Subnautica below zero gameplay update#
Subnautica below zero gameplay series#

It offers some substantive improvements over its predecessor, allowing for a more enjoyable experience as players explore the depths of the globe-spanning ocean they will once again call home.Д«elow Zero came out of its nearly two year-long early access period with an official 1.0 update on May 13th, and developer Unknown Worlds used that time to build in some formidable upgrades to the Subnautica formula. After all, swimming is what sets the game apart from its landlocked peers.The follow-up to one of the biggest indie releases of the last decade, Subnautica: Below Zero finds players once again stranded on planet 4546B. While thereвЂ™s plenty of new mechanics to the game, Unknown Worlds had to be careful not to stray too far away from the seriesвЂ™ defining features.

We had one large chunk and it was such a long time away from the water that we had to rejigger it so you got back to the water sooner.вЂќД«alance is a bit of a running theme behind the sequelвЂ™s philosophy. вЂњThe biggest one is that you canвЂ™t move in every direction, so the way you set up pathways is very different вЂ¦ We actually had to do some big revisions to the surface area. вЂњThere are some really big challenges with it,вЂќ Strader explains. Studio Art Director Cory Strader tells Inverse that the new element fundamentally changed the way the team actually leads the player around and required some delicate retooling to balance it with the underwater sections. Unknown Worlds EntertainmentДЄdding an on-land competent on top of the underwater gameplay wasnвЂ™t an easy process. The preview even showed off a giant ice worm, bringing some of the gameвЂ™s signature scale above the water.ДЄn icy landscape in Subnautica: Below Zero. Players can climb out of the water, ride vehicles across ice floes, and explore hidden caves to uncover more of the gameвЂ™s story. Ironically, some of the gameвЂ™s bigger changes are happening above the surface. Having not played the first game since 2018, I instantly found my sea legs when jumping into Below Zero, immediately losing an hour to its colorful world in what felt like the blink of an eye. After the exciting opening, the game dives into familiar territory with the player slowly crafting some basic survival tools that allow them to dive deeper and collect more resources. That made for a story that better fit with the gameplay we had.вЂќ Here on the Land and SeaД«elow Zero isnвЂ™t a major departure from the original when it comes to moment-to-moment underwater gameplay. Your character took a risky decision to live on a planet alone in a dangerous environment to figure out what happened to her sister. вЂњWe changed the story so you came here intentionally. вЂњI really like finding ways for the narrative and the gameplay to really connect, and thatвЂ™s one of the reasons we rebooted the story after we started development,вЂќ Kalina says. Unknown Worlds had to go back to the drawing board to more naturally blend the core mechanics and the story it wanted to tell. An initial draft had players starting with a fully operational base that gets destroyed, forcing them to start from scratch.

Subnautica below zero gameplay series#

The story, which revolves around an explorer looking for her missing sister, initially created challenges for a series thatвЂ™s primarily about survival. The subtle environmental cues are still there, but Below Zero also contains more explicit set pieces, direct dialogue with NPCs, and scripted story beats that bring an extra layer of structure to stitch together the stretches of non-linear exploration.ДЄ hidden cave in Subnautica: Below Zero. The story drives the gameвЂ™s flow this time around, guiding players a little more than the gameвЂ™s more freeform predecessor. ItвЂ™s a whole new world, new story, new creatures.вЂќ Our ambition was pretty big and we didnвЂ™t have a clear read on how big it was. So we started by deleting the old world and starting from scratch. вЂњTheyвЂ™re built on the Ultima 6 foundation and itвЂ™s basically the same tech and gameplay mechanics, but a whole new world.

вЂњWe were looking back at old games like Worlds of Ultima,вЂќ Kalina says. Project Lead David Kalina tells Inverse that while the game originally started as an add-on to the original game, that added scale turned it into something much bigger. As Developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment walked through some of the gameвЂ™s new features, it quickly became apparent that thereвЂ™s a grander sci-fi story happening on planet 4546B this time around. Inverse attended a preview event for the game, which is set to exit early access sometime this spring.