Unknown Worlds had first announced their new stand alone title Below Zero a year ago. And since then, it had laid out general path of when the Early Access would release, showing off some of the aspects of the plot when they went live for the Early Access debut, and finally when they added in the long-awaited Sea Truck back in March. However, there’s one thing that’s been missing that players have known about since the first trailer. That being, the Ice Worm.
The Ice Worm has since been built up as a large threat to the player, protagonist Robin, and their well-being. It’s large, it comes from below the ice (hence the name). And it was officially the first threat for the player in the original trailer. Much like in the first Subnautica, there’s always been a larger than life threat that comes to either block off something important that the player needs to get to, or to stalk an area. In the original game, there was the Leviathan creatures, Dragon, Ghost, so on and so forth, but of the Leviathan class. The Ice Worm (which is also a class of Leviathan), fills that void of intense threats to the player, and the trailer for the new creature shows just how intense and terrifying its presence can be:
Along with the Ice Worm, the trailer shows off a few new parts of the game that are being added on. For the story, there is a new biome where the Ice Worm lives, known as the Arctic Spires. Unknown Worlds advises caution when entering the Arctic Spires as, well, there’s a big Leviathan threat beneath the surface that hates everything. However, within this biome, there are secrets that foreshadow some classified information further down the line for the story.
Another new area being introduced is the Lilypad Islands, which seem to be home in a warmer biome given the greens and foliage.
And for the final addition, is hidden within the Glacial Basin biome. Deep within this biome is home to the fossilized remains of a mysterious frozen creature. It holds the key to possibly understanding the creatures that have walked this earth before you, and because of the sub-zero temperatures, the creature is well preserved. So hopefully, its secrets can be revealed to you.
Subnautica: Below Zero is still in Early Access, but still available to play (form their website or Steam), now with more biomes, text-only story dialogue (voice acting will come later), and giant Ice Worms that want to kill you from beneath the surface. Tread lightly.