Subnautica And The Terror Of Absolute Freedom

Subnautica doesn't bill itself as a scary game - but if you've played it, you know that it can be just that. And one of the ways it creates terror is by giving you something that's not always present in other games - the absolute freedom to play it however you want to. In this video, we'll talk about why that works to create a truly fantastic experience.

[montagistkacke]

I'm honestly surprised that so few horror games take place in the sea. "Bottomless" water, where you can barely see anything and have no idea what might be lurking there, is probably the most effective tool to scare people without anything actually happening.

[KnightsDisillusion]

I played Subnatica because i love nature but i'm beyond terrified of the ocean and man, you're right about the aspect of freedom being the scariest part of the game. You have no idea how long it took me to venture beyond my comfort zone, but when i finally did sure it was terrifying but i got to experience the beautiful ecosystem and that made it worth going through the fear. This is my favourite aspect of the game because not only is this a great lesson on trying new things but it's also a fantastic internal risk reward system. Horror games usual reward your bravery with "you did it and now you are in the safe room" but Subnatica gives you a beautiful visual of the area you was once dreading and makes you really feel like you've conquered your fear. Great video as always man.

[juke]

What I love about this game is honestly the way the fauna is represented.
On your first playthrough you probably wont notice this, but nearly every dangerous animal acts like an actual animal.

They wont constantly chase you down like an enemy NPC that constantly charges you in an egoshooter.
Most will stalk you a bit if you get near them, and then try to swim up to you and bite you, but if you hit them with even just a knife most will immediately run away in fear because they are not used to prey fighting back. Some others are highly territorial and will only attack you if you disrespect their territory.

You are never actually forced or encouraged to hunt down and kill any of the monsters, including the leviathans, because they arent evil. Theyre just animals.
(This is represented excellently by the log entry for one of the very late game leviathans - which tells you once you scan it that its species numbers are most likely in the single digits and if you did kill them you just got them one step closer to extinction.)

Great example is the Stalker, the first enemy you encounter whom all the youtubers scream at. However, they will only really attack you if you steal their metal or go into their reed forests. You can even feed them to make them non-agressive, or play tag with them freely since they are easy to avoid and wont hunt you down very far.

[dantesparda]

I find that moments when I am in complete control in horror games are more scary than cutscenes where I can just relax for five minutes while a shadow demon murders me

[potatogod]

I have thalassophobia(fear of the deep waters) and when i played that game, i just stayed at the reef for 5 hours straight and it was terrifying

[tpdblake]

It seems like the two types of people who play Subnautica are those who have a fascination with the ocean and enjoy discovering all of the new ocean life and those who are terrified of the ocean and want to confront their fear

[sashavukasovich]

A man overboard event on a ship is probably the scariest thing we prep for as sailors, it’s the one emergency that has a near-100% chance of death. What makes it scarier is that, when you’re standing on the decks at night in the middle of the sea, you almost always experience the urge to do it…

[itsumayo]

I feel like the first Subnautica scared people on accident with the unknown, which made it that much better. Along with the unknown also being able to be beautiful. However, I feel they kinda flopped with this on Subnautica: Below Zero. Every creature in Below Zero is just designed to be scary, and not so much beautiful. Making the unknown be nothing but scary kinda kills the interest of exploring, knowing nothing good is out there. If there ever is a third Subnautica, then focusing on balancing fear and beauty might be something the devs want to focus on.

[MegaChickenfish]

You describe well how Subnautica _allows_ you to hang in safety, but always _encourages_ you outward. The game took me forever because I'm terrified of deep water, so would always do absolutely everything possible to prepare before venturing deeper. Admittedly some of that handicapping was on my remarkable ability to miss key upgrades, like the battery charger and upgrade stations, which I kept having to resort to looking up due to having no sense of directly and routinely checking and re-checking the same shipwrecks over and over.

Helped a LOT when I found a basic map online. Not like "here's exactly what's in everywhere and where to find the endgame stuff" but a general "here's descriptive enough names and color coding for the topside biomes and where they are relative to your lifepod that you stop constantly swimming in circles."

[Tooterbooter]

“Subnautica isn’t labeled as a horror game, because.. it isn’t.”
But… the very first tag on the steam store page for Subnautica is “Survival Horror”

[Collisto]

I remember entering any area that wasn’t the safe shallows for the first time. Not wanting to go there but knowing I had to to progress, the sinking feeling (hah) in my stomach as the water went deeper, my anxiety rising as I couldn’t make out anything ahead of me. I found myself sticking to the sea bed whenever possible, not wanting to be out in the open water else I be spotted by whatever lurked below. Some areas I came to know as peaceful, treating them like the shallows, while I stayed cautious in others, only ever getting what I needed before retreating. Subnautica is a masterclass in the fear of the unknown.

