History VideoGame / Subnautica

** Some of the Alterra employees express worries that the frozen Leviathan is NotQuiteDead. [[spoiler: It's dead, but it still looks scary, so they must've been (understandably) spooked.]]

* HollywoodDensity: Probably because the animation is just a palette swap on the one for cutting open doors, using the laser cutter to open passage through icebergs causes an oval slab of ice to fall down, rather than rise up through the water.

* LighterAndSofter: Zigzagged in comparison to the original ''Subnautica''. ''Below Zero'''s story is softer than that of the original game: the protagonist arrives on the planet by choice rather than by disastrous shipwreck; the Altera personnel were recalled, not killed by the local wildlife; the deadly bacterium is [[spoiler:almost]] nowhere to be seen; [[spoiler:the Architects are fleshed-out and come across as a far more benevolent]]; and even [[spoiler:the death of Sam was a possibly-botched attempt to prevent an outbreak of the aforementioned bacterium and not Altera having her [[HeKnowsTooMuch killed to cover up their actions]] as was initially hinted.]] Gameplay-wise, however, the predators, survival requirements, and hostile and isolated conditions are all still there, and the game's death animations are far more brutal and detailed if anything.

* EerieArcticResearchStation: There is an uneasy chill about the abandoned Alterra facilities and their inhospitable surroundings.

* ArtisticLicenseSpace: The [[AlienSky two moons of the planet]] are in an extremely low orbit judging by their size, and the speed at which they cross the sky. The gravity from Earth's moon causes a daily high and low tide at a much further distance out. Two moons of that size and proximity would cause titanic and unpredictable waves, with fluid forces that would make movement and navigation almost impossible. Instead, the planet has a very calm ocean and the moons simply form a very pretty sky and a major light source at night.

* YankTheDogsChain: After everything the survivor goes through, from scavenging for food and water to fending off giant predators, to [[spoiler: curing a disease that has plagued the planet for over a thousand years]], he finally builds a rocket and escapes, only for [[spoiler: Alterra to claim that he owes them one trillion credits for all the resources he scavenged, and they won't grant him permission to land until he pays it. Better hope you can barter off all the information gathered from scanning the items in 4546B, as well as bringing Architect tech back to barter with[[note]]though even that might not work, since Alterra preemptively claimed everything on the planet was their property to begin with[[/note]], and/or that it's actually not as big a deal as it may sound, since we have little-to-no understanding of ''Subnautica'''s economy rates.]]

A standalone expansion titled ''Subnautica: Below Zero'' was released to Platform/{{Steam}} Early Access on the 30th of January 2019, set in an icy region of 4546B. ''Below Zero'' was later fully released on May 14, 2021. A proper sequel, titled ''Subnatica 2'', was confirmed to be in production in April 2022, with a planned release year of 2025; the game is made on the MediaNotes/UnrealEngine and will include optional co-op multiplayer.

* TheArtifact: The Reaper Leviathan skeletons in the Inactive Lava Zone. The explanation is that [[AlwaysABiggerFish the Sea Dragon Leviathan dragged them down from the Crash Zone]], except direct travel to the Crash Zone (or ''any'' Reaper spawn in the game, for that matter) from the ILZ is impossible through natural means. This is actually a leftover from Early Access builds, which would've exposed the ILZ to the surface in the Crash Zone and Dunes. There ''is'' the Lost River entrance in the Bulb Zone, however, that is a very large tunnel that goes straight to the Disease Research Lab and has a large pit connected to the Inactive Lava Zone, which would allow the Sea Dragons to leave and capture the Reapers living in the Mountains biome adjacent to the Bulb Zone.

* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: Hostile Leviathans in a nutshell. There are six Leviathan-class lifeforms in the game, three of which are aggressive, and the smallest of these - the Reaper - measures 55 meters in length (your largest vehicle sits at 54m/177ft). It's dwarfed by the adult Ghost Leviathan's 107m (even the juveniles are bigger than Reapers at 67m) and the Sea Dragon with its 112m. The game's largest creature, the [[spoiler:Sea Emperor]], is estimated to measure 160-200m in length, although [[spoiler:thankfully [[GentleGiant it doesn't attack]] ]].

* TheArtifact: The Reaper Leviathan skeletons in the Inactive Lava Zone. The explanation is that [[AlwaysABiggerFish the Sea Dragon Leviathan dragged them down from the Crash Zone]], except direct travel to the Crash Zone (or ''any'' Reaper spawn in the game, for that matter) from the ILZ is impossible through natural means. This is actually a leftover from Early Access builds, which would've exposed the ILZ to the surface in the Crash Zone and Dunes. There ''is'' the Lost River entrance in the Bulb Zone, however, that is a very large tunnel that goes straight to the Disease Research Lab and has a large pit connected to the Inactive Lava Zone, which would allow the Sea Dragons to leave and capture the Reapers licing in the Mountains biome adjacent to the Bulb Zone.

* TheArtifact: The Reaper Leviathan skeletons in the Inactive Lava Zone. The explanation is that [[AlwaysABiggerFish the Sea Dragon Leviathan dragged them down from the Crash Zone]], except direct travel to the Crash Zone (or ''any'' Reaper spawn in the game, for that matter) from the ILZ is impossible through natural means. This is actually a leftover from Early Access builds, which would've exposed the ILZ to the surface in the Crash Zone and Dunes.

A standalone expansion titled ''Subnautica: Below Zero'' was released to Platform/{{Steam}} Early Access on the 30th of January 2019, set in an icy region of 4546B. ''Below Zero'' was later fully released on May 14, 2021. A proper sequel, titled ''Subnatica 2'', was confirmed to be in production in April 2022, with a planned release year of 2025; the game is made on the UsefulNotes/UnrealEngine and will include optional co-op multiplayer.

** The Nuclear Reactor is the most powerful reactor in the game, having both energy output and reserves four times greater than any other form of power generation; a single one can power virtually any activity by itself. It's also the most resource-intensive, requiring significant amounts of uranium and lead for the fuel rods that keep it running, as well as producing spent fuel rods as a byproduct, something no other generator does. If you're willing to build up a large stock of materials, you never need to worry about power, but the other generators either require no upkeep (solar, thermal) or merely a steady supply of fish from an Alien Containment (bioreactor). [[DownplayedTrope Subsequent patches]] significantly upped the total energy value of reactor rods to alleviate this problem, allowing a Nuclear Reactor to run at a full draw for five hours straight before it needs to be refilled, double the potential/fives time the speed of a Bioreactor.