PLATFORM: Switch 2 PLAY TIME: 52h 56m
I’m not even sure I can say that I liked Subnautica, but I was absolutely addicted to it. The early hours were rough. I had no idea how to make water, survival felt like a constant uphill battle, and simply staying alive while trying to make progress was more frustrating than fun. At that stage, the game felt punishing and directionless, and I very nearly bounced off it completely.
That frustration wasn’t helped by the controls on Switch, which I found a little clunky at times. Grabbing moving fish in particular was awkward: using the right thumbstick to look and then switching to pressing A to grab often meant that by the time I hit the button, the fish had already moved, turning a basic survival task into a repeated annoyance.
Things changed once the story started to take shape and I was given clearer goals to work towards. That structure made a huge difference for me. I enjoy working towards an objective far more than pure free roam, and once Subnautica leaned into that, the experience became much more enjoyable. Exploration started to feel purposeful rather than aimless, and progress finally felt rewarding.
About halfway through, though, that momentum stalled again. The story seemed to dry up, and I couldn’t find a clear path forward. I spent far too long swimming around with no real sense of what I was supposed to be doing next. Eventually, I gave in and looked up what I needed to do online. Once I found my way to the lava lakes, everything clicked back into place. The story resumed, progression snowballed, and suddenly I was racing towards an ending rather than wondering if I’d ever see one. Before long, I was finally off that godforsaken planet! exhausted, relieved, and oddly satisfied.
Subnautica is an underwater adventure game set on an alien ocean planet. A massive, open world full of wonder and peril awaits you! Dive into a vast underwater world after you crash-land on an alien ocean world — explore sun-drenched shallow coral reefs to treacherous deep-sea trenches and lava fields while managing oxygen and surviving against hazards. Scavenge resources, craft tools and gear, build underwater habitats and vehicles, unravel the mystery behind your crash, and interact with alien life — using the ecosystem to aid or avoid danger as you seek a way off the planet alive.
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