The CHIEF September 2026

. Gaming Review:: Subnautica Gaming Review:‌ Sub‌nautica

By TJ Murphy

The deep ocean is already a scary place, with sharks and the fear of isolation, but imagine being stranded in an ocean with creatures 20–100 times bigger than sharks and far more aggressive. Subnautica is a game where that exact scenario happens to one lone survivor. The action starts with the main character crash-landing in an escape pod and looking out at nothing but the blue ocean. We are introduced to this brand-new world with a short guide on how to gather resources, find food and water, and create tools to explore. The game is centered around an open-world design and the ability to build whatever base a person could dream of. The progression for brand new players starts slow, with areas needing to be discovered. No map is provided; only beacons can be used to remember areas that have been traveled before, so memorizing directions is key to exploring. The game has an interesting story with some very important storylines only found in the deep ocean. Without spoiling the whole game, the planet the main character crash-landed on is infected by a disease named the Kharaa. Because of this disease, an alien cannon is activated, blowing up any spaceship attempting to save our main character. So, to turn the device off, our character dives deep into the ocean, upgrading his gear and vehicles and discovering new biomes the deeper he goes. Our character eventually faces even larger creatures that pose more of a threat to him and his vehicles. The vehicles he uses help him discover alien artifacts, get more advanced, and help him piece together the cure to this disease. Overall, the game's graphics are a little outdated, but the soundtrack of the game is one of the best that I have ever encountered. The gameplay can get a bit repetitive after the first playthrough, but what makes this game great is the use of darkness and deep drops that add fear to the player's experience. I know when I first played, I was too terrified to leave the safe area because everywhere else was dark and deep down, and the fear factor was extremely effective. The game at times can be very difficult, but that also stems from the fear factor, causing panicked reactions to creatures that could grab you and having to restart at the escape pod. Overall, I would highly recommend this game to anyone who likes scary games or games where they have the freedom to explore. My overall rating of the game is an 8/10.