>>715208697
i dunno anon, i played 30 hours of below zero in 2021, got every cheve and honestly, kind of wish i hadn't.
the story in 1 was so minimal, that it really left me with enough questions to think over and enjoy, sub zero "answered" most of those questions, but the answer was almost universally shit.
in subnautica it felt like you were finishing the last request of a fallen civilisation, curing the virus that wiped them out using the tools they set up, but didnd't survive long enough to use.
its a cool setup, which explains why YOU can solve the issue (their automated system just needed time to finish syntheses of the cure, which took years more than they had), and it really felt like a war of the worlds homage (super powerful beings laid low by a simple virus, as in their hubris they believed themselves invincible), AND it gave you, the player a clear reason to progress, as well as an obvious end point (you're also infected, but even if you weren't you still need to cure it to escape)
finding out in below zero that the precursors could just turn themselves into AI with robot bodies and be immune to the virus, and that there were other locations with survivors, and making the characters entire goal be, find out what happened to your sister (she died, oops, guess i'll abandon my species and follow this brain parasite) kind of feels like a weird mix of escalation and de-escalation, which meant they needed the players character to explain their goals and dreams, which made the game a tell, dont show marative.
hell, if they made the character mute, had the AI musing on their reasoning on coming to the planet, and then you find out that all your investigation is about finding your sister, it COULD have been interesting, more of the "why am i here" vibe.
also, while the returning character from 1 is cool, their inclusion undermines the feeling of loneliness and fear that subnautica thrived on.
