OKAY, LISTEN:

[ !! Spoilers for both games written in this comment !! ]

The first game has you exploring and picking up clues, all served to you through the environment and audio logs.

The world was big, scary, and lonely. No dialog other than people long dead.

When you hear a sound, it can fucking TERRIFY you, because it's either unknown, or a rare enough creature that you don't want to encounter it.

Environments varied from underwater volcanic fields, to coral reefs, to fluorescent jellyfish caves.... incredible.

The land is scarce and somewhat eerie, with its inhabitants leaving trails of life in wake of their tragic deaths.

The ending? You find life. Someone was trapped here like you. Only it's too late for them.. you understand this creature, and the sorrow of its ending but the hope of life it leaves you makes you feel something..

Then you orchestrate your own escape, piece by piece. It's satisfying that you are the architect of your own future. You did this. You are leaving. And yet.... there's a sadness in it, as you grew to know and love this world, the creatures, and its many environments you have become so intimately familiar with.

You leave a note. And you finally.. go home.

The second game:

DOES ANYONE EVER SHUT THE FUCK UP????? Please let me make my own observations about the world!!!!! I do not need a voiced character doing the reacting for me!!! In the first game,I would sometimes stop and look around frantically, like "wtf? What was that? Did I just hear something? Oh no...." as the dread creeps into me. "Below Zero" doesn't need to have the "Wow oh no what was that??" From the protagonist. I AM THE PROTAGONIST. PIPE DOWN!! Took me right out of it.

You're spoonfed everything through the dialog unnecessarily, because I picked up most of it through the environment. Like "hey dumb dumb! Here's a recap in case you're too stupid to put together the pieces to understand!" Give players some credit, dear lord.

Also: That ain't my sister! I don't know her! I do not have the same bond with her as the protagonist! Why y'all trying to make me care??

Too much talking. Even the creatures talked too much!! The first game had creatures coming at you in a spaced out manner, making noises as they came at you.. sometimes not!! You needed to pay attention!! It spooked me! In BZ? I was hearing constant spooky noises so much that I just eventually ignored them and would even yell "shut up!!" as it got so annoying. Sparse sounds kept the atmosphere tense! Constant roaring desensitized me and just got on my nerves.

And the ending..... oooooh, I had no sense of accomplishment of doing anything myself. Allen does all the cool stuff??? I just did fetch quests!! And then there is no real conclusion to make any of it satisfying!!! Other than a sequel teaser!! This game felt like a really fuckin' long teaser trailer!!!!!

It's not a terrible game. But compared to the first, I was left so disappointed in the atmosphere it failed to capture from the first.

I love Subnautica. Guess that's why I have such a passionate opinion on this. It really moved me in a way that no game ever had before or since. The devs did a great job on both games, regardless of my opinion on their direction of the second. But the first Subnautica is a game I keep revisiting. It's so wonderful, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to go on a journey.

~~No one is going to bother reading this lol~~ I am absolutely shocked at how many people took the time to read my rant. No idea it would have so many folks agreeing with it, either. Y'all are funny.