Lucky you!
While I was in my first playtrough I was affraid from all the leviathans exept the reefback (I didn't met the see treaders). The reaper was the scariest and I always tried to avoid them especially after one of them made my seamoth stuck in the aurora. When I went to the mountain island I always went around the west side because it was safe. However when I built my cyclops I felt so cocky that I thoght that silly reaper boy wouldn't attack something as big as him, so I tried going to the alian enforcment platform by the east side of the island. THAT REAPER GRABED MY SUBMARINE AND ALMOST TURND IT OVER. I almost shit myself when it happend and I was so affraid that I quickly retreated and got back to my good old tactic to go around the west side of the island.
I got grabbed by one for expiramental purposes, other than that I just got eaten by them because I never really brought my vehicles to an area with a known reaper.
I do actually! My reason, the ocean is huge and there is no way I'm going in there. Basically I have thalassophobia and the game scares me every time I boot it up.
This is the same reason I’m scared, though I nearly pissed my pants the first time I saw the Reaper Leviathan. The ocean is one giant place full of hell na’s
I have a lot of hours in the game already. Yesterday I decided to face them and it made the game a lot less scary. And 3 of them are not in the game anymore. Next time I’ll try to go further down.
I don't.
It *is* genuinely scary! But it's not a horror game, I think. Horror is its own genre, with particular conventions, and Subnautica doesn't really fit the bill. It's a sci-fi adventure.
I would agree if it were not for the sound design and sound mixing. Exploring the Aurora, blood kelp zone, the quietness of the dead zone....etc. The sound design of these areas inspire dread and apprehension. These is a certain wreck in the Grassy Plateaus that makes a very loud creaking the moment you enter, meant to make you think twice of exploring.
Their sound design took cues from the horror genre. Subnautica reminds me of the original Dead Space, Sci-fi horror.
It is 100% a horror game...BUT the horror is quite mild compared to a pure horror game. But it's definitely a horror game. It's exploration horror for sure.
The reason why it is a horror game is because a core component of the experience is that it generates uncertainty in the face of objectives that must be completed. I only know this because I recently played arguably the king of horror games Alien Isolation. I was enthralled at how a game could be so terrifying and saw a amazing YouTube video from a psychologist who analyzed in the game. This video basically outlined that any time you have a clear and defined objective (i.e. in Subnautia's case to move from the safety of your base to a different region to obtain resources) but the specifics of what will be encountered in between the starting point and your objective are unknown....horror is psychologically created. Basically anytime you know what you need....but there is uncertainty of what will be encountered between starting and moving towards getting what you need .... tension , anxiety and horror will be generated.
And you can only meet the objectives by blindly embracing the uncertainty. This makes it a horror game.
I played two horror game this year that just wrecked me - Alien Isolation and SOMA and Subnautica has very similar horror mechanics to both of them...again far far milder....but the core horror mechanic is there......
To further elaborate think of it this way : if your playing RDR2 and you are given a quest to say go steal back Johnny's pocket watch from Billy at the bar or whatever....you know you need to get the watch from Billy and you know his gang is in the bar and your gonna have to fight them. It is unknown if the fight will go OK...but there are no real unknowns to generate anxiety, fear and horror. Contrast this with going into a new region in Subnautica with the Seamoth....you * know* there is *something* down there but you don't know what.....it could be good, it could be bad.....but it's something and it's unknown but you * must* proceed anyway to progress forward....that is what makes it a horror game....you are forced to embrace the unknown
I don't agree with this. Every game has that loop of Objective > going to objective through unknown things (ie. the freaking game) > success and new Objective. Besides thalassophobia (and big scary monsters, but those are fairly standard in games) there isn't anything in Subnautica that really creates fear. If the game didn't have the impenetrable blue void it would basically be a prettier and less dangerous MineCraft.
May want to check this video out: https://youtu.be/Sz80210ipGc its also like you talking about thats not horror in general (it doesnt try to scare you for the sake of scaring, but it tries to keep your brain engaged in overdrive because there may be sometjing ozt there, but you are just left in the unknown)
I'd classify it more as a survival game than a horror. Sure there's some scary elements, but the game is more about survival/crafting/exploration than anything else.
I don't think a game should be fit in a single genre. Surely horror is not the main genre of this game, but it consists a good portion of it so that if you remove all the "horror" parts it's no more Subnautica. For example, it's one of the most important feature of the game that you don't have a real "weapon" so this game doesn't encourage you to fight against a leviathan. If this game had a long ranged weaponry like any other survival/exploration games, leviathans are no more terrifying, which would make this game way more flavorless.
>one of the most important feature of the game that you don't have a real "weapon" so this game doesn't encourage you to fight against a leviathan.
Exactly. This is also the reason there is absolutely no reward whatsoever for killing a leviathan. They are more environmental hazards than anything else. They are big and bad and scary, but that's only to keep you away from certain areas. Leviathans will not sneak up to your base and attack it at night. In fact, they won't attack your base at all. Where's the horror in that?
So you're saying you won't be filled with horror when a hurricane come up to your house because it's an environmental hazard, only following predictable paths so is easily avoidable, and won't chase you to your safety shelter.
This is a game, a man-made product. If there are anything, there are reasons. They didn't designed leviathan with time, money and processing powers for nothing. If there's a leviathan, that means you're most likely gonna visit the place for stories or resources. So they're not optional.
>So you're saying you won't be filled with horror when a hurricane come up to your house because it's an environmental hazard, only following predictable paths so is easily avoidable, and won't chase you to your safety shelter.
Um...yes. Of course. That isn't horrifying. At all. It's a storm, which happen all the time in various forms and we deal with them accordingly.
>So they're not optional.
