At the end of Subnautica 2’s prologue, fear has already set in – and I haven’t even reached its new ocean planet, Proteus, yet. I’m not thalassophobic by any means, but right from the off, Subnautica 2 – my first experience with developer Unknown Worlds’ hugely popular survival series – is enough to make anyone uncomfortable. After finding myself inside a ruined underwater base on a completely different planet, where I discover a fellow Pioneer has already taken it upon themselves to cut their own life short, it already feels like the start of a long, stressful journey. And that’s before the horrors of Proteus make themselves known.
Your mission in Subnautica 2 is to help build a new future for humanity, and you’ve got 40K colonists depending on you. That brings you to Proteus, a brand-new ocean planet distinct from 4546B seen in earlier Subnautica games, and it’s immediately overwhelming. Proteus is huge, consisting of multiple biomes to explore, each with their own distinct creatures to meet (and scan) – some less than happy to see you. But despite Proteus’ size, there’s an immediate focus for your adventure, in the form of a huge tree looming over all. It soon becomes evident an infection is spreading across the planet, but why? You’ve got a whole lot of exploration ahead of you before you’ll get any answers, and it’s here that Subnautica 2 shines so far in early access.
The joy of discovery in Subnautica 2 – when you’re not being chased down by sharks or nibbled at by fish – is immense. Whether you’re adventuring into a new biome for the first time and discovering the much-needed resources within, or encountering new species of fish (or Leviathan…), Subnautica 2 is all about exploring, adapting, and finding new ways to survive for longer in a world that seems intent on your demise. There’s no real hand-holding – although your companion AI, NoA, is there to lend a guiding voice – and simply killing things that threaten you isn’t an option given Subnautica 2 once again foregoes weapons. Instead, countering any underwater hostility comes down to your ingenuity, survival instincts, and any tools you’re able to fabricate using resources found on the ocean floor.
But no matter what fancy tool you’ve got at your disposal, no matter how much you try and prepare, death feels inevitable in Subnautica 2. As one note left by a previous visitor to Proteus warns, “You are going to die here, and that’s all right. Pick the most interesting thing you can see and explore.” From the get-go, death looms, but somehow its inevitability doesn’t erode the sense of fear this unknown planet instills. It’s all around you, in every unfamiliar sound you hear while diving in the deep blue… and there’s a lot of them.
The moment I fabricated a diving pod to explore deeper, more dangerous parts of Proteus – the moment I found myself alone in its huge ocean expanse (inevitably, some areas remain incomplete in this initial early access build) – the fear was overwhelming. Terror doesn’t quite cut it when you’re trying to flee something big, scary, and new – in this particular instance, one of the sequel’s formidable Leviathan – let alone something you know you can’t counter. And this feeling of terror only gets worse as you plunge deeper into Subnautica 2’s seas. Will its new co-op affect its oppressive mood? I haven’t had chance to find out yet, but I’m certainly curious.
And even though dying only has limited consequences – you lose some items, but you can almost always get these back – Subnautica 2’s intimidating atmosphere is so impeccable, it’s hard not to get caught up in it all. But it’s never discouraging; even if you don’t make it back home in one piece, there’s every chance you’ve scanned a new tool or piece of furniture making your previous doomed adventure feel worthwhile.
And it’s not just about the practical discoveries, like new things to build back at base; you’ll slowly uncover new story threads – from radios and notes left behind by those before you – to help fill in the narrative gaps. It soon becomes clear your mission is not quite as it seems. Hints of tragedy and disaster are everywhere, and after ten hours with the early access version, I’m keen to see just how all these elements – these alien creatures, this doomed world – fit together, and to learn exactly what the Pioneers’ real place in all of this is.
Already, even in Subnautica 2’s far from finished state, it feels like there’s simply so much to do; optimising crafting and base-building, locating more blackboxes to unravel, piecing together the story, and ultimately discovering what’s hidden away in the ocean’s complex cave networks and beyond. It’s off to an encouraging start, then, and as much as I fear what’s to be found later in deeper biomes, its compelling sense of discovery and mystery keeps drawing me on.
