While the launch of Subnautica 2 is a massive hit in player count and reception, some players have expressed the desire to kill the creatures they share a planet with. However, the developers at Unknown Worlds Entertainment have made it clear that combat is not a focal point, or any point, of the game whatsoever.
Just like in the original Subnautica and Subnautica Below Zero, players have no access to weapons with which to kill any of the game’s native inhabitants. Of course, you can cook small fish for food and harvest other creatures for water, but that simply involves looting just like you would with any other resource. There are no fish-killing visuals when hunting for food or water.
The original games never had this as a huge issue, as they didn’t have nearly the same number of players as Subnautica 2. However, with the massive influx of new players to the franchise with the third installment, the desire to kill is at an all-time high. Even so, the Subnautica 2 devs have reaffirmed that killing creatures is not and will never be a part of the core gameplay.
One developer at Unknown Worlds Entertainment took to the game’s official Discord server to talk about the subject with players. They stated, “We aren’t a killing game. Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill.”
This statement received quite the negative backlash within Discord and on social media as a whole, as the comment went viral. Many players pointed to the fact that Subnautica 2 is in early access, and the developers should be open to criticism that could improve the game. Also, players brought up the age-old argument of having no way to eliminate the massive Leviathans that hunt players all throughout the game, which has been a staple of the series since the beginning.
Some players have taken to Reddit to voice their frustration with the recent Sons of the Forest comment or about the stance against killing. However, those players have largely been repelled by others who agree with Unknown Worlds’ decision to take killing out of the equation in Subnautica 2.
The players who agree with the developers echo the sentiment that Subnautica as a franchise has never been about conquering. Instead, the game wants you to coexist with the creatures that you discover, even though some just want to crush you in their jaws. Finding creative ways around Leviathans can be frustrating at times, but it makes for a more memorable experience and maintains the game’s difficulty and stressful nature.
That seems to be intentional, and Subnautica 2 has doubled down on this philosophy by introducing more ways to distract predators so that you can escape their clutches. The early access version of the game has the Distraction Flare, and it makes certain creatures have aversions to lights, which you can use on several devices.
Perhaps the developers can eventually find a way to appease both sides of the argument, but for now, Subnautica 2 is a game about surviving and thriving, not killing.
