Subnautica
| Subnautica | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Unknown Worlds Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Charlie Cleveland |
| Producer(s) | Hugh Jeremy |
| Designer(s) |
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| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Simon Chylinski[2] |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) |
Microsoft Windows, OS X
Xbox One
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| Genre(s) | Adventure, survival, open world, underwater |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Subnautica is an open world survival game in development by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Subnautica allows the player to explore an aquatic alien planet by scuba diving and traveling in submersibles, while collecting resources and food to survive.[3][4] It was released on Steam Early Access on December 16, 2014,[5] and is currently in development for Xbox One.[6] Full V1.0 release is planned for August 2016.[7]
Gameplay
The player controls in first-person view the lone survivor of a crashed ship on an aquatic planet. The main objective of the player is to explore the open world environment and survive the dangers of the planet. Subnautica allows the player to collect resources, construct tools, bases, and submersibles, and interact with the planet's wildlife.[8] Players must keep themselves adequately hydrated and fed, and must also maintain their oxygen supply while traversing underwater. The game also includes a day and night cycle. The game also includes a creative mode, in which the hunger, thirst, health, and oxygen features are disabled.
Development
Subnautica was first announced by Unknown Worlds Entertainment on December 17, 2013,[3] with Charlie Cleveland as the game director and lead gameplay programmer, and Hugh Jeremy as the producer.[1]
The development team opted to use the Unity engine rather than Spark, the engine used for the company's previous game, Natural Selection 2. Subnautica producer Hugh Jeremy justified this decision because of the different demands that the game places on the engine, and "because [the team] does not include people working on Spark, it's not appropriate for Subnautica to use Spark. By using Unity for Subnautica, Spark can continue to develop in certain directions, while Subnautica develops in others. To use Spark for Subnautica would be to try and square peg a round hole."[9]
The development team also opted against the inclusion of lethal weapons in the game. Charlie Cleveland, the game's director, described Subnautica as "one vote towards a world with less guns," and had felt inspired by real life gun violence, including the Sandy Hook shooting, to encourage players to think about "non-violent and more creative solutions to solve our problems."[10]
Subnautica was released on Steam Early Access on December 16, 2014,[5] and is currently in development for Xbox One.[6] Subnautica was originally planned to be released on Xbox One on April 1, 2016, but was ultimately delayed by another month.[11]
Full V1.0 release is planned for August 2016.[7]
Reception
Ian Birnbaum of PC Gamer described Subnautica as an "underwater Minecraft", remarking that "with an experienced developer at the helm and a limitless variety of the oceans to play with, it’s going to take a lot for Subnautica to go badly wrong. As the toolbox gets deeper and the shape of the end-game gets set, Subnautica will be a unique example of the ways survival can be tense, rewarding, and fun."[4] Marsh Davies of Rock, Paper, Shotgun praised the rewarding nature of exploring the world of Subnautica, but criticized the "arbitrariness" and lack of intuition in some of the in-game recipes.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Jeremy, Hugh (December 17, 2013). "The Crew of Subnautica". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ↑ "About Unknown Worlds". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- 1 2 Carlson, Patrick (December 17, 2013). "Natural Selection 2 developer Unknown Worlds announces ocean-based Subnautica". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- 1 2 Birnbaum, Ian (January 9, 2015). "Subnautica: Early impressions of Minecraft under the sea". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- 1 2 Matulef, Jeffrey (December 17, 2014). "Natural Selection 2 dev's Subnautica is out now on Steam Early Access". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- 1 2 Santangelo, Nick (December 23, 2015). "Subnautica is now in development for Xbox One". XBLA Fans. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- 1 2 "Subnautica development roadmap". trello.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ↑ Jeremy, Hugh (December 2013). "Subnautica: Descend into the Depths". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ↑ Jeremy, Hugh (December 18, 2013). "Why is Subnautica using Unity, and not the Spark Engine?". Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ↑ MacLeod, Riley (April 4, 2016). "Subnautica Developer Explains Why He Won't Add Guns To The Game". Kotaku. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ↑ Devore, Jordan (March 22, 2016). "Subnautica comes to Xbox One on April 1". Destructoid. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ↑ Davies, Marsh (January 5, 2015). "Premature Evaluation: Subnautica". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved March 31, 2016.