I've never said they were optional. They're *avoidable*.
Yes. Like Joseph Anderson said in his critique video on YouTube, maybe the devs didn’t start out thinking of Subnautica as a horror game— but it sure seems that they embraced it later.
Thalassophobia, fear of isolation, fear of powerlessness, and fear of the unknown, are all extremely common fears that Subnautica constantly capitalized on. **(SPOILERS AHEAD)** By the time you’re to the final stage of the game, the visuals are unsettling, and the soundtrack becomes a disturbing heartbeat bass drum, with clanging instrumentals to compliments the ambience of a roaring, huge leviathan that’s somewhere nearby.
Definitely horror. And definitely the most scared any piece of media has ever made me. And that is not an exaggeration.
Wait, what visuals are you finding unsettling? Lava? green smoke? None of the end game area are remotely scary for me, they are just resource runs and stealth mechanics.
The Lost River is a bit unsettling and the Lava Zone gets that way too. Especially the large expanses and open areas. By then, most people are used to the depths. But the game definitely tries to step up the freakiness.
It's not intended to be a horror game, but the feeling you get when your driving in your seamoth, you look down, and you see a dark void beneath you, then you hear a faint roar, you look around desperately, and see giant mandables coming towards you, shits terrifying
Saw a clever video that explains that Subnautica is more about terror - a more lasting effect - rather than horror, which is more about shock value. I would wholeheartedly agree. This is not a horror game, but it is a terror game.
It’s not a horror game, it’s a terror game if that makes any sense.
Terror is that sense of dread when you think something bad is going to happen.
Horror is more of the actual feeling of actually being scared because of something, which I feel subnautica has significantly less of then terror.
There is definitely scary stuff put into subnautica designed to scare the player, but it isn't the main focus of the game. I suppose it depends on how many of the creatures you find scary in subnautica, of which I only find the Reaper Leviathan scary.
I don't like horror games. I hate stressing out on my free time and loud "jumpscares" annoy me.
That being said, Subnautica is one of my favorite games. I wouldn't say it's horror, just thrilling at times. You can complete the entire game by never setting yourself up to be scared (even though its pretty random on first blind playthrough). Especially late game where better equipment makes encounters less scary.
Edit: Forgot to say, fear of water makes it a horror game 100%
It’s an Open World Action-Adventure game, with survival elements and horror elements. It wasn’t marketed as a horror game however... Is it, without a doubt, no questions asked scarier than any other game I have played.
Atleast when I first started.
Nothing really gets to me on games like Outlast, Resident Evil etc and I lean toward those on harder difficulties.
Subnautica just has that unknown, terrifying thallasophobic haunting feeling. You’re never really safe even in the safe shallows (I got attacked by Sammy the Safety reaper at my base there).
I’ll never forget that dread of first diving into the ocean, or seeing everything at night and hearing the ~~whale thingies~~ reefbacks, gasopods and all the fauna.
That first dreaded reaper howl.
So no, it’s not officially a horror game, but in my mind it most certainly is the most horrific game of them all.
Ah! That’s the one. I used to just call them *”those things that make that terrifying sound”*
I’d argue second best thing in the game, Copper is obviously the first.
I don’t see subnautica as a horror game, but more of a thriller. Because the whole idea isn’t what is there, but what could be. I’ve played Subnautica for a few years and I’m not that scared of Reapers anymore. But if I look down and see that murky water, it’s terrifying every time
I feel like it’s more of a Terror Game, which probably falls under the subset of the horror genre, because it’s not really the actual animals that are really scary, it’s more the feeling of dread and suspense that you build up in your head whilst you play.
Not really, no.
I definitely has some horror aspects, you will probably get scared at some points, but it's really not the focus of the game.
If you compare it to actual (good) horror games, it's pretty mild.
It is 1000% a horror game! The entire premise is isolation, feeling trapped, and there are threatening unknowns in every single direction! It’s made all the more horrifying because it starts out in such a pretty and peaceful area. The only way to progress is to keep taking bigger and bigger risks. This game is a horror masterpiece!
Not even close. It's only scary for people with phobias, which I noticed here in this sub are surprisingly common. I hadn't even heard of people with phobias about the ocean before Subnautica.
When I first started playing the game I wasn't looking at the internet to see the opinions of other people, so I didn't even know people considered it scary. It never even occurred to me that this was anything but the most relaxing and fun experience that I perceived it to be. When I read about it I thought they talked about another game entirely or maybe they are playing with mods or something. It confused me for a long time.
Then I looked at streamers playing the game and I get it now why they are scared. It's because someone told them it's a horror game, they believed it, so they are playing it like a horror game. What I mean by that is that their very actions are fueled by fear and anxiety. Very slow and cautious movements, lights occasionally dimmed out (both in real life and the game), trying not to make much too much noise etc. These are precisely the cinematographic techniques used to create tension in horror movies. The player's subconscious picks up on these cues because people are used to seeing horror movies and they know that when those elements are present together in a scene something bad is about to happen. So naturally they get scared.
The curious part is, none of those things are part of the game, they are entirely generated by the players themselves for no reason. It's a self-fulfilling effect created by the players. I don't know if the developers intentionally made it so this can happen, but if they did it's kinda genius and very well executed.
TLDR it's not a scary game at all. It's only scary because the players subconsciously scare themselves with their own actions.
No. There are tense moments sometimes, but there are also tense moments in say, Star Wars: republic commando. And like republic commando, while it does draw on a tense or creepy atmosphere for some moments, that’s not the bulk of the experience. In subnautica’s case, the bulk of the experience is exploring and surviving an aquatic alien world as you try to find a way off said world. As you progress, you find better equipment and a lot of the danger becomes negligible so long as you’re careful.
