Subnautica: Below Zero Review – Frigid Depths
2017's Subnautica was a special game. Combining survival gameplay with the allure of exploring a beautiful and seemingly endless ocean, it delivered one of the most unique and immersive experiences of its kind. Its sequel, Subnautica: Below Zero, attempts something similar, while attempting to go bigger and better (as most sequels do), and once again, Unknown Worlds display a knack for crafting an experience with engaging exploration set in a mysterious, beautiful, and haunting world.
Subnautica: Below Zero sees you playing as Robin, who arrives on planet 4546B, in search of answers about her sister's death. Officially, Sam, your sister, died through her own fault while studying and researching the environments of the planet, but Robin feels strongly for more than a few reasons that the truth is something else, setting her off on a journey of uncovering mysteries great and small. Below Zero puts a much greater emphasis on storytelling than its predecessor did, and for the most part, the story does its job really well. It might not be the biggest draw of the game, but it will definitely keep you interesting in making progress to see what happens next.
"It's an immediately compelling loop. It works on a very basic level right from the get go, and it only grows in complexity as you progress further, as you're able to unlock new and better crafting recipes to allow you to cobble up an increasingly more complex and impressive home base."
The biggest draw in Below Zero, of course, is exploration and crafting, just as it was in its predecessor. After crash-landing on the planet, you'll head to your underwater base – just a single, cramped room in the beginning with a storage locker and a fabricator – and head out into the depths to learn more about your environment and to grow your arsenal of tools and equipment. The core gameplay loop here will be familiar to anyone who's played Subnautica. You cook the fish you get your hands on to maintain your health and thirst, you explore and mine minerals and chop up plants, among other things, to gain access to new materials and crafting components.
The more of these you find, the more crafting recipes you unlock, and the more crafting recipes you unlock, the better equipped you become to head out farther and deeper from your home base. Craft a flipper and a high capacity oxygen tank for yourself in the opening hours, for instance, and you'll be able to dive much deeper on account of having a faster swimming speed and more oxygen to breath. That, in turn, will enable you to head to new, deeper areas and find more new and possibly rare materials to collect, bring back to your base, and craft even more useful equipment. It's an immediately compelling loop. It works on a very basic level right from the get go, and it only grows in complexity as you progress further, as you're able to unlock new and better crafting recipes to allow you to cobble up an increasingly more complex and impressive home base. Exploration and progression go hand-in-hand in Below Zero, just as they did in its predecessor, and the two work very well together.
And exploring has its own innate rewards. Finding new materials that will help you craft better gear always feels rewarding, of course, but for me, the biggest draw of exploration was to witness beautiful alien locations. Unknown Worlds Entertainment don't need to prove themselves when it comes to crafting beautiful and awe-inspiring locations to explore, so Subnautica: Below Zero's strengths in this area aren't really surprising. But it is gratifying to see the sequel excel just as much here as its predecessor did, with gorgeous areas exhibiting hypnotic beauty and sporting surprising variety across the entire game. Uncovering new life forms, whether its small fish or quirky creatures like the mischievous Sea Monkeys or the larger, more dangerous aquatic creatures that will set your heart racing is also always a delight.
"It is gratifying to see the sequel excel just as much here as its predecessor did, with gorgeous areas exhibiting hypnotic beauty and sporting surprising variety across the entire game."
If there's one issue I have with the exploration, it's that sometimes, it's a bit too easy to get lost, even with navigation tools equipped. You can place a beacon (if you have one in your inventory) to make getting back to that location easier later on, but it's a bit frustrating that the game doesn't have a mapping feature, which would cut out so much of the aimless and repetitive parts of exploration as you tried to get back to an area you had been to before but couldn't find it. Meanwhile, some of Below Zero's survival mechanics also feel like unwanted elements at times. Your hunger and thirst meters aren't too demanding of your attention, but you do still have to keep an eye on them, and at times it feels like they get in the way of exploration, which, honestly, is the best part of the game. Thankfully, the game does give you the option of playing without the hunger and thirst meters at the outset, so there is that.
