Subnautica

I initially passed over Subnautica, ignoring it, as I had never been a fan on the "open world survival craft" genre. Some of my friends commented on how this was one of their favorite games ever, so considering that, and its ever increasing popularity, as well as it being regarded as possibly the best game in the genre, I finally caved and gave it a try.

Subnautica is a game where you survive a spaceship crashing into a large, watery world. Having only your escape pod with its built-in item fabricator, you must scavenge the ocean for resources and craft ever better equipment, tools, and eventually even build new bases and submarines. There is a lot of very hostile stuff in the ocean though, especially the further you go. Add to that hunger, thirst, and most importantly, limited oxygen reserves, and there's plenty to impede your progress.

While I haven't played a whole lot of survival games, Subnautica didn't strike me as something particularly unique. It's quite well made, seems to have a sizable amount of content, and does take place underwater, which is at least scenically unique. I don't have anything objectively bad to say about it, but I think it just further cemented that I don't like the genre.
Most all the game is not exploration, but mindless busywork. Grab more resources, craft new things, don't forget to forage for food and drink, evade wildlife. It's not challenging, but it takes time, annoyingly much so when you can't find a resource you're looking for. The limited inventory space, while realistic, forces you to throw away resources you would need in the future. I don't consider myself a hoarder, but the inventory management was so annoying. And even when I did get to explore, it wasn't very exciting. Finding a new resource or species didn't feel satisfying or an accomplishment. It just kind of happened. It was maybe fun for the first hour, but for the next few that I managed to bear, it was just a boring grind.

I'll readily admit that I'm not the best person to review a survival game, and that Subnautica probably is good if you're already a fan of the genre. But if you are, then you've probably already played it. If you're not, then I really don't see anything special here that might tide you over. So, on a personal level, I can't recommend this.