Subnautica: Below Zero Review – Thrilling New Depths

Publisher: Unknown Worlds Entertainment

Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment

Release: January 30, 2019

Rating: Everyone 10+

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S

Also on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

The depths are treacherous. You don’t know what monster is hidden in the blackened waters, but you can hear its terrifying roar grow louder as you dive deeper. You know you are approaching your objective, but feel the monster is even closer. Subnautica: Below Zero delivers a continual sense of wonder and terror in its beautifully designed underwater exploration. Each dive is an empowering experience of discovery and self-preservation. When you come back up for air, you feel like you’ve accomplished something, unearthed a new mystery, and perhaps found what you needed to make your next dive even more rewarding.    

Below Zero is what every sequel should be, building upon the established core formula in clever ways to make the new content feel just as exciting and unpredictable. Holding true to the first game, the main attraction is once again a sprawling alien sea that dazzles with its unusual aquatic life, but the survival gameplay impresses far more now that its been streamlined to the point that it’s rarely stressful or a bother. Even though I would periodically have to fry up a fish to sate my hunger and/or thirst, the majority of my time was spent doing what I wanted at my own comfortable pace and in the order that made the most sense to me.

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A nicely penned science-fiction story is in lockstep with the discovery element, often overlapping in ways that impact your stance in the world and what you are capable of. Unknown Worlds does a fantastic job of leading the player along to points of interest without clearly labeling them. Audio and visual cues are effectively used, often making you question what something is or where it could go.

I don’t want to spoil what the discoveries are, but many are grand in design, stretching both the narrative and gameplay in directions that make the experience even more enthralling. While I was always on the hunt for the next big thing, the moment-to-moment collection of crafting materials is immensely satisfying and better balanced than that of the original game. Some discoveries have many layers to them. Take the comically named Sea Monkey for example. You learn early on that this curious beast likes your gadgets and will steal them away if you get too close. Later in the game (and after developing more a meaningful connection with the world through a big narrative plot twist), the Sea Monkey becomes your friend and will fetch supplies for you. The gameplay sometimes evolves with the story, and is yet another way Below Zero really impresses with its unexpected depth.

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I also appreciated just how stress-free most of the crafting is. In the first game, you were immediately tasked to repair a bunch of broken systems in your vessel. In Below Zero, everything is working as it should from the outset. The focus is instead applied to letting you explore on your own and build exactly what you want. That kind of freeing approach is applied to most of the game, even in reducing frustration in exploration. Yes, it’s a sprawling sea, but each area is subtly different in design, making it easy to know exactly where you are and what materials can be found there (especially when you can scan for them). Another nice touch is if you die with a beacon on you, you can find your way back. The air bladder is also much more effective this time around.

Not all discoveries occur underwater. After crash landing on Planet 4546B, xenologist (and protagonist) Robin Ayou gives us an immediate look at one of the sequel’s most effective surprises: true on-foot exploration. From time to time, you’ll step onto land and see what surprises await you, and they can be every bit as meaningful and unexpected as anything you find in the sea. The on-foot gameplay is as basic as it comes (walk and interact), but these sequences give a more complete snapshot of this wild alien world and help change up the gameplay flow.

As more of this planet is explored, you’ll develop the ability to build your own habitats, personalize them how you want (complete with posters and items you find), and eventually become a master of the sea capable of staring down a beast that would make Jaws turn tail and swim away in fright. Just know, these creatures almost always attack when you least expect them to, giving Below Zero some of the best jump scares out there and they aren't even scripted.

Some of these screech-worthy encounters don't exactly go as Unknown Worlds intended and can turn unexpectedly comedic when a beast clearly forgets how to accurately navigate a space, banging into walls and flopping around chaotically. Some escapes also are upended by graphical pop in that makes a giant iceberg materialize out of thin air right in front of you.  Below Zero is a little rough around the edges, but most of my playthrough was nice and smooth.

I can’t stress just how much fun each dive can be, and how fulfilling the discoveries are. Below Zero is one of the best survival games I’ve ever played, showing just how impactful player freedom can be within a world that you’ll want to explore every inch of.

Score: 9

Summary: This second dive into an alien sea delivers a continual sense of wonder with huge discoveries backed by a strong story.

