Subnautica
This open world game developed by Unknown World Entertainment is a great example of how to truly make players feel immersed in the world they are exploring. The game is set on an aquatic alien planet that forces players to spend their time scuba diving in order to explore their new surroundings. Much like No Man’s Sky, players will have to do some serious resource harvesting to survive and craft new equipment. The difference, however, is that Unknown World Entertainment seemed far more concerned with making resource hunting and exploration a more rewarding experience.
Where No Man’s Sky seemed to drop random creatures in random spaces, Subnautica actually takes its players through a variety of different carefully crafted environments with flora and fauna that reflect the player’s new surroundings. PC Gamer’s Ian Birnbaum praised the game as being an “underwater Minecraft” that reminds gamers how “tense, rewarding and fun” survival games can be.