[santiagosagrera]

I'm like the opposite to H.P. Lovecraft, I wasn't born with fear of the ocean, or deep waters, in fact I find them rather comforting; so much that I became a diver... when I played Subnautica, rather than fear, or dread, I felt at home (Although obviously I did get nervous when I was being chased by actual monsters)
I dunno, my diving friends say one of the most alluring factors of diving is flirting with the danger, and the adrenaline it gives you, but tbh I never got that; I just find the depths beautiful.

[Woodland_Adventures]

I'm not normally scared of the ocean.

But when your 900 meters down in nothing but a PRAWN suit, it's scary as all hell.

[oliv]

I've played subnautica for 250 hours.
And beeing a scuba diver, I was frustrated not feeling the impression on depth.

Last week, bought a vr helmet.
Just for subnautica in vr...
And that's just a totally different experience.
It's SO MUCH more intense.
You réalise the scale of everything.
Man... Reef backs are Humongus.
It's just the subnautica y'all know and love but multiplied by 10.

Just do it if you can.

[KneelBBacon]

I like that the environment itself puts a hard limit on your progression through the game. At the beginning, you can only dive as deep as your breath will last. There could be amazing stuff on the sea floor directly beneath where you're swimming but you just can't get to it until you upgrade your equipment.

[MrFranzeluta]

It was a wonderfully put together analysis of the way the game can make you feel at times. You're on the right track as far as video making is concerned so don't worry about the low views or subscribers, as those will come in time. Have a lovely holiday season!

[skylexfrexn]

I’ve played a lot of terror games, because i love to feel strong sensations trough my mind and body, just to feel my gut revolving inside and that sense of imminent dread… it’s like a drug. That said, I’ve also done a lot of “extreme” stuff in real life, and they’re the only ones that truly made me feel that. This game is the only thing outside real life stuff that made me experience that same feeling, it tells you how good of an adventure it is, and i love it. Also, good work my dude, you really put great effort in your vids, you have the production quality of a channel much bigger, i hope it pays off soon!

[randomstuffbychris]

I've been playing this game since 2015 and it's incredible to see how far it's come. I think the soundtrack adds a whole lot to this game, the songs evoke a sense of mystery.

[cloutc]

I played both Subnautica and Below Zero and man those are some beautiful games. But every corner outside the starting area is scarry af. But once you knew what was there and how to avoid it or fight it it became beautiful again.

[Grivian]

The first time playing Subnautica was such an amazing experience. I didn't know anything about the game and I didn't know what to do, everything was a learning experience. I was swimming around close to the pod exploring but not daring to go too far. Almost out of food, nice I can cook fish. Damn I drank my last water, how I can get more? Sweet some fishes gives me water. When the tablet told me that my chances of survival had improved it felt like an accomplishment.

When I felt that I had my resources under control I dared to move further away from the pod. Eventually I built the glider and I could finally go on longer excursions to look for survivors and supplies. Preparing for the journey was a great experience in itself. Packing enough water, food, and extra battery before I was ready.

After that I decided to explore the ship and got attacked by a leviathan so I left that plan for now. I look for more pods until the table voice told me that the ships nuclear reactor is reaching a critical level. I realize that I need to do something so I take my seamoth and go there (another path than I previously took) but I get killed by a leviathan again. Apparently my seamoth is not good enough against those beasts either. So I abandon that plan. But then the voice tells me that the ship will explode in a few hourse. I then believe that I made a big mistake, that I was too slow in gathering supplies and reaching the ship. I climb to the top of the pod to witness the epic explosion and my imminent death. It happens, but I survive. I was honestly shocked. The game was not over and I could continue.

I hear on the radio that some people will rescue me and I immediately gather my resources and head over there. I land on a shore (which is cool in itself) and witness something truly awesome. The ship decends but an alien structure shoots it down. I stare in wonder and of course I decide to explore that structure. I enter it with a high sense of dread but I know I must continue. I tell myself that after the first sight of an alien I will immediately run to the exit. But it is empty and highly intriguing.

I could tell you about the fear or going deep underwater or the feeling of conquering the waters but these initial moments immersed me more into the world than any game had done in a very long time.