Concept: A sequel that places more focus on story, reduces survival frustrations, and is all about that next great discovery

Graphics: The alien aquatic life is always fun to study and see if you can get close to. The more dangerous biomes and depths are also beautifully brought to life. However, some items pop into existence, and you’ll periodically see odd animations

Sound: A rightfully minimal soundtrack allows the little unknown sounds from the sea pop and potentially fill you with dread. The new voice acting is excellently implemented

Playability: Below Zero is all about figuring out your own path and moving at your own pace. The discoveries are always rewarding, and the nicely designed biomes makes harvesting much easier than before

Entertainment: It’s technically a survival game, but it feels more like a grand adventure that is free of many of the genre’s frustrations

Replay: High

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Resident Evil Village Review – Painting The Ghost Town Red

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Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Rating: Mature

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5

Also on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Not all monsters hide in the shadows. Ethan Winters discovers this within minutes of setting foot in this isolated village at the foot of a medieval castle. The sun has barely burned off the morning mist when ravenous, fang-toothed horrors attack him. Resident Evil Village’s opening hour establishes an incredibly tense tone, weaving together moody, atmospheric horror with rollercoaster firefights that leave Ethan within an inch of his life. And, like an ultramarathon runner, Village maintains this thrilling pace until its closing credits.

Ethan’s journey forces him to explore a ramshackle shantytown, blood-soaked wine cellars, and a creepy mansion littered with animated porcelain dolls. These locales are perfect backdrops for a series of blood-curdling encounters. My stomach lurched as a deformed baby-like mutation chased me through a dimly lit basement, and I had to stop and catch my breath after a harrowing shootout with a snarling truck-sized hound. Village’s environment and enemy design are superb, making it one of the scariest Resident Evil games to date.

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Ethan slowly amasses the usual assortment of shotguns, pistols, and grenade launchers to combat this assortment of otherworldly horrors. Village’s arsenal doesn’t hold many surprises, but the overall gunplay is more polished than what we had in its predecessor. Running from Village’s slow-marching enemies isn’t difficult, but navigating their flurry of fangs is still a thrill. Staying calm long enough to line up a series of headshots while these hordes bear down on your position is the true challenge, and I walked away from most encounters with a rush of adrenaline. A handful of other adversaries – such as a meme mistress Lady Dimitrescu – relentlessly hound Ethan throughout the game, much like RE 2’s Mr. X. You never know when one of these villains will stroll around a corner, which creates a palpable tension, but these sequences always eventually resolved themselves in an epic, resource-draining boss battle.

When I wasn’t battling tooth and claw for my life, I was scanning every room from floor to ceiling, looking for more ammo, healing items, and other valuable tools. Like previous Resident Evil games, Village’s map does a stellar job communicating which rooms have been cleared out and which still contain a few hidden treasures. However, some items are better hidden than others. On the one hand, Village encouraged me to pour over its intricately detailed environments with a fine-toothed comb; I enjoyed most of these scavenger hunts, and checking a room off my map was always satisfying. On the other hand, a few items remained stubbornly hidden even after several minutes of scouring, so trying to find every item in every room became a little tedious. Fortunately, even a cursory search of each room yields enough gear to get you through the trials ahead.

Developing a keen eye for detail is also vital for solving Village's handful of environmental puzzles. I love how these puzzles offer a much-needed tension release, and most of Village’s puzzles left me feeling clever. Unfortunately, a couple of puzzle solutions are obscured by fuzzy logic. For example, I had to brute force my way through one puzzle that involved rotating statues, because its clues were misleading. Even after I’d stumbled into the solution, it still took me a while to work out the underlying logic. Fortunately, Village doesn’t throw many puzzles your way, and most of them are satisfyingly simple, so speedbumps are rare.

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Resident Evil Village’s narrative is more compelling than I expected. Ethan is still a bit of a bland everyman, but his journey to rescue his daughter is full of wild characters and a handful of surprising moments. Village’s narrative was never the main thing driving me forward, but I’m glad to see that Capcom actually put some thought into this world, and a few of the late game twists have me genuinely excited to see where the series goes next.

