Summary
- Return of the Cyclops is a highly anticipated feature for Subnautica 2, offering potential for fan excitement.
- A Photo Mode could enhance player experience by allowing them to capture the stunning underwater world.
- Exploring the deep sea and void biomes could introduce new gameplay mechanics, creatures, and challenges.
2018’s Subnautica proved an unexpected hit. The series quickly resonated with players for their meticulously crafted environments and the uniquely alien creatures that inhabited them, creating an atmosphere that blurred the line between survival horror and diving simulator. With Subnautica being such a popular game, it made sense that Unknown Worlds would want to make a sequel, which was revealed to the public in 2024 with the teaser for Subnautica 2.
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There isn’t a lot of information about Subnautica 2 just yet, beyond some glimpses of the new protagonists and the introduction of co-op gameplay. However, there are some fascinating things Subnautica 2 could do to build on its predecessors.
8
Return of the Cyclops
Bringing Back a Fan Favorite Would be Very Exciting
The Cyclops was the biggest vehicle used by Riley Robinson in the original Subnautica. It was difficult to build, requiring several components to be found in fragments before it could be assembled, but built it was an effective means of travel that could get him around the crater quickly. It also had the advantage of a customizable interior that Riley could build onto, allowing it to function something like a mobile base. This vehicle quickly became a fan favorite. However, Subnautica: Below Zero chose not to include the Cyclops, instead having the sea truck fill a similar role. This has led to a lot of interest in the possibility of its return for Subnautica 2.
There may actually be some credence towards the idea of the iconic submarine coming back. The teaser trailer shows one of the player characters piloting what appears to be a seamoth, a smaller vehicle used in the first game. While this does not definitively prove the Cyclops will return, it does suggest that Subnautica 2 will be reintroducing some familiar vehicles from the previous games.
7
Photo Mode
Capture the Horrifying Beauty of Underwater Worlds
Virtual photography has become an increasingly popular hobby among gamers, but so far neither Subnautica game has included options for taking photographs of their detailed ecosystems. There is a way to take and save screenshots, but these games have some really nice visuals and deserve way more than that. Subnautica 2 needs a proper photo mode. Not just “press X to take a screenshot“, but an actual photo mode with the full package. It should pause the game, give you a free-moving camera, and edit options including lights and contrast.
There is so much in these games worth photographing. All the different sea (or land) creatures would make excellent subjects. Players would undoubtedly enjoy capturing action scenes and encounters with leviathans. Even just the player character and their vehicles would make great shots. Plus, virtual photography is also a great way to create community engagement with fans. In this one respect, Subnautica 2 really needs to follow the examples of other games.
6
Further Prehistory Exploration
The Planet Has Such a Fascinating History
One of the coolest details of Subnautica and Below Zero’s worldbuilding is the way the developers went as far as to include fossils of seemingly extinct creatures from a bygone era. Perhaps the most recognizable to players will be the gargantuan leviathan, the skeleton of a creature large enough to eat a sea dragon. Having more fossils for players to find would be a great way to build on the lore around it. And if Unknown Worlds is feeling particularly ambitious, they could experiment with the appearance of a living specimen. That has been a popular idea among players.
But the gargantuan leviathan is far from the only prehistoric creature that could be expanded on. There is also the ancient skeleton. sometimes known as the titan leviathan by fans, which has even more questions associated with it, or the large bony fish known as research specimen theta. Below Zero also introduced a mysterious trilobite-like fossil that was studied by the architects. All of these would be cool to see expanded on through new specimens;. or maybe even a living version. And of course, there would have to be some new fossils as well. By building on the existing prehistory, Subnautica 2 would be revealing a very interesting and different world.
5
Third Person Mode
A Change in Perspective Could Change the Game
Both Subnautica and Below Zero were structured around an immersive first-person perspective. This makes sense from a practical standpoint, as it saved resources on making a character model, but first-person does come with limitations. One of the biggest problems is it can be hard to see just how big some leviathans are. A third-person perspective offers a simple workaround. Having a human in view for scale makes all the difference. When you can see their size in relation to a human, it really puts things into perspective.
