Subnautica: Below Zero

Continuation of the adventure action Subnautica in first-person view, combining elements of role-playing games, sandbox gameplay, and a bit of exploration and cinematic games. The events of this standalone sequel unfold after the plot of the original, but still on planet 4546B, in its unexplored, Antarctic zone.

The game was released in early access on Steam in January 2019, with the full version expected to be released within a year and a half. Console versions for PS4 and Xbox One will also be available at that time.

For Below Zero, a huge open world is promised, equal in size and detail to the original. The early access version of the game had only a few locations that could be explored in a couple of hours. There was also a lack of content — wildlife, resources, and dangers. All of this will appear closer to the release.

The developers plan to make not only the underwater part accessible for exploration but also the surface — players will be able to move over moving ice floes using a hovering hoverbike, climb snowy peaks, and break through ice ridges in search of the unknown.

At the same time, the concept of the underwater part, as a mix of unusual shapes and contents of the seabed, with ledges, cliffs, and caves scattered at different depths, with their own species of fish and life simulation, has not changed.

For Below Zero, an original binom is being created, with many new life forms, even more vividly drawn due to their adaptation to icy water. Among the first are the giant predatory fish Titan, the aggressive Squid-Shark, and the nimble and unusual Penguins.

A year has passed since the protagonist of Subnautica left planet 4546B. The mega-corporation "Alterra" learned about his misadventures and sent the space research station Vesper, which is supposed to explore the structures of an alien civilization under the pretext of resource scouting and environmental research.

For this purpose, a large base with various equipment was built in the arctic zone of the planet, which the player will not need.

The main character is a black xenozoologist Robin Goodall, who went to the planet with a research team after arguing with her sister Sam, who stayed on the space station. This whole situation worries her, but unexpectedly one of the staff members goes missing on the station.

Robin goes to check if he left to explore the space station alone, and when she returns — the base is swept away by a huge avalanche. Now Robin is definitely alone in this world, and despite the possibility of evacuation, she stays with the goal of figuring out what happened that day.

For the release of the final version, the developers promise to add a thoughtful and extended plot, with several plot twists. There will be more of it, the developers do not leave the player alone with themselves, as in Subnautica. The role of the host is played by Sam, who communicates all the necessary information via radio.

The early access version only contained the prologue and the first chapter.

The gameplay has become more challenging — most of the ocean is covered with a thick layer of ice, so there is always a shortage of air and light. To help with the first, the developers added a new fish and plant that produce oxygen from water. To make the world brighter, the local fauna fluoresces more and brighter.

At the same time, the main logic of the game has not changed — we explore everything with a universal scanner, collect resources, produce everything needed at one universal machine, and store unnecessary items in a box. The main tools (scanner, fins, glider) have been transferred, but something new is promised to be added to them.