No. I've played it through at least half a dozen times and haven't once been frightened. I think many players confuse their own personal phobias for 'horror'.
Ok, but what about the “jumpscares” that can happen. >!for example what’s her name grabbing the platform you’re on in the aquarium?!< or what about a reaper grabbing you out of the blue?
There are some parts of the game which do have horror aspects, like the >!narrow trenches of the blood kelp zone!< but there are some major things which separate it from the genre. The game's very centred around story and progression, whereas horror games, although a lot have story, the story just doesn't play nearly as big of a role as it does in subnautica
Doesn't matter, because I'm clever than you.
Phobia is not only personal. It's a type of mental disorder. Just like your stupidity is beyond normal and is considered a mental disorder, it needs to be persistent and excessive to the point that you can't live a normal life.
If a game is designed in a way to provoke a good majority of its players have some sensations of horror and fear, the game's genre is horror.
>If a game is designed in a way to provoke a good majority of its players have some sensations of horror and fear, the game's genre is horror.
And what game would that be? Because it certainly isn't Subnautica. All the big, bad, scary things in Subnautica are easily avoidable. By design. They're supposed to be nothing more frightening than predators. They have territories that they will only leave if provoked.
And please don't point to all the people with thalassophobia and try to tell me it alone makes Subnautica a horror game. Unless you think Flight Simulator is a horror game because so many people have aerophobia.
Kid, go to google and find out how many people have thalassophobia. I told you it's a mental disorder. "Ooh I'm afraid of deep water" doesn't count because that's a human nature, unless you can breath water. About 10% of American adults has any type of specific phobia. Only a small fraction of them has thalassophobia. Let's say thalassophobia is a very major specific phobia so 1 of 10 patients with specific phovia have this. It makes only 1% of American adults has it.
Now look at this post. You're the weirdo. You're the jackass who lonely say "meh I'm not scared". The statistics are shockingly different than your baseless argument. This game provkes fear and horror to people who don't have thalassophobia, so it's not a personal matter.
Also your argument about horror game is pretty funny. No, the predators in Subnautica is not "easily" avoidable. You have to face Reapers here and there, Ghosts in LR, Sea Dragon in Lava Zones. If you're good at sneaking, you can avoid them, but sneaking itself is a result of being terrified. If you wanna insist this doesn't make horror, you can say lost of horror games are not actually a horror game because there are workarounds.
It's more of a thriller than a horror game. You're unravelling a mystery here, while simultaneously trying to survive in a hostile but relatively understandable environment. Horror is essentially just jump scares and horrifying scenes of gore. Think Hostel or something like that. There's no mystery, it's effectively just a snuff film with a 'will they escape or wont they' plot. Horror is very linear, and very predictable.
Subnautica has way more than that. There's a rich story and history to uncover, while coupled with an impending sense of dread every time you're away from oxygen in the ocean or exploring a new area. The fear in subnautica is largely perceived, it's psychological. What comes next is almost always an unknown. It's a thriller, plain and simple.
Everyone saying 'horror' is just wrong.
Oh yes. The second time I played it I was so immersed in the night j actually had dreams of bring in a wide open ocean with the faint shadow of a reaper around me. I had to play the game 3 times it was that eerie.
I feel you would like this video that goes in depth on how subnautica uses terror. I do think there’s some light spoilers btw.
https://youtu.be/Sz80210ipGc
No. Because horror is when something is actively trying to frighten you.
That feeling you get, when you look up and realize you can't see the surface? Or when you look down and realize that you can't see the bottom? When you cross by a predator's territory? When you can't find your seamoth and air is running out?
That's not horror.
That's terror.
This, except that entering a predator's territory or losing your seamoth isn't terror, that's just part of playing a game and isn't scary at all. They're just obstacles to be overcome. Looking down and not seeing the bottom (aka thalassophobia) is terrifying, but only because of a pre-existing external condition (ie. I have thalassophobia), not because the game is scary in and of itself. If you don't have thalassophobia, there is nothing scary at all in Subnautica. Claiming that makes it a terror game is like claiming a Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a terror game because a player MIGHT have agoraphobia.
Someone before once described it as being a terror game and not a horror game
In games like RES after playing the game and fighting enemies for a bit, you get a bit desensitised to the horror, where as in subnautica, the terror is always present and it doesn't go away as much no matter how many leviathans you see.
I didn't have thalassaphobia before I played this game. Now I do. It may not be a horror game first and foremost, but it has enough elements to make me consider it a horror game.
It’s not marketed as one, but it’s a horror game if you believe it to be :)
Even people who aren’t afraid of the ocean, deep ocean, darkness, etc. may consider Subnautica a horror game.
No it’s definitely not a horror game but you feel very uneasy the whole time. If you compare it to a proper horror game like Suite 776 it’s not scary at all. And for many people Subnautica isn’t scary, the fear goes up if you have thalassophobia. Scary games and horror games are different, horror is a genre that Subnautica isn’t in.
Not really, for me an horror game is when I am constantly scared. But with subnautica we have the safe hallows, at the start with little oxigen you might be really worried, but as you progress, I really like the exploring and gathering of materials. I do not worry too much about gasopods or tiny bites from other fish.
It is scary when you encounter the monsters, but I am also scared with big monsters in other games.
The worse for me is that I know that the monsters are hard to kill, it is better to run away, in other games you have more tools to kill. But here, the tools are to escape, so I get a bit more scared going in a zone with leviathans, but it is a bit part of the thrill no?
I played a few horror games but not in survival. Subnautica is part of these game that immerse yourself so well...
It's not about horror, it's about terror..