Of course, some people still love the first-person perspective, and many fans would argue that is part of what makes the Subnautica games so great. But it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. One option could be to simply have options to toggle between first and third person or perhaps specific scenarios where a perspective is automatically assumed. Having the option for a third-person perspective in Subnautica could allow a very unique experience.
4
Character Selection
Players Should be Allowed to Choose Their Character
While the teaser for Subnautica 2 didn’t reveal much about the game’s story, it did show one interesting detail: a co-op mode. In the teaser, we get to see the two playable characters: a man and a woman. We don’t have any information on who these people are, including their names, other than the fact that they seem to be the two-player characters. What isn’t clear yet is how much choice players will have in who they control. Will they be able to pick one, or is one automatically assigned to player 1 and the other to player 2?
The ideal outcome would be for players to be given a choice at the start of the game. This could theoretically mean having duplicates of the same character while playing in multiplayer, but there are ways that can be addressed if necessary. Offering choices, especially in single-player, allows players to choose who they are comfortable playing.
3
Deep Sea Biomes
What Secrets Lie in the Deep?
Going deep is a big part of Subnautica. Both games are built around exploring and require the player to reach the deepest points of their maps to complete the story. It would make sense for Subnautica 2 to follow suit, but maybe it could go further. The deepest point of Earth’s oceans, the bottom of the Marianas trench, is 11 thousand meters deep, much deeper than either of Subnautica’s maps combined. Assuming 4546B’s oceans are at a similar depth, that certainly leaves room for exploration of deeper waters. This would allow room for ways to experiment with gameplay since it would get to a point where the player also has to worry about pressure, and presumably has to build equipment to handle it.
It would also open up some opportunities for biomes that haven’t been touched yet. Despite the wide range of environments in both Subnautica and Below Zero, there has never really been an equivalent of a “deep sea” biome. On Earth, the deep ocean’s extreme environment can produce some bizarre and frightening creatures. The anglerfish is perhaps one of the most iconic, but there is also the gulper eel (a creature that can swallow prey bigger than itself). This biome is also home to the giant squid and the even bigger colossal squid. So lots of potential inspiration for leviathans. They could also take advantage of deep sea gigantism, a phenomenon that makes it a lot more common for creatures to evolve to be alarming size, to produce some really nasty surprises in the dark.
2
Exploration of The Void
It Can be More than a Barrier
Every Subnautica player learns to recognize The Void — the dark expanse of nothingness that surrounds the map. Traveling too far into the void will result in a warning about the “ecological dead zone” and ignoring those warnings may lead to a nasty encounter with a leviathan. It makes sense from a development standpoint, as a way of keeping you from going too far out of bounds. But what if it could be more than that? There is already a mod titled Call of the Void based on that exact question, even featuring a whole new biome to explore.
If a fan-created mod can pull it off, then surely it would be feasible with the resources allotted to a full game. The void would be a great place to introduce a sense of looming dread. The darkness that comes from traveling deep enough would make it a lot harder to spot leviathan-class creatures, and the ocean floor could probably make for a unique biome. Allowing more room to explore the void could make for a very unique experience compared to the previous games.
1
A Research Mechanic
Remove the Necessity of Scattered Fragments for Dedicated Research
In both Subnautica and Below Zero, the player gets access to new equipment and technology by finding pieces of it in the world and scanning them. Many technologies require at least three fragments to be scanned before the item can actually be made. The fragments are usually scattered around the map and have to be actively tracked down. In theory, it encourages exploration. However, in practice, it can be frustrating. With no idea of where to look, it more or less comes down to stumbling around the map until you find something by accident. While some players may enjoy this aspect, it can get frustrating and drives some to instead look up the locations online so they can build the item and move on.
However, this idea could be reworked with the implementation of a research mechanic as an alternative. Essentially, instead of having to track down all the fragments, the player could instead collect resources to spend on research projects as a means of getting new equipment. Subnautica 2 wouldn’t even have to remove the old system, just treat it as one of multiple options. They could still be used in conjunction (i.e. scanning fragments reduces research costs). This would allow multiple options for moving forward while still encouraging exploration and resource-collecting.
