Recent reviews by Kvothe the Dark

I think that if this game existed in a vacuum, I would recommend it. But the thing is, it doesn't, and you're probably here because of Subnautica and looking for more, so it makes sense to compare the two.

I think the best part about playing this game is that it really exemplifies what makes SN so good. Once you're forced into the tight caves that are difficult to navigate, you'll appreciate the open spaces that dominated the first game. I think these are meant to replace the wreck sections from the first game, but those were in short spurts and didn't make up entire biomes. The one wreck you do explore is actually pretty fun, and is a slightly different twist on the first game, so one point for Below Zero there I guess.

Next up, you have the main character. Riley was an unknown and really didn't have anything going for him or any motivations other than to survive, but making the choice to have Robin talk to herself and have conversations with other characters really shows how the isolation of the first game was a huge part of the overall experience. The other characters don't also add much to the game even though they are critical to the story; one seems like a missed opportunity to add to the lore, but they are oddly silent at the landmarks you are required to visit throughout the game. The other character seems an attempt at fan-service, but honestly their inclusion doesn't make sense if you take more than two seconds to think about their timeline.

The on-land sections are probably what are worst about this game. The engine was built for underwater exploration, and in the first game some of the clunkiest sections were the ones that forced you on land a bit. Since they were few and far between, it didn't hurt the experience too much, but in this game about 1/3 of it or so takes place on land. The new vehicle for traversing it is representative of the entire on-land experience; so clunky you can't wait to get off and back into the water.

The story is in a weird place in my opinion. The story is in two parts; one that is personal to Robin and the other that is more meta to Subnautica as a whole. The personal story is rather odd; Robin won't stop talking most of the game but when she solves the mystery, she doesn't really seem to react at all. Also, I'm not really sure what the message from it is; we all know Alterra is a big bad evil super-corp, but in the context of the story I'm not sure they were the bad guys. The meta-story drives a lot of the exploration, and the ending is potentially hugely consequential for the world of SN, but as you experience it you don't really care too much. Unlike the first game, you're not piecing anything together, but being told directly, and what you learn from it is mostly just one thread of the story from the first game.

The building system is mostly the same, some new sections that would have been great to have in the first game, but nothing game-changing.

TLDR: If you want more Subnautica, download some mods or wait for SN2.

2058 hours in and I'm still enjoying this game. If you like colony sims you'll love this take on the genre.

Klei is a great developer and is committed to continuing to add content and improve the game. This feels like the same labor of love that Relogic gives to Terraria. I couldn't recommend this game more.

(2023 update) Still coming back to this at least once a year

Just beat the main story and I really enjoyed it. Having played it on PC(obviously...), I did encounter a few bugs and a few crashes on my outdated machine(6 year old build, updated with a 1070 a few years later), but the game looked and played great(usually at about 40fps..., but still).

I'm really hoping CDPR takes the time to give this game the Polish it deserves(see what I did there?), since it is a little rough around the edges.

The story overall is pretty great, especially for an open world game. Almost every little quest on the map has Johnny Silverhand popping in to give his take on the situation, and it's fun to watch his dynamic with the playable character and how their dynamic changes as you pass certain milestones. I'm hoping CDPR reworks Act 1 at some point though; there are some moments at the end of Act 1 that are supposed to be impactful but really you haven't spent enough time in this world at that point to be invested. Hopefully, DLC down the line will expand on the main story as well, don't want to spoil too much there though.

I also hope they take the time to really rework the battle progression system. It has solid core, but the perks and leveling mostly result in % or numerical bonuses instead of anything that shakes up your build. Definitely falls a little flat, especially with the poor difficulty scaling. Early game you're best served picking off opponents one-by-one using stealth, and when you get caught it will usually result in death. By the end of the game you get powerful enough that you can blow through more difficult encounters without being nearly as careful.

All-in-all, what I've said so far can be said for the other aspects of the game. Battle is fun but it needs a little more work. Improving AI for both regular NPCs and enemies would really help with overall immersion. Economy progresses well but near mid-game you can afford the best implants/gear but the optional cars remain prohibitively expensive even past the end-game. Crafting is a little over-simplistic but is worth the investment(really need the ability to multi-craft items. You have to single craft components which is ridiculous).

The one thing this game doesn't need any work on is the world building. Night City is huge and sprawls out both horizontally and vertically. It feels appropriately sized, with the heart of the city sprawling several miles that would take you a few hours to cross on foot. There is on area at the end of the story for one of the companion characters that was truly amazing, and it blew my mind that the developers created this whole breathtaking area for an optional quest that(according to achievements) maybe only 20% of players will ever see.

So going forward, I really hope CDPR delivers on their promises to fix the game. My plan is to revisit the game eventually, probably after some DLC comes out. I want to replay the game as a female V, and to try it on the highest difficulty. I'd also like to try my hand at the secret ending, which apparently you can permanently miss if you don't choose the correct dialog options during a specific side quest(you've now been officially warned). So hopefully by the time I decide to replay the game, many of the issues I discussed will have been fixed, and I'll be able to enjoy the game even more the second time around.

Very short 'game' with a tear-jerking story. More of a visual novel, but still recommended.