I do think the first half of Subnautica is a horror game. But once you go below 500M, your visibility immensely makes increases, which takes away a lot of the fear factor.
Not at all. It's not a 'Terror game' either as some people have been arguing. The only scary parts of the game are either jumpscares (reaper, etc., aka "stupid bullshit") or directly caused by thalassophobia. If you don't have thalassophobia then 99% of the game is just resource gathering and admiring the cool scenery. Requiring a player to have a specific phobia to be scared by the game does not make it a Horror or Terror game.
(the 1% that is mildly scary is exploring the Aurora for the first time and expecting there to be zombies or some other monster in there).
Not a horror-, but a terror game. It can be classified as one because you aren't walking through a house and SUDDENLY theres a jumpscare, but you are rather in the save shallows and decide do go to that one area, where you know Terror is (because you maybe heard a "WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" in the distance) Difference to Horror is that you know where the Terror is, and you fear a terrorised area rather than the whole game.
I’d say no, since the game mostly focuses on exploration but, the game uses it’s environment and creatures to make an unsettling atmosphere. Creatures only try to kill you for food, it’s just the way nature works.
Yes because the entire planet is a fucking ocean with a large amount of it being the fucking abyss and I can’t see shit through the dark water so any creature could be creeping up ready to grab me and pull me down and I will be powerless the fact that I am blind terrifies me
The ambience and build up is horrifying especially when you are just trying to find your way to something and lose the path, like when I was trying to get to the island that has the laser I went to far out not knowing I had and learned one of my new fears of Subnautica and the Ocean, not knowing what's beneath me. Also when you are just trying to explore and find some more wrecks and or trying to progress the game and you hear "Detecting multiple leviathan class forms in your region, are you sure what you are doing is worth it?) almost made me cry because I heard a scream I didn't know existed and I couldn't find my way out, then I met Huggy McDeathcuddleface and I was scared by that region and decided it was time to stop playing for a while. Also just going to the edge of the world but not even knowing it is horrifying, I went into the dead zone thinking that it was Sea Treaders Path but no it was death and it screamed at me I swam and died shortly after looking down to see it's bioluminescent head scream and float to me
No. I've always felt the key to any horror game is the feeling of helplessness. Subnautica gives you multiple tools to defend yourself as well as impeed on your foe.
I do consider a horror game because your in a large ocean and you never know what will come out of the dark and also there are reaper leviathans and >!ghost leviathans.!<
Yes. The main thing a horror game aims to do is to scare you. Subnautica has that box checked. It's on the lighter side of the spectrum, but I suppose that is subjective.
Another effective mechanism that horror games often use to make you feel helpless is to limit ammo or to give you no way to defend yourself at all. The only weapon in Subnautica is the knife which can only be used against harmless or weak creatures.
The jump scare you get when first grabbed by a certain something.
Aw I hate Huggy mcDeathcudleface
This is what I shall call Reaper Leviathan from here on out. Thank you kind stranger, Huggy McDeathcuddleface is cute now
His name is Sammy the Safety Reaper, jeez, do you even lore? donthateme
Never been grabbed by a reaper (somehow)
Lucky you! While I was in my first playtrough I was affraid from all the leviathans exept the reefback (I didn't met the see treaders). The reaper was the scariest and I always tried to avoid them especially after one of them made my seamoth stuck in the aurora. When I went to the mountain island I always went around the west side because it was safe. However when I built my cyclops I felt so cocky that I thoght that silly reaper boy wouldn't attack something as big as him, so I tried going to the alian enforcment platform by the east side of the island. THAT REAPER GRABED MY SUBMARINE AND ALMOST TURND IT OVER. I almost shit myself when it happend and I was so affraid that I quickly retreated and got back to my good old tactic to go around the west side of the island.
I got grabbed by one for expiramental purposes, other than that I just got eaten by them because I never really brought my vehicles to an area with a known reaper.
Never been grabbed by reaper maybe because I just constantly say no f**k you when I hear them and leave and they are like yea this man chill
I do actually! My reason, the ocean is huge and there is no way I'm going in there. Basically I have thalassophobia and the game scares me every time I boot it up.
This is the same reason I’m scared, though I nearly pissed my pants the first time I saw the Reaper Leviathan. The ocean is one giant place full of hell na’s
Exactly I play it to try to get rid of my thalassophobia, then BAM some new creature scares me!
I have a lot of hours in the game already. Yesterday I decided to face them and it made the game a lot less scary. And 3 of them are not in the game anymore. Next time I’ll try to go further down.
I don't. It *is* genuinely scary! But it's not a horror game, I think. Horror is its own genre, with particular conventions, and Subnautica doesn't really fit the bill. It's a sci-fi adventure.
Being terrified doesn't always means horror. I like your point of view tho
I would agree if it were not for the sound design and sound mixing. Exploring the Aurora, blood kelp zone, the quietness of the dead zone....etc. The sound design of these areas inspire dread and apprehension. These is a certain wreck in the Grassy Plateaus that makes a very loud creaking the moment you enter, meant to make you think twice of exploring. Their sound design took cues from the horror genre. Subnautica reminds me of the original Dead Space, Sci-fi horror.
I'd say yes not because of the game play mechanics or the story itself, but the atmospheric detail is definitely designed to make you hesitate.
