I’ve put over 220 hours into the original Subnautica since its launch, so I counted down the days until the sequel’s release. I picked up my copy the second it dropped, and spent 34 hours playing through the full campaign, collecting 92% of in-game lore logs, and encountering every new creature added to the world. This Subnautica 2 review is based on my full playthrough, with no sponsored perks or early access privileges to skew my opinion. I’m focusing on both the good and bad parts of the game, so you can decide if it’s a good fit for your playstyle.
New Biomes and Exploration Mechanics You Won’t Want to Miss
The first thing you’ll notice when you drop into 4546B this time around is how much more varied the map feels. The original stuck mostly to warm, tropical underwater zones, but the sequel mixes in frozen ice caves, bioluminescent deep-sea trenches, and floating kelp forests that stretch hundreds of meters above the ocean floor. Each biome has its own unique resources, creature types, and hidden lore spots, so you’ll never feel like you’re exploring the same area twice.
Exploration mechanics got a big upgrade too. You now have a grappling hook for your seaglide that lets you climb ice walls and pull yourself around tight cave spaces, plus a new scanning tool that marks hidden resource deposits through rock. I didn’t think I needed these tools at first, but by the mid-game I couldn’t imagine playing without them. They cut down on frustrating backtracking, and make exploring tight, dangerous spaces far more fun.
You’ll also find far more environmental storytelling cues scattered across the map this time. Abandoned research bases have half-finished coffee mugs, personal logs, and even leftover food that tells small stories about the people who lived there before you arrived. It’s a small touch, but it makes the world feel far more lived-in than the original’s fairly empty abandoned outposts.
What Stands Out Most In Our Subnautica 2 Review
After my full playthrough, there are a lot of things the sequel does better than the original, and a few missteps that hold it back from being perfect. I’ve broken down the biggest pros and cons to make it easy to see what works and what doesn’t:
- Pros: Tighter, more character-driven story that ties directly to the original game’s lore without feeling forced
- Pros: More varied crafting recipes that reward exploration instead of repetitive grinding for the same 3 resources
- Pros: Smarter creature AI that makes hostile predators feel like actual threats, not just random nuisances
- Cons: Occasional frame drops in dense biomes when running on mid-tier PC hardware, even with low graphics settings
- Cons: Early-game resource scarcity can feel frustrating for new players who don’t know where to look for basic materials
One of the biggest wins for the sequel is its sound design. The original had great ambient noise, but the sequel cranks that up to 11. The low rumble of a distant leviathan, the crackle of ice shifting above your head in frozen caves, and the soft hum of your base’s life support system all make you feel like you’re actually trapped on an alien ocean planet. I played most of my playthrough with headphones on, and I caught myself holding my breath more than once when I heard a hostile leviathan get close enough to see my submarine.
The only real letdown for me was the endgame content. The final boss fight feels a bit rushed, and there’s not much to do after you beat the main campaign besides collect remaining lore logs. The original had a lot of fun post-game challenges, but the sequel doesn’t have much to keep you playing once you roll credits. That’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re looking for a game with hundreds of hours of endgame content.
Story and Character Development: Is It Better Than The Original?
The original Subnautica had a pretty bare-bones story: you crash land on an alien planet, you have to find a cure for a plague, and you escape. It worked, but it didn’t have much emotional weight. The sequel fixes that entirely, with a main character who has a clear, personal motivation for being on 4546B in the first place.
You play as Robin Ayou, a researcher who travels to the planet to find out what happened to her sister, who died working for the corporate conglomerate Altera. As you explore, you find logs from your sister, talk to a rogue AI that’s taken up residence in your brain, and uncover a conspiracy that Altera has been covering up for years. The emotional story beats hit far harder than anything in the original, and I actually found myself getting teary-eyed at a few points during the final act.
The lore connections to the original game are handled really well too. You’ll find references to the original protagonist, the plague you had to cure in the first game, and even old bases you might have built during your first playthrough. None of these references feel like cheap fan service, and they add a lot of depth to the world if you’re a long-time fan. New players won’t be confused if they haven’t played the original, though, because all the necessary context is explained naturally through logs and dialogue.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Buy Subnautica 2
This game isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. If you loved the original Subnautica, this is an easy buy. It’s more of what you loved, with better story, better mechanics, and a whole new world to explore. You’ll probably get 30 to 40 hours of playtime out of the main campaign, which is more than worth the price tag for most fans.
Casual survival fans will also have a great time with this one. The difficulty settings are fully customizable, so you can turn off predator damage, make resources more abundant, or even turn off hunger and thirst entirely if you just want to explore the world without worrying about surviving. It’s accessible for new players, but still has enough challenge for veteran survival game fans if you crank up the difficulty settings.
That said, there are a few groups of people who should probably skip this one. If you have deep-sea phobia or get anxious in tight, enclosed spaces, this game will probably be more stressful than fun. The deep-sea biomes are dark, cramped, and full of huge, hostile creatures that will sneak up on you when you least expect it. You also shouldn’t buy this if you hate slow-paced exploration games. Most of the gameplay is spent swimming around, scanning creatures, and collecting resources, so if you prefer fast-paced action games, you’ll probably get bored pretty quickly.
At the end of the day, this Subnautica 2 review gives the game a solid 8.5 out of 10. It’s not perfect, but it’s a worthy sequel that improves on almost everything that made the original great, and it’s one of the best underwater survival games released in the last five years. If you’re even slightly curious about it, and you don’t mind slow-paced exploration, it’s absolutely worth picking up.
