The latest entry in the underwater survival horror franchise Subnautica has been announced, titled Subnautica 2.
The world of Subnautica expands with a new entry in the franchise announced at the Xbox Partner Preview Event. Subnautica 2 is the third entry into the franchise behind 2021’s Subnautica: Below Zero and 2018’s Subnautica. A trailer for the game was released.
What Is In The ‘Subnautica 2’ Trailer?
The teaser trailer opens with the protagonist unconscious, sinking into an abyss-like area, we then cut to the surface where we see our protagonist scanning the wildlife. He’s jumpscared by a hermit crab-like creature and accidentally ends up in a whirlpool that drags him into the abyss-like area seen earlier.
He eventually comes to his senses and another diver in a reimagined version of the Seamoth (A vehicle from Subnautica). He breathes a sigh of relief because the two see a school of fish swim in haste. A leviathan sized Kraken appears behind them implying an unfortunate end.
Per the logline:
Immerse yourself in a new adventure with Subnautica 2, an open-water survival game from the creators of the Subnautica series. Play alone or with friends as you explore alluring biomes and discover fascinating creatures.
Both the trailer and logline don’t provide much information about this new game other than it being “a new adventure”. However, going to any of the game’s official pages we learn that the game is set on a new planet.
In Subnautica our protagonist, Ryley Robinson crashed on the planet known as 4546B and became the sole survivor as everyone else perished in the crash and eventual explosion of the ship. Ryley would become infected by a disease known as Kharaa and work reaching the depth of the planet to locate the Sea Emperor Leviathan, the only creature known to possess a cure for the disease. Ryley cures himself and builds a ship to return to Alterra and report his experiences on the planet.
In Subnautica: Below Zero, a new protagonist arrives, Robin Ayou. The game is set two years after the events of Subnautica where Robin learns of her sister’s death on planet 4546B. Through her time on the planet, she encounters a structure created by the Architects, a group of aliens who used 4546B as a research facility for the Kharaa virus. She meets Al-An, one of the Architects and he transfers his consciousness into Robin. As the story progresses Robin learns that Alterra, a space corporation, wants to use the Kharaa virus to create bioweapons using samples from a leviathan with the last known traces of it. She is successful in curing the leviathan and then works towards building a body for Al-An. With a new body, Al-An decides to return to his home planet to learn what has become of his people, Robin joins him.
It’s unclear whether Ryley and Robin may cross paths with our new protagonists, however with the heavy focus on the Architects it’s safe to assume that we will learn more about this advanced species in the game as “mysterious ruins” are teased on the game’s official page. You can view the trailer below:
New Gameplay Features In ‘Subnautica 2’
The features we’ve come to expect with the previous games will most likely return which include the crafting and base building systems. However, it’s teased that the building system will be overhauled.
A highly requested feature was multiplayer capability and with this new entry we can be assured that it will be added, the official page states “Play alone or with up to three friends in online multiplayer co-op” which will make for some great moments together while you explore the planet and encounter the monstrous creatures that await below the depths.
One of the more interesting features in this game seems to be genetics, per the official page “Scan creatures to learn more about them. Use your Biosampler to take samples for study. As you learn more about this world, evolve your genetics to adapt your body for survival”. This could indicate that scanning creatures will evolve beyond giving additional lore in this game. Perhaps modifying your genetics will allow your character to eat raw fish without negative side effects, allow you to swim faster or even remove the need for Oxygen tanks.
Subnautica 2 is developed by Unknown Worlds. Early Access for the underwater survival horror begins in 2025 on Steam, Epic Games, and Xbox.
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