It is 100% a horror game...BUT the horror is quite mild compared to a pure horror game. But it's definitely a horror game. It's exploration horror for sure. The reason why it is a horror game is because a core component of the experience is that it generates uncertainty in the face of objectives that must be completed. I only know this because I recently played arguably the king of horror games Alien Isolation. I was enthralled at how a game could be so terrifying and saw a amazing YouTube video from a psychologist who analyzed in the game. This video basically outlined that any time you have a clear and defined objective (i.e. in Subnautia's case to move from the safety of your base to a different region to obtain resources) but the specifics of what will be encountered in between the starting point and your objective are unknown....horror is psychologically created. Basically anytime you know what you need....but there is uncertainty of what will be encountered between starting and moving towards getting what you need .... tension , anxiety and horror will be generated. And you can only meet the objectives by blindly embracing the uncertainty. This makes it a horror game. I played two horror game this year that just wrecked me - Alien Isolation and SOMA and Subnautica has very similar horror mechanics to both of them...again far far milder....but the core horror mechanic is there...... To further elaborate think of it this way : if your playing RDR2 and you are given a quest to say go steal back Johnny's pocket watch from Billy at the bar or whatever....you know you need to get the watch from Billy and you know his gang is in the bar and your gonna have to fight them. It is unknown if the fight will go OK...but there are no real unknowns to generate anxiety, fear and horror. Contrast this with going into a new region in Subnautica with the Seamoth....you * know* there is *something* down there but you don't know what.....it could be good, it could be bad.....but it's something and it's unknown but you * must* proceed anyway to progress forward....that is what makes it a horror game....you are forced to embrace the unknown
I don't agree with this. Every game has that loop of Objective > going to objective through unknown things (ie. the freaking game) > success and new Objective. Besides thalassophobia (and big scary monsters, but those are fairly standard in games) there isn't anything in Subnautica that really creates fear. If the game didn't have the impenetrable blue void it would basically be a prettier and less dangerous MineCraft.
May want to check this video out: https://youtu.be/Sz80210ipGc its also like you talking about thats not horror in general (it doesnt try to scare you for the sake of scaring, but it tries to keep your brain engaged in overdrive because there may be sometjing ozt there, but you are just left in the unknown)
Fuck SOMA. That is all.
up until you get a certain device that may or may not be able to immobilize creatures
wow, thanks asshole
I'd classify it more as a survival game than a horror. Sure there's some scary elements, but the game is more about survival/crafting/exploration than anything else.
I don't think a game should be fit in a single genre. Surely horror is not the main genre of this game, but it consists a good portion of it so that if you remove all the "horror" parts it's no more Subnautica. For example, it's one of the most important feature of the game that you don't have a real "weapon" so this game doesn't encourage you to fight against a leviathan. If this game had a long ranged weaponry like any other survival/exploration games, leviathans are no more terrifying, which would make this game way more flavorless.
>one of the most important feature of the game that you don't have a real "weapon" so this game doesn't encourage you to fight against a leviathan. Exactly. This is also the reason there is absolutely no reward whatsoever for killing a leviathan. They are more environmental hazards than anything else. They are big and bad and scary, but that's only to keep you away from certain areas. Leviathans will not sneak up to your base and attack it at night. In fact, they won't attack your base at all. Where's the horror in that?
So you're saying you won't be filled with horror when a hurricane come up to your house because it's an environmental hazard, only following predictable paths so is easily avoidable, and won't chase you to your safety shelter. This is a game, a man-made product. If there are anything, there are reasons. They didn't designed leviathan with time, money and processing powers for nothing. If there's a leviathan, that means you're most likely gonna visit the place for stories or resources. So they're not optional.
>So you're saying you won't be filled with horror when a hurricane come up to your house because it's an environmental hazard, only following predictable paths so is easily avoidable, and won't chase you to your safety shelter. Um...yes. Of course. That isn't horrifying. At all. It's a storm, which happen all the time in various forms and we deal with them accordingly. >So they're not optional. I've never said they were optional. They're *avoidable*.
I consider it an ominous game and a bit eerie but not a horror game
Kinda its scary in its own way
Yes. Like Joseph Anderson said in his critique video on YouTube, maybe the devs didn’t start out thinking of Subnautica as a horror game— but it sure seems that they embraced it later. Thalassophobia, fear of isolation, fear of powerlessness, and fear of the unknown, are all extremely common fears that Subnautica constantly capitalized on. **(SPOILERS AHEAD)** By the time you’re to the final stage of the game, the visuals are unsettling, and the soundtrack becomes a disturbing heartbeat bass drum, with clanging instrumentals to compliments the ambience of a roaring, huge leviathan that’s somewhere nearby. Definitely horror. And definitely the most scared any piece of media has ever made me. And that is not an exaggeration.
Wait, what visuals are you finding unsettling? Lava? green smoke? None of the end game area are remotely scary for me, they are just resource runs and stealth mechanics.
The Lost River is a bit unsettling and the Lava Zone gets that way too. Especially the large expanses and open areas. By then, most people are used to the depths. But the game definitely tries to step up the freakiness.
Yes, jumpscares and Thalassophobia combined? Mate you got yourself an aquatic horror game right there.
I have a fear of open ocean so yes.
It's not intended to be a horror game, but the feeling you get when your driving in your seamoth, you look down, and you see a dark void beneath you, then you hear a faint roar, you look around desperately, and see giant mandables coming towards you, shits terrifying
Saw a clever video that explains that Subnautica is more about terror - a more lasting effect - rather than horror, which is more about shock value. I would wholeheartedly agree. This is not a horror game, but it is a terror game.
YES!!!
It’s a survival game. Survival games have horror elements. Bears and stuff are scary in the long dark. That doesn’t make it a horror game.
I will say this, thanksto subnautica, I've overcome my fear of heights because it keeps me away from the ocean
It’s not a horror game, it’s a terror game if that makes any sense. Terror is that sense of dread when you think something bad is going to happen. Horror is more of the actual feeling of actually being scared because of something, which I feel subnautica has significantly less of then terror.