Resident Evil Village is an impressive package. I loved the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, but I’m excited to see Capcom push the series forward again. Village expands on Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s approach to first-person combat, offering a series of white-knuckle encounters that perfectly complement Capcom’s unnerving environmental design. Thankfully, Village’s amplified action doesn’t diminish its horror. If anything, Village maintains a sense of dread that few games can match. If you have the intestinal fortitude for intense terror, playing Resident Evil Village is a great way to check your pulse. 

Score: 9.25

Summary: Village doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to horror, but a consistent rollout of new weapons and tools makes it hard to walk away from these terrors.

Concept: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard protagonist Ethan Winters travels to a remote village hoping to rescue his kidnapped daughter, only to come face-to-face with a new breed of flesh-hungry monsters

Graphics: From decrepit barns to ornate castle dining halls, Village’s jaw-dropping backdrops are a stunning showpiece for the newest generation of consoles

Sound: Capcom’s haunting soundtrack gets the blood pumping, and the voiceover is solid, but Ethan constantly seems out of breath, which is a bit annoying

Playability: Expect a slow-paced shooter, but the tension remains incredibly high, and the gunplay feels great

Entertainment: Village doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to horror, but a consistent rollout of new weapons and tools makes it hard to walk away from these terrors

Replay: Moderately High

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Returnal Review – Haunting Harmony

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Publisher: PlayStation Studios

Developer: Housemarque

Rating: Teen

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5

Returnal is a powerful roguelike recipe offering intense combat, a drip-fed narrative of palpable dread, and a cohesive combination of artistic elements. Housemarque’s third-person shooter delivers lightning-fast action transfused with incredible exploration, featuring equal doses of intensity and lingering unease. Every run is the start of something new, but what you learn over many failures provides an extra edge as you attempt to chart the sci-fi horror world of Atropos. Returnal deftly combines gameplay, graphics, and musical composition to create a haunting tapestry that’s an absolute joy to partake in, even when a mistimed dodge or a sinister trap claims your life.

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Returnal is a challenging game that puts relatively high demands on the player. There are no difficulty dials to tweak, so the experience can feel overbearing at times, especially in one of the later stages. While this adds to the overarching horror elements that exude from Returnal’s core and enhances the sweaty grip-for-your-life moment of slaying a massive boss, it’s important to note that it’s possible to lose hours of potential progress in mere seconds should things go awry. Death is inevitable and can be devastating. Being willing to learn and ready to adapt your strategies and glean takeaways for future runs is essential. I felt that the challenges presented by Returnal enhanced the nature of the unknown alien planet and that these elements contributed positively to the overall game. Still, some players may find these asks to be outside of their enjoyment range.

As Selene, who gets stranded on an alien planet, your journey on Atropos brings questions and exciting revelations. The story is communicated slice-by-slice over time as you work through different biomes, with each narrative piece adding one element to a larger puzzle that’s a pleasure to work out. While anything but a blissful fairy tale, the narrative functions more like a soothing balm to the endless cycle of doomed runs and discomforting discoveries. When things were at their worst after a few failed runs, at least I was learning more about the mysteries that tie the world together. Try not to get spoiled by the story before playing the game, as it’s a pleasure to put together clue-by-clue.

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The exploration through the biomes is procedurally generated in some respects, but you learn to recognize rooms and what’s inside each one over time. This knowledge is power. Exploring carefully and mastering each space can lead to discovering hidden powerups tucked away in hard-to-find places, whether they are behind false walls or just out of sight on a precipice above. In addition to the temporary build that you craft each run, there are other permanent unlocks for your character to uncover. As you make progress, areas that you couldn’t previously access become available via tools like a grappling hook, hazard-protection boots, the ability to travel underwater, and more. Every time you find one of these new tools feels incredible as you can finally access areas that have taunted you with treasures for many, many runs. With each traversal find, you breathe a sigh of relief as a checkpoint is locked in.

