Inevitably I think this title was doomed from the start to be compared against the original title. HOWEVER, I see a lot of flak given to it for that reason that I honestly think is undeserved.

As to the "Scariness" of the original, I feel that a lot of it was the nature of Subnautica being such a groundbreaking title and the pure innovation of it. It was a fresh experience that most of us have never had before, and an alien ocean is very easy to stoke fears when there is so much unknown to us. Below Zero is a sequel of sorts and as a result a lot of people playing it already have expectations going in and pretty much know what to expect.

The actual biomes themselves are way more of a pleasure to look at, leading me to feel like the original game was a "Proof of Concept" By how bland, big, and empty a lot of them could be in the original game. Not so with Below Zero. Everything was a joy to look at and absolutely stunning.

Another complaint I tend to see is that the map is smaller. This, while true, was never an issue for me. It never felt so small that I felt claustrophobic, but never too big with map space filled just for the sake of a bigger map. Everything was a lot more focused and each area felt super unique and recognizable even for a new player who doesn't have biomes mapped in their head.

The Mechanics themselves have been much improved without need for mods. Base Building is far improved, with more types of rooms, bigger rooms, Wall dividers and doors, glass domes as an addon to build on your multipurpose rooms, etc. This section of the game is an absolute joy and it's quite hard to go back after having so much fun with this part of the game.

The Cyclops has gone but in its place we get the Seatruck which is essentially a hybrid of the Seamoth and a "Mini Cyclops", all of which have extra modules you can find and attach to the cabin of the seatruck and customize however you want, all the way up to being able to dock a prawn suit to the seatruck and having aquariums with glass floors to help catch fish.

This game is much more alive and has a couple of NPC's and dialogue to go with it. Unlike the original, there's more dialogue to keep the personality flowing rather than in small bursts from the PDA. This might not be your thing, but I didn't find it overly annoying and found that if you took things at your own pace instead of rushing, wasn't too often to be overbearing.

Overall I'd say that while this game is certainly a different experience than the first, it's also more refined and overall more "Game" than "Proof of Concept" to me. If you liked the original or haven't tried a Subnautica game before, I highly recommend to give this one a chance. It's not as bad as some people make it out to be.

Inevitably I think this title was doomed from the start to be compared against the original title. HOWEVER, I see a lot of flak given to it for that reason that I honestly think is undeserved. As to the "Scariness" of the original, I feel that a lot of it was the nature of Subnautica being such a groundbreaking title and the pure innovation of it. It was a fresh experience that most of us have never had before, and an alien ocean is very easy to stoke fears when there is so much unknown to us. Below Zero is a sequel of sorts and as a result a lot of people playing it already have expectations going in and pretty much know what to expect. The actual biomes themselves are way more of a pleasure to look at, leading me to feel like the original game was a "Proof of Concept" By how bland, big, and empty a lot of them could be in the original game. Not so with Below Zero. Everything was a joy to look at and absolutely stunning. Another complaint I tend to see is that the map is smaller. This, while true, was never an issue for me. It never felt so small that I felt claustrophobic, but never too big with map space filled just for the sake of a bigger map. Everything was a lot more focused and each area felt super unique and recognizable even for a new player who doesn't have biomes mapped in their head. The Mechanics themselves have been much improved without need for mods. Base Building is far improved, with more types of rooms, bigger rooms, Wall dividers and doors, glass domes as an addon to build on your multipurpose rooms, etc. This section of the game is an absolute joy and it's quite hard to go back after having so much fun with this part of the game. The Cyclops has gone but in its place we get the Seatruck which is essentially a hybrid of the Seamoth and a "Mini Cyclops", all of which have extra modules you can find and attach to the cabin of the seatruck and customize however you want, all the way up to being able to dock a prawn suit to the seatruck and having aquariums with glass floors to help catch fish. This game is much more alive and has a couple of NPC's and dialogue to go with it. Unlike the original, there's more dialogue to keep the personality flowing rather than in small bursts from the PDA. This might not be your thing, but I didn't find it overly annoying and found that if you took things at your own pace instead of rushing, wasn't too often to be overbearing. Overall I'd say that while this game is certainly a different experience than the first, it's also more refined and overall more "Game" than "Proof of Concept" to me. If you liked the original or haven't tried a Subnautica game before, I highly recommend to give this one a chance. It's not as bad as some people make it out to be.