A bunch of people are saying it’s a terror game. To be 100% honest, I didn’t know those were a thing. I understand it now
Nah, i had a similar thought at the beginning, i was scared of going deep. But once you visit certain deep bioluminescent areas, you will love it.
No. But it has elements of horror and thriller
There is definitely scary stuff put into subnautica designed to scare the player, but it isn't the main focus of the game. I suppose it depends on how many of the creatures you find scary in subnautica, of which I only find the Reaper Leviathan scary.
Reaper I can deal with. freaking Crabsquids are the worst for me.
I don't like horror games. I hate stressing out on my free time and loud "jumpscares" annoy me. That being said, Subnautica is one of my favorite games. I wouldn't say it's horror, just thrilling at times. You can complete the entire game by never setting yourself up to be scared (even though its pretty random on first blind playthrough). Especially late game where better equipment makes encounters less scary. Edit: Forgot to say, fear of water makes it a horror game 100%
Survival exploration game with horror elements
It’s an Open World Action-Adventure game, with survival elements and horror elements. It wasn’t marketed as a horror game however... Is it, without a doubt, no questions asked scarier than any other game I have played. Atleast when I first started. Nothing really gets to me on games like Outlast, Resident Evil etc and I lean toward those on harder difficulties. Subnautica just has that unknown, terrifying thallasophobic haunting feeling. You’re never really safe even in the safe shallows (I got attacked by Sammy the Safety reaper at my base there). I’ll never forget that dread of first diving into the ocean, or seeing everything at night and hearing the ~~whale thingies~~ reefbacks, gasopods and all the fauna. That first dreaded reaper howl. So no, it’s not officially a horror game, but in my mind it most certainly is the most horrific game of them all.
Those whale thingies are called Reefbacks. They are the single best thing in the game
They also sound like they are about to eat you.
Ah! That’s the one. I used to just call them *”those things that make that terrifying sound”* I’d argue second best thing in the game, Copper is obviously the first.
it's more terror than horror :[
I'm weird. I normally handle scary games very poorly because I get very immersed, but I've never found Subnautica to be scary
Interesting….
I guess because I don't have any unreasonable fear of water or the ocean
I don’t see subnautica as a horror game, but more of a thriller. Because the whole idea isn’t what is there, but what could be. I’ve played Subnautica for a few years and I’m not that scared of Reapers anymore. But if I look down and see that murky water, it’s terrifying every time
I feel like it’s more of a Terror Game, which probably falls under the subset of the horror genre, because it’s not really the actual animals that are really scary, it’s more the feeling of dread and suspense that you build up in your head whilst you play.
Well, I more consider them as tension games, not totally horror
I have never felt a sense of dread in a video game like I did with this game. Looking out into that murky water…. Chills
At first definitely but then after like a month of playing I kinda became num to it.
Id say it's more of a psychological horror.
Nah, the setting of the entire game isn’t really scary to me. I feel more adventurous than what I do scared while playing.
Not really, no. I definitely has some horror aspects, you will probably get scared at some points, but it's really not the focus of the game. If you compare it to actual (good) horror games, it's pretty mild.
No, just a scary game. FNaF and Phasmophobia are more horroristic
Subnautica is a horror game. change my mind.
It is 1000% a horror game! The entire premise is isolation, feeling trapped, and there are threatening unknowns in every single direction! It’s made all the more horrifying because it starts out in such a pretty and peaceful area. The only way to progress is to keep taking bigger and bigger risks. This game is a horror masterpiece!
Yes. “Detecting multiple leviathan class life forms in the region. Are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?”
Not even close. It's only scary for people with phobias, which I noticed here in this sub are surprisingly common. I hadn't even heard of people with phobias about the ocean before Subnautica. When I first started playing the game I wasn't looking at the internet to see the opinions of other people, so I didn't even know people considered it scary. It never even occurred to me that this was anything but the most relaxing and fun experience that I perceived it to be. When I read about it I thought they talked about another game entirely or maybe they are playing with mods or something. It confused me for a long time. Then I looked at streamers playing the game and I get it now why they are scared. It's because someone told them it's a horror game, they believed it, so they are playing it like a horror game. What I mean by that is that their very actions are fueled by fear and anxiety. Very slow and cautious movements, lights occasionally dimmed out (both in real life and the game), trying not to make much too much noise etc. These are precisely the cinematographic techniques used to create tension in horror movies. The player's subconscious picks up on these cues because people are used to seeing horror movies and they know that when those elements are present together in a scene something bad is about to happen. So naturally they get scared. The curious part is, none of those things are part of the game, they are entirely generated by the players themselves for no reason. It's a self-fulfilling effect created by the players. I don't know if the developers intentionally made it so this can happen, but if they did it's kinda genius and very well executed. TLDR it's not a scary game at all. It's only scary because the players subconsciously scare themselves with their own actions.
Yeah. They don't even need to throw the dangerous creatures at you. All they need to do is make the music stop playing.
No. There are tense moments sometimes, but there are also tense moments in say, Star Wars: republic commando. And like republic commando, while it does draw on a tense or creepy atmosphere for some moments, that’s not the bulk of the experience. In subnautica’s case, the bulk of the experience is exploring and surviving an aquatic alien world as you try to find a way off said world. As you progress, you find better equipment and a lot of the danger becomes negligible so long as you’re careful.
No. I've played it through at least half a dozen times and haven't once been frightened. I think many players confuse their own personal phobias for 'horror'.
Count yourself lucky, the ocean is horrifying
I see you have the phobia.
Ok, but what about the “jumpscares” that can happen. >!for example what’s her name grabbing the platform you’re on in the aquarium?!< or what about a reaper grabbing you out of the blue?
