When Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s Subnautica finally exited Early Access this past January, it was welcomed with critical acclaim and praise from gamers. Released in Early Access for Windows PC back in 2014, the game stayed in constant development until its final exclusive release on Steam. The title went on to garner mostly positive reviews and became one of the highest rated titles of 2017. Now, Unknown Worlds has announced brand new, standalone sequel titled Subnautica Below Zero. Much like its predecessor, the game will also enter Early Access initially.
In this open-world survival game, players take on the role of an unnamed survivor whose spaceship crashed onto an alien planet. The first-person perspective of the game mechanic allows for a more immersive experience as players manage the protagonist’s various health conditions such as nutrition, oxygen, and hydration. As this is an adventure game set in a fairly large world, exploration plays a key role. Dangers loom in every corner, and players must survive against all odds while progressing through the main story.
While the expansion also takes place on planet 4546B, the story is set after the original in a specific ice-bound region of the massive world. The team plans on keeping the primary gameplay mechanics like base building and open exploration. They’ve also hinted at additional features such as “thermal management, and more voiced dialogue at the core of the plot,” though it is too early in the process to say for sure.
Since the game will be in Early Access, the development process will depend upon gamer feedback in order to optimize the final release. Though there is only early concept art right now, fans can follow along the process through the developers’ Trello board, though it might contain spoilers and leaks.
Unsurprisingly, there is no set release date as of now, though the game is expected to enter Early Access and have a 1.0 release some time in 2019.