My favorite touch is the music, which plays when you’re close to your escape pod and gets quieter and quieter as you explore further and further.
Exploration wouldn’t be half as exciting without the underwater ambiance the audio brings. That brings me to the next reason it works so well in VR, which is thanks to the fantastic sound design. With Stalkers and Bonesharks roaring in your ears with only 10 feet of visibility, spending time scavenging around for materials is seriously unnerving, and makes the relief of breaking the surface feel so good. When swimming in low visibility the adrenaline really kicks in, because you hear so much around you yet you see so little. This adds so much to the atmosphere and realism of the experience, and makes those deep dives into murky trenches and caves so tense and exciting. One minute, you’re in crystal clear surface water and can see for hundreds of feet in every direction, the next minute you’re in murky green water and have only a couple of feet of visibility. Visibility is how far in front of your face you can see underwater, and the way this game plays with that concept is my favorite part of the whole experience. Another reason that VR is amazing is due to the games manipulation of what us scuba divers call “visibility”. It’s a game that’s bursting with color, and as someone from Florida who scuba dives, it truly does huge underwater reefs justice. The visuals are at an all-time high when night rolls around, and the florescent schools of fish light up the ocean around you. The art style this game has makes it an absolute delight to swim around and explore. So the game is great, but does VR make it better? The simple answer is absolutely, and the reason it works so well is thanks to a few things The first of which is the incredible visuals on display. It constantly gives you that “first night of Minecraft” feeling throughout the entire game, which keeps its fresh and interesting time after time. With only a scanner, a flashlight, and a tiny knife, the game makes you think twice if you want to explore that deep dark trench, and, thanks to the incredible sound design, makes every second you’re in there heart-pounding and tense. In stark contrast with games like Minecraft, where the only really tense survival moments are your first few nights, Subnautica constantly reminds you that you are NOT the top of the food chain, making each dive an exciting treat. It’s the classic survival loop, but the best part of Subnautica is that it doesn’t ever give you the tools to feel godlike in the environment around you. When you’re done exploring, you head back to your escape pod, the only thing keeping you dry and safe from the world around you, and build new tools and equipment that allow you to dive deeper, for longer. You explore the depths, catching food, scavenging for materials, and scanning the wildlife, all while keeping an eye on your oxygen tank. Your ship has crashed on an uncharted planet completely covered in water, and the large majority of time is spent swimming around in this underwater world. It’s a survival crafting experience, and while those may be a dime a dozen nowadays, Subnautica does a lot to stand out from the competition. Well, before I jump into how the game works in VR, I want to talk a bit about what the gameplay of Subnautica is all about. But how does it feel when you put on your Oculus Rift or HTC Vive? Does it add anything to the experience, the immersion, or would it feel the same playing it on a regular monitor? Welcome to the underwater world of Subnautica, a beautiful early access game with a lot to offer to the survival crafting genre.
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