Sure, there are jumpscares. But jumpscares alone don't make it 'horror'.
Alright, well I guess that’s that… have a good day/night.
There are some parts of the game which do have horror aspects, like the >!narrow trenches of the blood kelp zone!< but there are some major things which separate it from the genre. The game's very centred around story and progression, whereas horror games, although a lot have story, the story just doesn't play nearly as big of a role as it does in subnautica
Congratulation, you just misdefined the word "phobia".
Phobias are personal. Horror is a genre. And you're not nearly as clever as you think you are.
Doesn't matter, because I'm clever than you. Phobia is not only personal. It's a type of mental disorder. Just like your stupidity is beyond normal and is considered a mental disorder, it needs to be persistent and excessive to the point that you can't live a normal life. If a game is designed in a way to provoke a good majority of its players have some sensations of horror and fear, the game's genre is horror.
>If a game is designed in a way to provoke a good majority of its players have some sensations of horror and fear, the game's genre is horror. And what game would that be? Because it certainly isn't Subnautica. All the big, bad, scary things in Subnautica are easily avoidable. By design. They're supposed to be nothing more frightening than predators. They have territories that they will only leave if provoked. And please don't point to all the people with thalassophobia and try to tell me it alone makes Subnautica a horror game. Unless you think Flight Simulator is a horror game because so many people have aerophobia.
Kid, go to google and find out how many people have thalassophobia. I told you it's a mental disorder. "Ooh I'm afraid of deep water" doesn't count because that's a human nature, unless you can breath water. About 10% of American adults has any type of specific phobia. Only a small fraction of them has thalassophobia. Let's say thalassophobia is a very major specific phobia so 1 of 10 patients with specific phovia have this. It makes only 1% of American adults has it. Now look at this post. You're the weirdo. You're the jackass who lonely say "meh I'm not scared". The statistics are shockingly different than your baseless argument. This game provkes fear and horror to people who don't have thalassophobia, so it's not a personal matter. Also your argument about horror game is pretty funny. No, the predators in Subnautica is not "easily" avoidable. You have to face Reapers here and there, Ghosts in LR, Sea Dragon in Lava Zones. If you're good at sneaking, you can avoid them, but sneaking itself is a result of being terrified. If you wanna insist this doesn't make horror, you can say lost of horror games are not actually a horror game because there are workarounds.
I'm sorry. It's late and I'm tired, so I'll get right to the point: Fuck off.
Thanks for this beautiful presentation of your mental capacity.
Yes because of biters and parasite fish. They are too little and I fear things more little than me.
Yes. Ocean is scary. Subnatica is in ocean. Subnatica is horror game
Minecraft but fuck you big murder fish. So yes
Yes. Scary areas and scary creatures that wants to kill you.
It's more of a thriller than a horror game. You're unravelling a mystery here, while simultaneously trying to survive in a hostile but relatively understandable environment. Horror is essentially just jump scares and horrifying scenes of gore. Think Hostel or something like that. There's no mystery, it's effectively just a snuff film with a 'will they escape or wont they' plot. Horror is very linear, and very predictable. Subnautica has way more than that. There's a rich story and history to uncover, while coupled with an impending sense of dread every time you're away from oxygen in the ocean or exploring a new area. The fear in subnautica is largely perceived, it's psychological. What comes next is almost always an unknown. It's a thriller, plain and simple. Everyone saying 'horror' is just wrong.
Oh yes. The second time I played it I was so immersed in the night j actually had dreams of bring in a wide open ocean with the faint shadow of a reaper around me. I had to play the game 3 times it was that eerie.
I feel you would like this video that goes in depth on how subnautica uses terror. I do think there’s some light spoilers btw. https://youtu.be/Sz80210ipGc
No I don’t. It might be scary or thence sometimes but it’s not
Its not nicknamed Thallasaphobia generator for nothing
It's a horrifying survival game.
No. Because horror is when something is actively trying to frighten you. That feeling you get, when you look up and realize you can't see the surface? Or when you look down and realize that you can't see the bottom? When you cross by a predator's territory? When you can't find your seamoth and air is running out? That's not horror. That's terror.
This, except that entering a predator's territory or losing your seamoth isn't terror, that's just part of playing a game and isn't scary at all. They're just obstacles to be overcome. Looking down and not seeing the bottom (aka thalassophobia) is terrifying, but only because of a pre-existing external condition (ie. I have thalassophobia), not because the game is scary in and of itself. If you don't have thalassophobia, there is nothing scary at all in Subnautica. Claiming that makes it a terror game is like claiming a Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a terror game because a player MIGHT have agoraphobia.
A terror game
Yes
Thalassophobia sim
Someone before once described it as being a terror game and not a horror game In games like RES after playing the game and fighting enemies for a bit, you get a bit desensitised to the horror, where as in subnautica, the terror is always present and it doesn't go away as much no matter how many leviathans you see.
scary
I tell people its a deep ocean horror
I didn't have thalassaphobia before I played this game. Now I do. It may not be a horror game first and foremost, but it has enough elements to make me consider it a horror game.
When you first play it yes, but after youve killed a curtain someone they loss there fear factor
It’s not marketed as one, but it’s a horror game if you believe it to be :) Even people who aren’t afraid of the ocean, deep ocean, darkness, etc. may consider Subnautica a horror game.
Yes, well it is more of a terror game then horror
No it’s definitely not a horror game but you feel very uneasy the whole time. If you compare it to a proper horror game like Suite 776 it’s not scary at all. And for many people Subnautica isn’t scary, the fear goes up if you have thalassophobia. Scary games and horror games are different, horror is a genre that Subnautica isn’t in.
