Subnautica 2 has been in the works for a while, but until very recently its fate was uncertain, given the fallout between developer Unknown Worlds and its owner/ publisher Krafton.
But here we are: Unknown Worlds is back in the driver’s (or diver’s?) seat, Krafton is still publishing, and the most wishlisted game on Steam has finally released in early access.
To my mind, the first entry was one of the best survival games ever made, thanks to its compelling mix of awe-inspiring underwater environments, slowly unravelling mystery, and fantastic toys to play with — not to mention the unbridled terror of the Leviathans.
So the sequel has a lot to live up to. And based on my first hours with the game, I’m happy to report that it looks like we’re back in business. But there’s one element that’s yet to reveal itself, and I desperately hope it’s there.
Krafton vs Unknown Worlds
In case you’re out of the loop, the relationship between Krafton and Unknown Worlds fractured dramatically last year when the former fired key talent at the latter: namely studio founder and Subnautica director Charlie Cleveland, CEO Ted Gill, and special projects director Max McGuire. Krafton alleged they'd failed to get Subnautica 2 ready for its initial early access release date sometime in 2025, so delayed it to this year.
This delay meant the developers were ineligible for a $250m payout from Krafton had the game met its revenue targets for 2025 — a little tricky to do when your game isn't even out yet. Krafton maintains, however, that the delay decision wasn’t “influenced by any contractual or financial considerations".
Naturally, the ousted leadership hit back, arguing the game was ready for a 2025 release and that the delay was orchestrated by Krafton just so it could avoid paying out. Then, when Kraton accused them of ‘abandoning’ the game, they took Kraton to court and won. Gill was reinstated as CEO and the team got their money.
If this whole affair wasn’t farcical enough, the ruling also confirmed that Krafton’s CEO Changhan Kim had asked ChatGPT for legal advice on how to avoid the payout, after the publisher’s head of corporate development, Maria Park, advised Kim that it’d likely still have to cough up despite the firings.
At least for now, though, the smoke has blown over and we’ve got our game. Subnautica 2 is now available in early access — but was it worth the wait?
Thrown in at the deep end
The game begins in much the same fashion as the original. Beset by an emergency onboard a spacecraft, you flee in an escape pod that ends up crash landing on the water of an alien planet.
So far, so Subnautica. But the presentation is a cut above the original. The introduction is far more elaborate than the first game's, and environments are better looking and more detailed. The various sea creatures are more fascinating in their variety and striking designs, exhibiting more quirky and endearing animations which help to sell the otherness of your new home.
Then there’s the water itself. It looks much closer to the real thing than it did in Subnautica. There, I often forgot I was submerged due to the lack of visual cues, but here, there are plenty of them. There’s a subtly cloudy hue throughout, peppered with bubble effects and a rainbow-colored dabbling on the sea floor. Best of all, rays of light can piece through the water to reveal particles of dust and debris, which looks incredibly photorealistic.
The sense of depth when looking beneath yourself is stronger somehow, too, which won’t be welcome news to thalassophobics. The sound of being underwater is absolutely spot on as well.
One aspect that Subnautica 2 retains from the first game is the tropical climate. Perhaps Unknown Worlds is keen to hark back to the good times and avoid the artic setting of the less acclaimed Subnautica: Below Zero. There are more weather effects and more impressive sky boxes this time around, though, which again illustrates the studio's progress.
From what I’ve seen so far, the story of Subnautica 2 is closer to your typical sci-fi thriller, displaying many of the genre’s tropes. You’re not even human this time round, but some kind of digital entity in a ‘printed’ body, which can be ‘reprinted’ whenever you die. I presume this choice is designed, at least in part, to provide an in-game explanation for player deaths and respawns.
In keeping with the times, there are also hints of a malevolent AI at work. This impression is reinforced by the bots you encounter that provide you with tasks and information, known as Noetic Advisors (NoAs), which have a strong HAL 9000 vibe. A few Lovecraftian allusions are thrown in for good measure, too, which are seemingly unavoidable in modern games with even the merest of pretensions towards horror.
The core gameplay of the first game is very much intact in Subnautica 2. You explore the planet to gather resources and discover its secrets. Some elements and equipment have been renamed and reskinned, but essentially their functions are unchanged.
There are some new mechanics, though. Adaptations can be gained which imbue you with certain buffs and enhanced abilities, such as faster swimming and more endurance. I've only experienced a few so far, but I'm excited to see what more become available.
Your character is altogether a smoother operator now, too. Aside from some better hand and item animations, movement is slicker and more precise, especially when walking on solid ground, which represents a marked improvement over the original. Also, there’s no spring-boarding out of the water whenever you rapidly rise to the surface, which used to frustrate no end.
One of the major differences in Subnautica 2, though, is its pacing. I’m not sure if it’s just me being au fait with the series' essential systems, but surviving seems less onerous. To harvest water, for instance, there’s no need to chase those pesky bladder fish around; in their place are water slugs, stuck to the sea bed in abundance and ripe for the picking.
What's more, habitat building is possible almost instantly. The controls for this are more refined as well, making it much easier to construct and alter all the various exterior and interior elements of your base. I’m especially thankful for the ability to move furniture such as lockers (even full ones) around after you’ve built them, as well as the snap-to-grid function, which is great for a neat freak like myself.
What I haven’t seen yet, though, are the things I'm most excited to get: submersibles. I have seen a fragment of a Wakemaker, which looks like this game’s version of the Seaglide, the hand-held propulsion unit. But something akin to the beloved Cyclops has yet to reveal itself or even be hinted at.
I’m happy to have my desires prolonged, since the patience required to acquire the original Cyclops only made its acquisition that much sweeter. I’m especially excited for the co-operative potential of such a vehicle, given the Cyclops’ sheer size and multiple points of interaction.
Whatever the game decides to do with submersibles, I just hope we get something better than Below Zero’s Seatruck, which, despite its interesting modular design, paled in comparison to the almighty Cyclops.
I haven't encountered any truly terrifying fauna yet, either, although their existence is definitely hinted at. There are some oddly adorable hammerheads that charge you, but nothing I've seen so far has come close to the palpitation-inducing dread of the Leviathans.
Overall, though, my impressions of Subnautica 2 are very positive. I’m happy to report that it’s about as polished as you could wish an early access game to be. I didn’t experience any bugs, aside from one minor texture glitch.
I haven’t had a chance to experience the co-op mode yet, but as soon as I do I’ll report back with my findings. Regardless of how it is, though, I’m hopeful Unknown Worlds will handle this early access phase well, judging by how well it handled Subnautica’s. So far, it’s shaping up to be a worthy successor to the original game that I lost myself in all those years ago.
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