Ever since the series burst onto the scene, Subnautica has had a loyal following that has continued to grow ever since. Players waited over 5 years until the frozen sequel was released, leaving plenty of time for the expectations to build. Something like that can both push and put a lot of pressure on the developers, causing positives and negatives for either side.
Luckily, they played it well by making sure not to stray too far away from the source material, meaning anyone who loved the original would at least be satisfied with Below Zero. However, the sequel does leave a few things to be desired.
10 Fix The Vehicles
Not only is it a visual downgrade from the Cyclops, the Seatruck takes all the things that are supposed to be easy and makes them hard. Being the main way players travel to the deepest areas of the map, it progressively gets worse and worse as the game progresses.
This is because of the modules that have to be added to hit the bottom of the seafloor, each one making it less mobile and sluggish to drive. The main issue is that eventually, players end up with a stiff underwater train that they have to slowly maneuver around the rocky environment.
9 Make It More Threatening
Probably down to their being a lot more narrative in Below Zero than the original, where the creatures players encountered made up for the lack of direction. Below Zero has seemed to have toned down on that side of things, making the game feel a lot more playful than the lurking depths and terrifying monsters of the first.
Even though they have expanded on the already legendary leviathan class of monsters, only a few times in the game will players feel that daunting sense of panic that hits all too often in the first game. Some will breathe a sigh of relief but most of the excitement came from not knowing whether it was a search for resources or a fight to the death, making stepping out of the base a real risk.
8 Less Time On Land
One of the biggest changes and a letdown for most are the chunks of land that are now a part of the story, sending players off on their own two feet for the first time in the series. It's not necessarily the land that makes it disappointing but what they did with it, taking up too much space for the small amount of content up above.
While it's exciting when players first step out onto the ice patch, the novelty quickly wears off when there's not a lot to be discovered. It's boring leaving Robin to huddle in caves to keep warm and wander around abandoned bases and fighting off the annoying weather changes that limit visibility.
7 Care About The Characters
The story is something that divides many fans that enjoyed the first game. On one hand, it gives players a solid direction and adds some motivation to explore the world, giving some structure to those that need to be guided. On the other, there's not much of a sense of freedom in the game, as players must constantly chasing after one mission or another.
It also does a poor job at connecting us to the main character and leaves players moving through a detached story. While it's not enough to ruin the gameplay, it does make Below Zero feel a lot more contained and less adventurous.
6 Remove Pointless Clues
Instead of struggling to survive, players will be trying to locate the sister of the protagonist this time around. Just like in the good old days, Robin will come across deeper and more complex clues through voice logs. Usually, it's a simple nudge in the right direction or a lead to unraveling a piece of the puzzle. But sometimes it takes players down an unnecessary rabbit hole.
Not only is this frustrating when there's no set order to the clues being stumbled across, but it also throws the flow of the game into a stuttering mess. Instead of making it hard for no reason, when the more complicated clues show up, the game should drop a big reward to make the ride worthwhile.
5 Add More Unique Creatures
This might be a symptom of them using the same planet setting but Below Zero doesn't seem to have enough diversity in the wildlife, especially for a complete sequel. Seeing some familiar faces is always a good idea considering the amount of time we spent with the gang in the original, but most of the fauna in this game are ice versions of their tropical cousins.
There's not a lot of them either, considering the smaller map and shallow waters. The biggest diversity opportunity comes from the landmasses that fans have never seen before but they only show two new fauna above the surface. Overall, fans that have been waiting for the sequel might be a little disappointed not to see a wide range of creatures, making them doubt their choice to play.
4 Expand The Map
The size of the map is probably the biggest disappointment that players find out about quickly. Being used to the original map of Subnautica and anticipating the sequel, fans of the series were definitely expecting a little more from the area. The entire map is smaller while also containing landmasses, meaning there is even less space to explore underwater, the thing gamers all showed up for.
It also limits the use of some of the deeper biomes, making even less of the area useful. It's not small by any means but in an exploration game that's based around constantly reaching new places, the map starts to feel underwhelming in the mid-game.
3 Remove The Excessive Number Of Tips
Beacon bloat is a term that was created from the first game and was and was an agreed-upon complaint among fans. Unfortunately, Below Zero decided to double down on the concept. While players can turn off beacons and select the ones they want active, it's still an annoying light show on their screen until they do so.
2 Add More Play Time
Below Zero significantly cuts down the playtime of the original, almost chopping it in half. The average playtime is33 hours, a time that wouldn't be looked down on usually except that the original game took over 50 hours on average. This significant drop while trying to focus more on the story leads to a series reduction of content for players that needs to be rectified.
1 Clean Up Loose Ends In The Story
As a game that poses two big questions as the endpoint for the story, Below Zero only answers the least important of them. The architects and the end game boss are built up from day one, only to be left on a complete cliffhanger that doesn't answer any of the dramatic build-up the story presented. Instead, players get an answer to the detached protagonist's personal story.
For a game that already struggled to get the fan base on board with putting a structured story in, Below Zero really doesn't deliver on the landing.