Subnautica vs. Subnautica 2

Subnautica is a three-part series game created by Unknown World Entertainment. It features an open-world, underwater adventure game on an alien ocean planet plagued by mysteries and danger. The world features shallow coral reefs, treacherous deep-sea trenches, lava fields, and bio-luminescent underwater rivers. Subnautica 2, which is yet to be released, will provide players with the same survival horror experience as Subnautica. However, the game will have exciting additional features. Here’s a quick Subnautica vs. Subnautica 2 overview.

What is Subnautica?

This action-adventure title is the work of Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The game is set in the 22nd century on Planet 4546B, which players must navigate to survive. Subnautica features a massive, open ocean world inhabited by aliens. In the game, players take on the role of  Ryley Robinson, who survives a spaceship crash and lands on an alien oceanic planet. Your main goal is to find resources, survive the planet’s inhabitants, and find ways to escape the planet. 

What is Subnautica 2?

Subnautica 2 is an upcoming action-adventure survival game and the latest edition of the Subnautica series. Its developers, Unknown Worlds Entertainment, designed the game like its predecessors, setting it in the same vast oceanic world. Aliens and all kinds of mysterious creatures fill the world. You will encounter scary Leviathans and risk losing precious equipment as you journey deeper into the dark into the ocean depths.

Story : Subnautica vs. Subnautica 2

Subnautica begins with you crash-landing into an alien-infested ocean planet. Your Life Pod contains a limited amount of water, food, and oxygen. The waters surrounding you can be both harmful and helpful. Players have to develop equipment, craft diving gear, lights, habitat modules, and submersibles in order to explore the land. You go around collecting resources, and as you dive deeper, you find rare objects that allow you to craft more advanced items. When the sun depends, creatures come out of the dark, and you have to survive them. Players have to be vigilant in preparation for the unprepared darkness.

Subnautica 2 will take players into an unknown world that is foreign and filled with aliens. After crashing onto this planet, the ship’s AI insists you continue your mission into a land not built for humans. You have to evolve and adapt in order to survive. In the game, you fight off leviathans while gathering survival equipment and unlocking survival tools.

Gameplay

Players control a lone survivor in a submarine exploring the alien ocean planet he crash-landed in. In a first-person perspective, your main objective is to survive the planet and its dangers while finishing tasks as you unravel the narrative. Collect resources and blueprints, construct tools, and build bases and submersibles. Crabsquids, Warpers, Mesmers, Bonesharks, Ampeels, Stalkers, Crashfish, and Leviathan-class lifeforms, among others, are all enemies you need to watch out for in your quest. The game contains two explorable islands, but the majority of the game is based in the ocean. It features a day and night cycle and an eclipse that occurs frequently. 

In Subnautica 2, you will start with basic survival tools and slowly expand your arsenal through recipes. The recipes help you craft advanced tools, equipment, and submersibles. You have a scanner that you will use to learn more about the local wildlife. Additionally, a biosampler takes samples from it so you can study it more deeply. The developers promise to significantly boost the base customization of the title and overhaul the building system.

Game Modes

Subnautica contains four playable modes: survival mode, freedom mode, creative mode, and hardcore mode. In survival mode, you manage your depleting health, hunger, thirst, and oxygen. Upon your death, you respawn, but several items will be missing from your inventory. Freedom mode, on the other hand, has gameplay almost identical to survival mode but without hunger or thirst. The gameplay in hardcore mode contains permanent death. If you die, your file is deleted immediately. Moreover, you do not receive a warning when your oxygen goes low, as in other modes. Creative mode lacks all depleting characteristics, such as health and thirst. Additionally, you can craft without needing resources because all blueprints are unlocked.

Subnautica 2 will contain single-player and co-op gameplay that supports up to four players. You will explore ruins, build custom bases, and veer deeper into the alien ocean planet. The game will test your creativity and ability to adapt to this foreign land.

Features

Players collect resources, craft knives, lights, diving gear, and a watercraft. You go deeper into the ocean, where you find rare resources that let you craft more advanced items. In the game, you select layouts and other components for underwater structures. Additionally, you build seafloor bases and manage hull integrity as the pressure and depth of the water increase. Use the base to store resources, park vehicles, and replenish oxygen supplies.

Subnautica 2 will allow players to extract alien DNA and use it for upgrades, leading to interesting and creative possibilities. The feature could create possibilities such as increased swimming speed, allowing you to move without needing a vehicle. Nevertheless, we expect the title to contain multiple new features and upgrades.

Platforms

Subnautica is accessible on macOS, Xbox One,  macOS, Windows,  Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. 

The title Subnautica 2 was announced during the Xbox Partner Showcase. It will launch into early access in 2025 and will be available on PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, the Windows Store, and Xbox Series X|S.

Verdict

The Subnautica series is a perfect example of what an open-world survival game should entail. Its first title has subtle and frightening elements that keep players entertained for hours. From the dark ocean depths to the frightening cast of sea monsters, the game contains deep secrets waiting for you to explore. Subnautica 2 is expected to present a new world draped in an old story. It is the next addition to the Subnautica series, and it will feature numerous exciting upgrades. Players can enjoy new and exciting scenes, weapons, and abilities. Overall, Subnautica 2 is exactly the kind of action-adventure survival title players are looking for.

So, what’s your take on our Subnautica vs Subnautica 2 comparison? Which game do you think performs better? Let us know your thoughts here on our socials or down in the comments.