Not really, for me an horror game is when I am constantly scared. But with subnautica we have the safe hallows, at the start with little oxigen you might be really worried, but as you progress, I really like the exploring and gathering of materials. I do not worry too much about gasopods or tiny bites from other fish. It is scary when you encounter the monsters, but I am also scared with big monsters in other games. The worse for me is that I know that the monsters are hard to kill, it is better to run away, in other games you have more tools to kill. But here, the tools are to escape, so I get a bit more scared going in a zone with leviathans, but it is a bit part of the thrill no?
nah its just a horror game, theres not horror aspect
More like a Terror Game.
I played a few horror games but not in survival. Subnautica is part of these game that immerse yourself so well... It's not about horror, it's about terror..
For certain people yes thalasphobia
No definitely not. It's an adventure game to me with not a single doubt.
It’s more like a terror game, horrer is seeing something and getting scared, but terror is feeling scared about what’s down there…
it’s like a thriller game if those exist
Absolutely, I’m not thalassophobic but I just cannot deal with reapers lol
I do think the first half of Subnautica is a horror game. But once you go below 500M, your visibility immensely makes increases, which takes away a lot of the fear factor.
Uh ya
Some cases yeh but it fasho gives of creepy vibes
Kinda. For me it's not that terrifying as just atmospheric
Only a thriller adventure game to me!
No
Have you ever been in the dead zone?
No
No, of course not. What are a few traumas and a permanent fear of water between friends?
I consider it a Survival game with Horror elements.
Definetley, exploration survival fits better but its really scary sometimes
Depends on if you're scared by it or not lol, that's all
It certainly has a lot of horror in it, though the main genre is still exploration/survival.
No it’s a terror game, there’s a really good YouTube video on this. I’ll see if I can link it
Sometimes
Not at all. It's not a 'Terror game' either as some people have been arguing. The only scary parts of the game are either jumpscares (reaper, etc., aka "stupid bullshit") or directly caused by thalassophobia. If you don't have thalassophobia then 99% of the game is just resource gathering and admiring the cool scenery. Requiring a player to have a specific phobia to be scared by the game does not make it a Horror or Terror game. (the 1% that is mildly scary is exploring the Aurora for the first time and expecting there to be zombies or some other monster in there).
Not a horror-, but a terror game. It can be classified as one because you aren't walking through a house and SUDDENLY theres a jumpscare, but you are rather in the save shallows and decide do go to that one area, where you know Terror is (because you maybe heard a "WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" in the distance) Difference to Horror is that you know where the Terror is, and you fear a terrorised area rather than the whole game.
I wouldn’t say horror but it definitely plays against my fears of deep water
I’d say no, since the game mostly focuses on exploration but, the game uses it’s environment and creatures to make an unsettling atmosphere. Creatures only try to kill you for food, it’s just the way nature works.
IMO it's a Terror game, fear of the unknown, as opposed to standard horror eg. Blood guts and gore.
The reaper and lava leviathan and one biome has 7 out of the 9 things that people fear
Yes, the creators of the game even explain how some of that was intentional (this is a great video btw) https://youtu.be/7R-x9NSBS2Y
No it's not a horror game. It's a game with good atmosphere.
It’s a horror game for multiple reasons
No, ut that doesn't mean its not sit your pants terrifying
It depends what biome
As someone who is afraid or open bodies of water
Yes because the entire planet is a fucking ocean with a large amount of it being the fucking abyss and I can’t see shit through the dark water so any creature could be creeping up ready to grab me and pull me down and I will be powerless the fact that I am blind terrifies me
Yes. It sells atmospheric horror like no other game I played.
No
Yes because I constantly get jumpscared and if nothing scares you either what the PDA says or the music says will scare you
Its not a horror game but a terror game. This is an excellant video about the game (design): https://youtu.be/Sz80210ipGc
The ambience and build up is horrifying especially when you are just trying to find your way to something and lose the path, like when I was trying to get to the island that has the laser I went to far out not knowing I had and learned one of my new fears of Subnautica and the Ocean, not knowing what's beneath me. Also when you are just trying to explore and find some more wrecks and or trying to progress the game and you hear "Detecting multiple leviathan class forms in your region, are you sure what you are doing is worth it?) almost made me cry because I heard a scream I didn't know existed and I couldn't find my way out, then I met Huggy McDeathcuddleface and I was scared by that region and decided it was time to stop playing for a while. Also just going to the edge of the world but not even knowing it is horrifying, I went into the dead zone thinking that it was Sea Treaders Path but no it was death and it screamed at me I swam and died shortly after looking down to see it's bioluminescent head scream and float to me
Absolutely but it has its beautiful peaceful moments
Yes, I find anything that is big and has teeth scary
the first thing that scared me was when you first get in the life pod escaping the ship
No. I've always felt the key to any horror game is the feeling of helplessness. Subnautica gives you multiple tools to defend yourself as well as impeed on your foe.
I do consider a horror game because your in a large ocean and you never know what will come out of the dark and also there are reaper leviathans and >!ghost leviathans.!<
Reaper never scared me, but the cave crawler did
Nah, it is a Survival game, with the occasional horror element thrown in, and a bloody good one at that.
steam says its a horror game
Horror? No. Just slow building terror. I hate the sea and the depths.
this game is pretty mid, unlike olivia rodrigo. juice wrld clears sadly and it’s scary how good his music so i’m gonna assume this is scary
Yes. The main thing a horror game aims to do is to scare you. Subnautica has that box checked. It's on the lighter side of the spectrum, but I suppose that is subjective. Another effective mechanism that horror games often use to make you feel helpless is to limit ammo or to give you no way to defend yourself at all. The only weapon in Subnautica is the knife which can only be used against harmless or weak creatures.