Overview
Surviving in a harsh and exotic alien ocean is hard enough. But what if you couldn’t breathe the air…?
The Premise
Subnautica is truly an innovative and immersive developing masterpiece of a game. The alien ocean that it presents is vast and intimidating, often terrifying, and beautifully rendered in stunning detail. And yet, despite the immense beauty and scale of the depths, one thing will always keep you crawling back to the surface: oxygen. At some point, inevitably, you will find yourself emerging into the ordinary, empty expanse above the waves to recharge your nerves and your O2, before plunging back down into the depths.
But what if you couldn’t? What if just popping to the surface for a quick breath wasn’t an option? This is an alien world, after all, and even if the water’s safe enough (or at least not immediately lethal), that doesn’t necessaily mean that the air above will be as benign. What would you do if you were trapped beneath the waves? How would you live, if the life-giving air above the waves was instead a noxious fume? Would you survive? Could you?
This self-imposed challenge run is intended to explore that very idea, and perhaps also to enlighten the player as to how very valuable and precious the air in their lungs truly is. My hope wih this challenge is that those who experience it, perpetually struggling to maintain their oxygen levels in a forbidding world, will eventually find themselves experiencing the tightness in their chests and pounding heart as they wonder if they’ll be able to make it back to their precious air source in time, before they black out in an unforgiving sea.
The Rules
The rules of this challenge are really very simple: don’t breach the surface. Ever. For any reason. Yes, this means you cannot explore the surface mountain or the floating island. Yes, this means you cannot repair the Aurora. And yes, this means you will have to be extremely careful chasing Peepers, who regularly dart above the waves in their attempts to escape. The only places you can safely fill your oxygen are inside your lifepod, your vehicles, whatever habitats you have managed to build, and the generous provisions of brain coral, wherever it can be found.
Some players might find this too restrictive, and those who do not want to be denied total access to certain areas or goals may consider playing with a slightly lighter version: the Aurora can be entered and explored, but only the contained, mostly intact part of the ship, not the ramp. The mountain can be explored, but must be entered and exited via the underwater cave system that emerges inside of it. And the floating island, likewise, may only be entered by the lagoon in the middle, even if that means carving a way up via the terraformer.
From personal experience, I cannot truly recommend playing with these rules on hardmode. Given the restrictions on where you can catch a breath, the low oxygen alerts are borderline necessary for survival. It is far too easy to lose track of your O2 just once and then die, losing everything, because you cannot simply swim up with the seaglide in an emergency. However, those seeking to punish themselves are more than welcome to give it a go.
The Request
So, I realize that this article is less a ‘guide’ and more a suggestion about a different way to play the game, and so I am not entirely sure it really belongs here in the first place. But I have seen similar things posted with some regularity, and so I am confident it will be appreciated for what it is and that its nature will not offend. With that said, even though it is not technically a guide, it -is- the first piece I have ever submitted in the guides section, and so I am a little nervous in regards to how well it will be received. If you as a player decide to take on this challenge run as a result of reading this article, then please, PLEASE share your experiences in the comments below. I would love to hear what it does to your experience with the game. And also, I will feel like a complete and total failure without some sort of feedback. So, thanks to all of you in advance, and have fun! As the Personal Data Assistant says, ‘Great job not dying’!