Subnautica: Below Zero also expands on its predecessor by having proper land exploration, where the primary and most constant threat you face is the frigid temperatures of the environments you find yourself in. While managing your oxygen is your chief concern when you're exploring underwater locations, on the ground, you have to make sure to keep yourself warm, by finding hotspots, taking shelter in caves and indoor environments, and more. Land exploration isn't nearly as elaborate as underwater exploration is, and the environments that you find yourself in, though well designed and beautiful in their own way, aren't nearly as interesting as the depths of the sea that you explore. Still, the vast bulk of Below Zero is set underwater, and for what it is, land exploration functions well enough- even if most of the time you'll be thinking about getting back underwater (and in turn, back to the game's best parts) as soon as possible.
On a technical level, Below Zero has a few issues. Pop in and stuttering frame rate can be occasional problems, while booting up the game or reloading your saves also takes you into long load times (which was surprising, since I played on an Xbox Series X). None of these are major issues though, and in the audio-visual areas, the game deserves a ton of credit. Below Zero's beauty is propped up by wonderful art design, while audio design is also top notch, from the ambient sounds of the ocean to the distant cries of alien aquatic creatures.
"In the audio-visual areas, the game deserves a ton of credit. Below Zero's beauty is propped up by wonderful art design, while audio design is also top notch, from the ambient sounds of the ocean to the distant cries of alien aquatic creatures. "
Subnautica: Below Zero is a great game, one that builds on the solid foundations of its predecessor in smart and interesting ways. Expanded ideas and quality of life improvements make crafting and exploration as engaging as you'd want, and the beautiful underwater world you find yourself in is an absolute joy to explore and exist in. Some minor issues can get in the way of the game's best parts at times, but in the grand scheme of things, these feel like blips in an otherwise memorable underwater journey.
This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.
Guilty Gear Strive – New Starter Guide Video Spotlights I-No
Following Anji Mito's starter guide, Arc System Works has published a video for Guilty Gear Strive that outlines I-No's moveset. I-No is touted as a fast-paced character with a unique offense capable of some interesting mix-ups. Check out some of her abilities below.
"Antidepressant Scale" is the name of her projectile and is capable of dealing more hits when launched from a distance. "Chemical Love" is a high-hitting projectile that's good for poking foes from mid-range (though it loses out against low-striking enemies). Perhaps I-No's most interesting move is "Sultry Performance" which allows for diving at an opponent from mid-air.
Depending on the button pressed, her trajectory can change, and holding the button down allows for a more damaging attack. Along with Anji, I-No will be available to play when the second open beta test for Guilty Gear Strive goes live today. The full game is out on June 11th for PS4, PS5 and PC so stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary Stream Set for May 26, Upcoming Games to be Announced
2021 is the year for anniversaries, it seems. From The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon to Sonic, Resident Evil, and many more, quite a few notable gaming properties are celebrating major anniversaries this year. One more is Dragon Quest, and Square Enix seems to have a special stream planned.
A special anniversary celebration livestream has been announced for Wednesday, May 26, about two weeks from now, at 8:30 PM PDT / 11:30 PM EDT. May 27 is Dragon Quest Day, or the series' anniversary, so expect something special. Sure enough, Square Enix says the stream will be "introducing the upcoming line-up in the Dragon Quest series," with series co-creator Yuji Horii also confirmed to be attending. The stream will also feature live Japanese to English interpretations, which will be a first for Dragon Quest streams.
Dragon Quest 11 launched in Japan nearly four years ago, so the hope is that Dragon Quest 12 gets announced soon. Over a year ago, Horii said that the next game in the series was still a little while away, but here's hoping it's close enough for an announcement now. Meanwhile, the Dragon Quest Builders team also said over a year ago that they were working on something new, so it should be interesting to see what that is (or if it's even related to Dragon Quest).
For what it's worth, Horii said earlier this year that Square Enix would be making "all sorts of announcements" to celebrate Dragon Quest's 35th anniversary, so hopefully, there's good stuff headed our way on May 26. Stay tuned, and we'll keep you updated.
