers, read on. (more…)

Darling it s better, down where it s wetter, take it from me – a Subnautica player.>

Underwater survival game Subnautica is finally out and we like it. So we spoke to director Charlie Cleveland about the terror of the deep and safety of the shallows. Earlier this week we heard that they intend to make a paid expansion and an Arctic biome (even if those plans are not finalised). But we talked about much more, so here s a special podcast of the full interview and some of Cleveland’s thoughts scribbled out, old-school. For example, why does he thinks it s a terror game rather than a horror one? And why are there no guns?

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The best survival games are about conquering fear. Last year, when I first splashed about in Subnautica s alien ocean, I was wary of leaving the shallow reef in which you first crash land. I eyed the hazy green water of the nearby kelp forests with fear, knowing it was full of Stalkers, an aggressive fish whose body is mostly one long croc-like jaw. Today, I swim among these beasts, collecting vines and seed pods as they impotently pursue me through the weeds. I ve become a proficient scavenger, making the journey from trouserless idiot to Tom Hanks in Castaway s third act. But even now there are places I do not like to go. (more…)

Subnautica, the underwater survival game about being a space castaway, is crawling out of its early access shell and into a shinier full release shell tomorrow. It s been in development for four years and it is pretty close to done , says Charlie Cleveland, director of Unknown Worlds Entertainment. But there are plans for post-release additions, including the possibility of an icy biome with new creatures and frosty hazards. These plans aren t final, said Cleveland in an interview with us, but he also says they are 80-90 percent sure they re going to make a paid expansion of some kind or another. Read on for more details and essential context that I, a dastardly journalist, cannot communicate in an intro. (more…)

The alien undersea explore-o-survival sandbox Subnautica will properly launch on January 23rd, after three years in early access. I enjoyed a dip way back when, splashing about in the shallows, but since then have been waiting for a full launch. Seeing the sea sights over the past few years, from Pip’s volcano base to ghost rays flocking around a tree in an undersea river of brine, have made it difficult to stay away. I’m glad to have managed that, as an alien ocean I barely know is waiting for me and I’ll get to be delighted and terrified for the first time by the full experience. (more…)

I’ve been meaning to sink some proper time and energy into Subnautica, Unknown Worlds’ game of submarine exploration and underwater survival, but looking at the latest update suggests I might be best waiting until I get my shiny new PC. That’s because the Eye Candy update makes the game (visually) better, down where it’s wetter. Rub your eyeballs all over the update trailer within or take a peek at the full update notes here.

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