Test - Subnautica below Zero, seabed not so calm ...
Developed by the Unknown Worlds studio, Subnautica Below Zero should originally be a Subnautica DLC (released in 2018).But this first having grown, it was decided to make it a stand-alone.So what's ultimately worth this new opus?Did he really deserve to be an independent game and not a DLC?Take a great inspiration and immerse yourself in this test to find the answer.
A new adventure on the planet 4546b…
Although the narrative frame has nothing to do with the first Subnautica, you are therefore back on this emblematic alien planet, baptized 4546B.This time, the story takes place a year after the significant events of the first opus, and much further north, on one of the planets of the planet.You play Robin, a young scientist seeking to discover the truth about the death of his sister.And it is alone, accompanied by our AI, that she will have to discover the truth about past events.
The scenario begins shortly after the events of the trailer.So you will quickly find the immense frozen Leviathan (a giant sea animal that we see at the end) as well as the traces of the Alterra teams that studied it.As in the first opus, there is a set of “collectibles” everywhere, such as audio recordings, written documents or music discs.But unfortunately you will never know how much you can recover it in everything in the game.Which is a pity.Because taking the time to recover these seems important to me, in order to better understand and immerse themselves in the heart of the hidden history among the creatures populating this world.
Sharing the same principle of open world as its predecessor, AI will give you some clues to move forward, but there is no real common thread.It is up to you to explore and search this world, to innovate and think about the ways to go to these places to find the resources and objects necessary to progress at our own pace in history.
Dive to survive or die ...
On 4546b, there are as many ways to survive as to die.And to stay alive, you will have to be curiosity and ingenuity.We will start for example by catching fish in order to sustain.But very quickly, you will see that it will no longer be enough for long underwater adventures.And you will be forced to find better ways to meet our needs.As for example fruit plantations.Because a cooked fish is good, but it does not last very long.And that's not with that you can go deep in our explorations.To go always further, you will have to start by finding a diving mask, and what to defend yourself against hostile animals.
We will quickly obtain new very useful tools and finally the possibility of building a real base worthy of the name.Be careful however, if you are the maniac type like me, you will end up worshiping a lot (a lot) of time planning it, building it and organizing it.Small interesting detail: you can create an aquarium there and put the eggs of the creatures there that you raise everywhere in the seabed.And even more crisp, you can even bathe in the company of these little monsters without any danger!Because strangely, even the most ferocious become here friendly and pacifists alongside their usual meal in wilderness (including you) ...
You will then advance in technologies by analyzing fauna, flora, fish, and even the debris scattered in the immense depths of this ocean planet.Do not hesitate to get lost in every corner.You will often be rewarded with a new improvement for your equipment by analyzing what surrounds you like vehicle debris, and then being able to unlock them in construction.And yes, you can make vehicles!
The mini submarine will quickly be very practical to cover greater distances.You can then install very useful extensions.But it's not just underwater exploration.Because yes, you can even find something to build a hoverbike that will allow a part of exploration on firm land.But remember to take a large coat to browse the frozen lands of this pole.
Playable level, the grip is quite easy and intuitive.Indeed, you will quickly understand the workings between navigation and construction.The keys are quite basic and they are often recalled in parentheses next to the action of the latter.Which allows you to focus on other points of the game.
A graphic and sound immersion ...
From a purely graphic point of view, Subnautica Below Zero remains very successful.The atmosphere is there, the color games with the depths are immersive.But when we get closer to the blocks and forms of these seabed, we can be a little disappointed to realize that they are not worked with the same precision everywhere.Indeed, the surface of certain blocks is only an applied texture.While on the contrary, for plants, animals and objects, there are many more details, lights of lights and shapes.Which makes them much more pleasant to discover and observe.Despite a display time sometimes putting more time to reveal the objects you put to reach them, the general atmosphere of the game is there and the immersion is there.On the other hand, with regard to the surface, this is not the most worked point in the title.During snowfalls for example, it will be easily noticed the frame of it, which removes charm from terrestrial excursions.
After talking about what you will see, let's talk about what you will hear.The will of the creators of the game to completely immerse you in this underwater universe is very present and the sound atmosphere plays a lot in this sense.I advise you to play it with a good helmet to take full advantage of it.In the end, there is a lot to hear in the depths of the abyss.Because the seabed are not so silent as that.And according to our adventures and our discoveries, you will be constantly surrounded by changing sounds.These atmospheres are a mixture of echoes of marine monsters, our own movements in water, moving things not far, the sound of currents and other specific sounds ... More than once, I have turned intoHearing “something”, and found myself face to face with a creature not always pacifist!
To sum up, the creators clearly wanted to make this game an immersion experience in the seabed.And the result, despite some graphic fragility of the textures, is, in my opinion, very successful.We can literally stay for several minutes in certain places, contemplative of what surrounds you.
A game mode for each type of player ...
Like the first Subnautica, you will find here the four game modes, namely the classic mode of survival, a free mode without hunger and thirst, an extreme mode (permanent dead attention), and a creative mode.
Any creation of a new part leads to the generation of a new map.All the elements related to history remain exactly in the same places and strictly keep the same design.But the rest of the seabed are generated randomly.Above all, remember to make regular backups (before and after major events or explorations for example) because there is no automatic backup in this game!I did this at my expense by losing almost 5 hours of play after a freeze.
If we remove these, I am about 20 hours of play on this part, and I think I am about 75 % of history.If you want to focus mainly on it, then count between 20 and 25 hours.Everything will depend on your speed in finishing the main arc.
So suddenly, full game or DLC?
Subnautica below Zero deserves its status as a stand-alone, not DLC.Indeed, history, although on the same planet, is completely different.Besides, it is absolutely not necessary to have played the first to understand this.The content of the game is quite rich and the story really complete.Add to that hours of exploration to go further in the analysis and discovery of the whole fauna, flora and technologies.The colorful graphic immersion although dark, the contrasting light games as well as the rich sound atmosphere comfort me in the idea that this game is for me a great success.But this is not a quiet walk, because the hostility of this world adds a very appreciable challenge to contemplation.The experience of this game also made me want to replay the first opus.My last advice will therefore be to make the big dive and try both.
Critères d’accessibilité
Déficience Visuelle | Déficience Auditive | |
✘ Contraste élevé (réticule de visée) | ✔ Sous-titres avec indications d’ambiance | |
✔ Taille couleur de police | ✔ Identification de la personne qui parle | |
✘ Marquage des ennemis | ✔ Police personnalisable | |
✔ Interface personnalisable | ✘ Couleur de police personnalisable | |
✘ Couleur minicarte personnalisable | ✔ Options d’alerte alternatives (vibration, flash…) | |
✘ Option daltonisme | ✘ Sons ambiants signalés (informe sur présence) | |
✘ Option Text to speech | ||
✘ Ralentissement du jeu |
Conditions de test
Détails TV | 4K | Jeu fourni par l’éditeur | oui | |
Console | Xbox Series X | Temps passé sur le jeu | 20 heures | |
Niveau de difficulté | Survie | Jeu terminé | non |