Days Gone – New PC Gameplay Showcases Combat and Exploration in 4K
Sony Bend Studio's Days Gone has received 28 minutes of gameplay footage from the PC version courtesy of GameSpot, showcasing the title's fidelity in 4K/60 FPS. Along with some of the opening, it features Deacon St. John as he attempts to survive in post-apocalyptic Oregon. Check it out below.
Initially released in 2019 for PS4, Days Gone releases on May 18th for PC. Along with all of the post-launch updates, it features a new Super Resolution Photo Mode and support for 21:9 Ultrawide monitors. Level of details, foliage draw distances and FOV have also been improved along with being able to play at unlocked framerates.
For more details on the hardware requirements, head here. Sony Bend Studio also recently confirmed that the PC version won't support DLSS or include ray tracing. PS4 and PS5 players won't be able to transfer their save data either. Stay tuned for more details and in the meantime, check out our review for the PS4 version here.
Resident Evil Series Has Sold 110 Million Units, Monster Hunter Has Sold 72 Million
Resident Evil and Monster Hunter are by far Capcom's most valuable properties, not just because they consistently keep putting out excellent games for fans of both, but also because each new mainline instalment in both series is pretty much guaranteed to sell like hot cakes. In their recent quarterly fiscal report, Capcom provided updated cumulative sales for both franchises, and it doesn't seem like they're going to lost steam any time soon.
Resident Evil's series sales are at 110 million units worldwide, while Monster Hunter is at 72 million, with both having seen a significant jump from their respective cumulative sales at the end of the previous quarter. It's also worth mentioning that these figures are as of March 31, so both numbers have probably climbed, with Resident Evil Village and Monster Hunter Rise both contributing significantly.
As of the end of April, Monster Hunter Rise has shipped 6 million units, while Resident Evil Village shipped 3 million units over its launch weekend. Meanwhile, Capcom have also provided updates sales figures on other recent releases in the series, with Monster Hunter World having topped 17 million units sold, and Resident Evil 7 at 9 million sold. Read more on that through here.
Horizon Forbidden West – PS5 DualSense Allows for Feeling Grass During Stealth
In a recent interview with Wired, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst revealed some interesting news on upcoming PS5 titles. He confirmed that the company had over 25 games in development for the console with almost half being new IPs. However, there were also some bits about Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games' upcoming open world epic.
Studio director Angie Smets talked briefly about the PS5's DualSense and how the haptic feedback contributes to the experience. "If you want to take a stealth approach to a combat situation and you dive into long grass, you can feel those long grass leaves." Till now, we've only really known about how the controller's adaptive triggers will make weapons "feel even more unique and satisfying to use."
Hulst was also happy with the state of the game which he revisited recently after "seven or eight months." "I spent some time yesterday with Horizon Forbidden West for the first time in seven or eight months. To step away and to come back to it? Talk about giving me a gift." While this doesn't tell us much about the quality of the game, it does mean that development is progressing at a steady pace.
Horizon Forbidden West is currently slated to release later this year for PS4 and PS5. Ads for the PS5 indicated that it would arrive in "late 2021" but thus far, no release window has been provided (though Sony feels "pretty good" about a release this year). Stay tuned for more details and updates in the meantime.
Monster Hunter World Sales Top 17 Million, Resident Evil 7 at 9 Million
It's been something of a trend in recent years that Capcom's major releases don't just enjoy strong sales at launch, they also continue to see sustained sales across prolonged periods of time, with the likes of Monster Hunter and Resident Evil in particular benefitting from this. That doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. In their recent quarterly fiscal report (via David Gibson on Twitter), Capcom confirmed that Monster Hunter World has now sold 17.1 million, up from 16.8 million at the end of the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's cumulative sales stand at 7.7 million units, which means that World and Iceborne have now collectively sold almost 25 million units. The newest entry in the series' are also mentioned as 4.8 million in Capcom's presentation, but it's worth pointing out that these figures are as of March 31. At the end of April, Capcom had announced that Monster Hunter Rise had shipped over 6 million units worldwide.
