Hello Enthusiacs! The Dark Princess here, talking about something a bit different: a game that ISN’T horror!! *pauses to allow for gasps in the crowd* Now, until a couple of months ago, you all knew me as a regular contributor of The Attic here on the site. I have been dealing with the an incredibly detailed move to another country, so I have been a bit overwhelmed. Thanks to the savior that is Vega Goose, it has been left in good hands. I would love to cover more horror for The Attic soon, but I had to tell you all about this game I have been obsessed with: Subnautica. It can be purchased on Steam for about $20 right now, and I have to say that while it is still in Early Access, it feels more than complete enough to go ahead and make the dive now (dive, heh).

Just under a week ago I opened up my brand new laptop; an Acer Aspire V loaded with a capable little NVIDIA GEFORCE 840M graphics card. Needless to say, I am very excited. I have always been a console gamer, as it is cheaper and much simpler to keep at least one of those around than it has been to get a proper gaming rig. I was happy to find this priced at $699, which is pretty surprising considering all other laptops that come with any sort of “gaming” video card is most often well over the $1,000 mark.

I have been looking at a lot of steam games since I had decided on ordering this one, and while I waited for it, I took full advantage of Steam’s summer sale. During the sale I went from 4 games to over 40, so I’d have to say I cleaned up… Sure, I went way over budget, but doesn’t that make me a true steam gamer now? I feel like I was initiated into some secret club. Anyone can get in, but none get out with available credit.. (done with the bad jokes now… I swear.)

Anyway, here I sit, with a pretty shiny little laptop in front of me and 12 games installed so far. I felt like my head would be spinning on which game to start with, but my heart was set on Subnautica, and so I started there.

Like many, I have always been fascinated with the ocean and its many secrets. There is something mesmerizing about the depth of it all, not to mention the many creatures that call it home. So when I stumbled across Subnautica, I was thrilled to say the least. While it is all about exploring the ocean of an alien planet, things are certainly different than ours. However, they have truly captured an essence that makes you forget you’re in a foreign sea.

Your inventory PDA can be accessed any time to consume food and water

Having now logged 10 hours of gameplay I feel I have enough experience under my belt to safely recommend it to my fellow gamer Enthusiacs. If you are into games that focus on exploration, crafting, gorgeous scenery, hidden secrets and just downright fun, I have no doubt you will love Subnautica. The premise is simple: the giant ship, the Aurora, that you were on crash landed into the sea, and you emerge alone in an escape pod with nothing but your wits, some skill, and basic diving gear.

The Aurora, mid-blast. You can explore the crash area.. IF you have the radiation suit

There are different levels of difficulty but I opted to go with the “normal” setting, or survival, as it’s called here. Survival means that not only do you need to keep an eye on your oxygen and health bars, but you also must eat and drink water regularly as well. Neither are complicated, but it does add a bit more complexity that I like. It’s not too difficult, once you get the hang of it all.

But there is a lot more to this game than eating and drinking filtered water. You can also build up your very own seabases, submarines, crafting stations, stronger fins and air tanks that last much longer than the standard one you start out with. I love being able to go deeper under the surface than before. There are many items you can collect to help you build things, and many creatures to discover; some will keep you alive, and some will try to kill you, so watch out! I have yet to reach some “end” of the map, but so far it feels truly endless. And as I mentioned before, it is in early access so they are regularly adding content.

I mentioned submarines a little bit ago, and I have to rave about that for a minute. The name of the sub is the cyclops, but you get to name your own sub once it is complete. You can even change the colors of it, which I think is a really cool way to give it a personal touch. This sub is massive, and can be a driveable homebase if you wish it to be. You can even construct everything from fabricators to workbenches inside with the required materials, which allow you craft materials and sustain your health at any time.

Yes, I am original… my beloved Nautilus with pink stripe.

Two more things that deserve a mention: graphics and audio. This game is gorgeous! There is even day/night cycles, and sunset is truly breathtaking. The colors and variety of terrain on the ocean floor are stunning, and the way the color of the ocean around you deepens as you venture further below the surface is incredible. If you fear the deep blue ocean, this game will give you chills down your spine, but I love it. It feeds my desire to be creeped out. I AM the Dark Princess, guys. But fear or no fear, you will find yourself getting lost just to keep discovering how beautiful this world is. As for the audio, it is truly handled with care. There are so many sounds you will hear above and below the surface, and they are incredibly well done. I don’t want to give away too much, but you will encounter terrifying creatures that emote sounds that will make the hairs on your arms stand straight up. Sometimes I have the most fun just stopping to watch and listen to everything around me.

The sunsets are worth the price of admission alone.

This may sound “boring” to some, but I assure you it is not if you love the exploration aspect of sandbox games. Subnautica is my first early access experience, but I have been told by many that they can be quite a gamble. A lot of people also note that some developers seem to ignore the feedback they get and simply never improve or even finish the game. I’m happy to report that Subnautica has had many regular updates both for adding content and fixing bugs. There is a handy little system where you just press F8 to report a bug, and you can add a screenshot and/or description of your issue as well.

I should note one more thing: Since I got the game there has been one major update which changed the terrain of the game. So in that case it basically forces you to start over with a new save. You have the option to use your old save, but the game warns you that you could run into some serious bugs, so it is not recommended. But this game still has a very fond spot in my hear, so the next time you’re on Steam, check it out. It’s a great little game that I just love.

–Dark Princess