CLOCKED IT MATE: Subnautica: Below Zero

PLATFORM: Switch 2 PLAY TIME: 30h 8m

Okay… I guess I did like Subnautica, because after finishing the original and taking a short hiatus in Bikini Bottom, I picked up Below Zero.

This time around, I spent far more time building a large underwater base than I ever did in the first game. Gathering resources felt much simpler too. I’m not entirely sure whether that’s down to experience, already knowing how the systems work, or whether Below Zero is genuinely easier, but I definitely found it far less challenging overall.

There’s also a surprising amount of the game you can simply skip. I never built the Prawn Suit, never made the Snowfox, and never once felt the need to use the Thumper. The Seatruck, though, is a great addition. Being able to carry storage and fabrication modules with me meant I could build or craft almost anywhere, which removed much of the back-and-forth that defined the first game. I no longer had to remember which base I’d stashed materials in or return somewhere just to fabricate a forgotten item.

While that convenience made progression smoother, it also reduced some of the tension. The constant planning and resource management that made the original feel stressful and dangerous was softened. I enjoyed the experience, but it didn’t quite have the same edge.

Subnautica: Below Zero is an underwater adventure game set on an alien ocean world and represents the next chapter in the Subnautica universe, developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It takes place in an arctic region of Planet 4546B, where you dive into freezing waters and icy environments with little more than your survival instincts and basic equipment. As a scientist stationed on the planet’s surface, you find yourself caught in disaster when the research base fails, and you must scavenge for resources, build habitats and craft tools to stay alive in hostile conditions. On your journey you explore entirely new biomes — from ice-covered seas and snow-clad terrain to deep underwater caverns — encountering alien life forms, some dangerous and others mysterious. Alongside survival, the game deepens the Subnautica story by inviting you to investigate abandoned facilities and uncover what happened in this frozen frontier, as clues and artefacts hint at past events and a wider mystery beneath the waves.