Resident Evil is continuing to fare strongly as well. The launch of Resident Evil Village clearly kicked up interest in recent releases once more, with Resident Evil 7 jumping from its 8.5 million sales at the end of the previous quarter to an impressive 9 million cumulative sales now. This doesn't come as a surprise, seeing as Resident Evil 7 is still shipping a million copies a year, four years on from its launch. Meanwhile, Resident Evil 2 is at 8.1 million units, while Resident Evil 3 has also topped 4 million in a little less than a year of its launch.
Resident Evil Village recently launched, and shipped 3 million copies over its launch weekend.
Ever wondered why Capcom doing better than others in JP, its this line-up from presentation – new releases turn into long tails of sales pic.twitter.com/aOKxAjWjQu
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) May 13, 2021
Microsoft is Working on New IP That Will "Blow Your Mind" – Xbox Exec
With nearly two dozen first party studios now under its belt, Microsoft's future output is looking exciting. The likes of Halo Infinite and (hopefully) Starfield are not so far away, rumours have been circling about Forza Horizon 5, and others like Fable, Perfect Dark, Forza Motorsport, Fable, and Avowed are also in the works. But there's plenty more in the pipeline as well, including entirely new properties.
And speaking recently with GamesRadar, Xbox's head of gaming services Ben Decker briefly talked those up, saying that in addition to known quantities, Xbox's first party studios are also working on new IP that are "gonna blow your mind."
"We have 23 studios across Xbox and Bethesda, working on Halo, Forza, Fallout, and new IP that we haven't even talked about yet that is gonna blow your mind," Decker said.
Of all of Microsoft's current first party studios, we know that Arkane is working on a new fantasy IP, while inXile Entertainment is also working on something new. Leaks have also said that IO Interactive – which, of course, is not an Xbox studio – is working with Microsoft on an Xbox exclusive RPG currently called Project Dragon. The Coalition is also reportedly working on a new IP, one that's going to be smaller and more experimental in nature.
Resident Evil Village Guide – How to Solve All Puzzles
Resident Evil Village has its fair share of action and tense moments. However, it also has a number of puzzles to solve. While some may be easy, others could take a bit of work. Here's a quick rundown of all the different puzzles and their locations.
- Brazier puzzle (Hall of War)
- Statue puzzle (Hall of Ablution)
- Piano puzzle (Opera Hall)
- Portrait and bells puzzle (Atelier Dimitrescu)
- Labyrinth puzzle (Castle Dimitrescu)
- Hanging brazier puzzle (Special Chambers)
- Safe code (Village Workshop)
- Doll puzzle (House Beneviento)
- Music box puzzle (House Beneviento)
- Film puzzle (House Beneviento)
- Sealed door (House Beneviento)
- Garden Labyrinth (en route to House Beneviento)
- Maestro's Collection safe code (near West Old Town)
- Lever puzzle (Reservoir)
- Sluice Gate puzzle (Reservoir)
- The Reservoir Labyrinth puzzle
- Factory Labyrinth puzzle (Heisenberg's Factory)
- Relief of a horse puzzle (Heisenberg's Factory)
For solutions to all of the puzzles, check out the videos below by WoW Quests and Sipder.
Resident Evil Village Guide – How to Find All Files and Goats of Warding
Throughout Resident Evil Village, you'll find various files, ranging from memos to diary entries. Some of them can provide some insight into different characters while others could contain a few revelations. Certain files can be missed (since you won't return to some locations later in the game) so grab them while you can. Let's take a look at all of the files locations here:
- Fridge Memo – Located in the Kitchen of the Winters Home. Can be missed.
- Old News Clipping – Found in the Spare Bedroom of the Winters Home. Can be missed.
- Ethan's Diary – Located in the Winters Home Office. Can be missed.
- Medical Checkup Report – Found in the drawer of the bedroom while in the Winters Home. Can be missed.
