Subnautica: Below Zero

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Washington Post
    Jun 11, 2021
    70
    Curiously, the way Below Zero oscillates from long restive stretches between points of interest to short bursts of perilous activity absorbed my attention in ways many more-frenzied popular horror games don’t.
  2. PLAY
    May 29, 2021
    70
    Though it’s obvious this wasn’t intended to be a true sequel, Below Zero’s frozen trimmings still make it a worthwhile expedition. Be patient to get to the good stuff. [Issue#2, p.84]
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  3. Metro GameCentral
    May 11, 2021
    70
    A mellow paced and captivating game of underwater exploration, crafting, and discovery, that feels more like a Subnautica expansion than a discrete sequel.
  5. Push Square
    May 11, 2021
    70
    Not everyone will warm up to Subnautica: Below Zero, but it’s an unquestionably rewarding release once you begin to get a foothold into the frigid foray. The game’s constantly tantalising you with new, exciting equipment, and its otherworldly ocean is an immersive environment in which to spend your time. A lack of landmarks mean that it can be a little too easy to get lost, and the story is light and largely uninteresting – but if the act of building an underwater base appeals to you, then this PS5 sequel unquestionably has strong foundations.
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  1. 3DJuegos
    May 20, 2021
    Subnautica Below Zero is halfway between an expansion and a sequel. It has some new features, such as exploration on land and a new vehicles, but it relies heavily on the base of the first game, even reducing the demand of its mechanics.

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
66
#66 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

User Reviews

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User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 66 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 66
  3. Negative: 23 out of 66
  1. MrMiggins
    May 20, 2021
    3
    The original Subnautica is one of the greatest video games ever made. It is absolute perfection in terms of visual and sound design, music,The original Subnautica is one of the greatest video games ever made. It is absolute perfection in terms of visual and sound design, music, game-play and writing. So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to the release of the sequel, Subnautica: Below Zero. The same great visual design is still there, but something felt off from the get-go.

    There are some major differences between the two games that make Below Zero a hollow and unsatisfying facsimile of the original. Most importantly, they got rid of the genius guy who wrote the original story and lore. The quality of writing and narrative choices in Below Zero are vastly inferior to its predecessor. In the original game, you, the player, are the protagonist. It's incredibly immersive to be lost in this hostile alien world with only your PDA (a computer assistant with a beautiful, soothing voice that reminded me a lot of Scarlett Johansson) for company.

    In Below Zero, your PDA is now inexplicably voiced by the sound of an irate tech-support scammer. Instead of you, yourself, being the protagonist, you now play as a woman named Robin. The game constantly reminds you of this by means of internal monologues as Robin tells you how she feels about the objects she finds, the dreams she has, or her thoughts on music. Robin likes to talk about her feelings a lot. It's such a huge departure from the original game that wisely put you, the player, at the heart of the story.

    The original Subnautica had so much atmosphere and was genuinely terrifying at times. Progress was carefully paced, with expertly crafted level design. The better the gear you acquired, the deeper down into the ocean you could go. The deeper you went, the scarier things became. All that is gone in Below Zero. There's no sense of danger or dread, and little has been done to expand upon the mechanics of the original game. There are some new items to build, and the addition of land-based monsters to avoid, but that's about it. The iconic music from the first game has been replaced with blander and less memorable themes. Without all the wonderful things that made the original game so great, you're only really left with the worst aspects of it, namely the repetition of resource collection. You're just going through the motions and It gets tedious very quickly.

    All in all, there is little to recommend here. The original Subnautica was and still is a masterpiece, but Below Zero is extremely disappointing. It's like the original game with all the humor, tension, excitement and awesomeness sucked out of it. It's a boring, repetitive slog.    … Full Review »
  2. piston
    May 19, 2021
    4
    The first game was amazing, i gave it a 9/10. There are 5 problems with this one.

    1. The crashes are unacceptable. I got cyberpunk on day one    The first game was amazing, i gave it a 9/10. There are 5 problems with this one.

    1. The crashes are unacceptable. I got cyberpunk on day one and this crashed more.



    2. I feel like the developer wanted to make this more 'accessable'. In the first game i died twice before i figured out that bladderfish would provide water. It also took me 3 days (6-12hours a day) to find nickle. I didn't build a scanner room till late in the game because I didn't know how invaluable it was, but the game let me learn that by myself. This game holds your hand and makes it laughably easy.

    3. The land based gameplay is ridiculous. Not hard mind you, just annoying. It was bad before, but now there is so much that i wonder why they thought this was a good idea.

    4. I understand they wanted to go full sjw to appease karen on twitter, but in the first game > I < was stuck on an alien planet. Now, the female poc was, along with her female poc AI. Pandering to a vocal minority is more alienating than than the planet is supposed to make you feel. The experience suffered as you feel disconnected, as YOU are not stuck on the island, the character is. In the original game the silent protagonist made you the protagonist.

    5. There is no optimization as they obviously dont have the team to optimize for so many platforms, so on the ps5 we get textures that belong on a switch or x1s.

    In the end its ok, i would give it s seven, but the crashes made me bring it down. Let me be clear, its a good game, but I recommend you play the original and wait for this to go on sale. Hey devs, if you are listening, do is all a favor. Talk to SONY, they will send out mark cerny or shuhei yoshida, give you funding, and ensure your next game, ( and i think i speak for the community when i say PLEASE GIVE US SUBNAUTICA 3!!) but let sony help. You obviously dont have the team to optimize for 7 platforms. Still love what you created, thx for the experience.

    Oh, and what happened to the jokes? They were funny in the first game.    … Full Review »
  3. LittleWhittle
    May 27, 2021
    2
    Crashes are unacceptable. Constant and relentless. You do not get into the game because of the crashes. Like you could anyways. TheCrashes are unacceptable. Constant and relentless. You do not get into the game because of the crashes. Like you could anyways. The protagonist is an annoying female lead they should have kept it as YOU the player. Story is trash and the game holds your hand the whole time. Progresses way too quickly and just plain gives you everything for no work. The first game was and remains the best. Don't buy this. You can tell it was meant to be dlc. And it should have stayed that way. An insult to it's fans through and through.… Full Review »
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