Applying learned knowledge to situations and scenarios carries over to combat, which is incredibly fast and rooted in the “bullet-hell” genre. Players must avoid various objects on the screen, each with its own pattern and directional movement. Learning each pattern on standard enemies is a constant battle as you progress, as new and deadlier abilities and patterns regularly appear. Boss battles take this to the next level, and you will find yourself relying on muscle memory and perhaps uttering a quick prayer while attempting to dodge growing rings, moving barriers, and hundreds of projectiles at varying speeds simultaneously. Throughout the game, you may be surprised at just what you can accomplish in this regard. Several times I said to myself, “No way,” as the game pushed another blitz of swirling projectiles onto my screen, but with well-timed dodges and jumps, I shocked even myself. Patterns that seemed challenging at first became laughable as I mastered the game's many systems, and it feels great to complete encounters with finesse.

Avoiding things is half of the battle. The other half is shooting back. In Returnal, you unlock a variety of different weapons with various modes of fire and traits to unlock over time, which is sort of a permanent progression mechanic that improves your damage output from run to run. I became a huge fan of the rocket and grenade launcher archetypes and their various tweaks, which allowed me to pay more attention to getting out of the way while issuing my payloads. However, you never really know which weapon will be your best option during a run, so you have to become comfortable using a lot of them regardless. This keeps things fresh and had me stuck with one of my least favorite weapons during a particularly tough boss fight, but it’s all part of the freshness that comes with each run. You never know what you’re going to get, and you have to use everything together to survive. In true roguelike fashion, you may have runs with excellent weapons where you make a ton of progress across multiple biomes, and in others, you may perish a room or two into your adventure.

Risk and reward are intricately tied together in Returnal, as there are numerous upgrades you can find that come with the risk of a malfunction that debuffs your character when you collect them. This means you might be able to increase your health pool or collect some bonus resources, but you might get a serious penalty as a price, like losing 85 percent of your damage while stationary. You can ditch these penalties by completing different goals, so careful planning for when to take on the risk of malfunctions is essential, as they can completely change the way you play. A late-game biome plays with the concept of issuing malfunctions for getting hit by some enemies, which, as you can imagine, is a massive incentive to up your dodge game. Learning how to manage malfunctions is a long process of weighing when and if to pick up specific bonuses, and it can make a huge difference on a run. Again, the theme of learning over time comes into play here, and I enjoyed tinkering with my risk profile on each run. Some runs, say when you are off to a bad start, the philosophy just becomes “well, I’m going to die anyway, why not roll the dice?” And sometimes, those dice roll in your favor.

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Returnal is a delightful immersion for the senses, even if the aspect it’s trying to convey is horrifying, lingering dread. It nails it in this regard, and is drenched with both in-your-face monstrosities and lurking terror. Enemy designs are hideous amalgamations of tentacles and teeth, which feel right at home in this bizarre alien hellscape. One of the late-game biomes is incredibly distressing to explore and may even significantly deter some players with thalassophobia.

The soundtrack, primarily composed by Bobby Krlic (Midsommar), provides a haunting backdrop that contributes immensely to Returnal’s constant and rising sense of trepidation. The unnerving melodies gnaw at the back of your mind long after you set the controller down. One stage in particular hinges on music, and the feeling that you get while climbing up to the boss as it gets louder and louder exudes cacophonic anxiety. Feedback from the DualSense controller is a nice touch to the overall ensemble, providing nuance from the tiniest droplet of rain to the impact of a titanic monster crashing into you at high speed.

Returnal is a relentless nightmare that’s a dream to play. The journey is full of horror and terrible discoveries, but also unbridled curiosity and wonder. If you have the taste for it, this is an adventure that begs to be experienced.

Score: 9.5

Summary: A deadly alien planet is a playground for your senses and curiosity.

Concept: Battle your way through a mysterious alien world in a third-person shooter roguelike featuring intense bullet-hell action and atmospheric dread

Graphics: Returnal’s presentation is a massive treat, and while you can’t always focus on the luscious visuals and lighting because you’re dodging your demise, they are striking and powerful

Sound: The amazing soundtrack by Bobby Krlic adds gloomy, dire tones to punctuate a potent palate of gunblasts and ruin crumbles that accompany the dark exploration

Playability: Picking up a weapon and firing at your first batch of aliens is easy. However, experiencing Returnal should be accompanied by some tolerance for failure, frustration, and willingness to learn precise timing, as each journey can end abruptly and devastatin

Entertainment: Returnal brilliantly meshes roguelike mechanics with precise combat and enigmatic exploration, making for an excellent game

Replay: High

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