- Mission Briefing – Near the car crash in the forest. Can be missed.
- Scribbled Note – In the home in the Village Square. Can't be missed.
- Goat of Warding Placard – Near the Maiden of War statue in a shrine. Located underneath the first Goat Totem. Can't be missed.
- Dangerous Creature – In Luiza's home. Can't be missed.
- Guest Book – Found at the entrance of Castle Dimitrescu. Can't be missed.
- The Labyrinths – In the Merchant's Room in Castle Dimitrescu. Can't be missed.
- Winemaking History – Located in the Wine Room of Castle Dimitrescu. Can't be missed.
- A Maid's Diary – In the basement of Castle Dimitrescu. Can be missed.
- Treatment Candidates – Located in Castle Dimitrescu's prison. Can be missed.
- Observation Report – Also found in the prison of Castle Dimitrescu. Can be missed.
- A Cook's Diary – Found in the kitchen of Castle Dimitrescu. Can be missed.
- Alcina Dimitrescu's Diary – Found in Lady Dimitrescu's chambers. Can be missed.
- Grand Chambermaid's Notice – Found in the foyer of the Opera Hall in Castle Dimitrescu. Can be missed.
- Further Observations – In Castle Dimitrescu's Opera Hall, look for this in the upper balcony. Can be missed.
- Insect Observations Journal – In the upper balcony of the Opera Hall in Castle Dimitrescu. Can be missed.
- Rumors of a Dagger – Located in the attic of Castle Dimitrescu. Can be missed.
- Craftsman's Note – Outside of Castle Dimitrescu, inside of a hut with a save point. Can't be missed.
- Leonardo's Message – Near the house with the red chimney, there should be a large house. Look inside for this message. Can be missed.
- Note on Luthier's House – Inside of Luthier's House in the village. Can be missed.
- Eugen's Diary – In the house with the red chimney. Can't be missed.
- Church Computer – Located in the back of the Village Church. Can't be missed.
- Gardener's Diary – Inside the gardener's house near House Beneviento. Can't be missed.
- Vasile's Final Testament – In East Old Town, a werewolf will throw Ethan into a building. Scrounge around inside for this note. Can be missed.
- The Reservoir and Giant Fish – Inside the boathouse of the Reservoir. Can be missed.
- Changing the Cranks – Outside of the house with the save point near the Reservoir, look for an old truck. Can be missed.
- Moreau's Diary 1 – Once the fishing village has been drained and when pursuing Moreau, look inside of a shack for the diary. Can be missed.
- Moreau's Diary 2 – Inside of the room where Moreau is first spotted.
- Moreau's Diary of Experiments – Upon exiting the Reservoir, check inside of a house near the mountain, right next to where the M1851 Wolfsbane Revolver is located. Can be missed.
- Analysis Results – Take a boat towards the Reservoir in the south. Before entering the tunnel at the dead end, look for the file to the right. Can be missed.
- Ernest's Diary – Found in the cannibal's storehouse. Can be missed.
- Officer's Diary – In the Stronghold, check at the bottom of the staircase. Can be missed.
- Experiment Notes – Upon exiting the boat in the Stronghold, look for a stairwell on the left. Head down it until you find a table with the file on it. Can be missed.
- Development Note 1 – On level B4 in a storeroom in the Factory. Can be missed.
- Development Note 2 – On level B2 in the Factory, this is found after the room with the large grinder. Can be missed.
- Sturm – Found in a storeroom on level B1 of the Factory. Can be missed.
- Heisenberg's Diary – Following the fight with Sturm, look in the next room for the file. It should be right next to a cigar. Can be missed.
- Chris's Computer – Found in the Scrapheap of the Factory. Can't be missed.
- Moreau's Medical Report – Found in Miranda's Lab. Can't be missed.
- Dimitrescu's Medical Report – Found in Miranda's Lab. Can't be missed.
- Heisenberg's Medical Report – Found in Miranda's Lab. Can't be missed.
- Donna's Medical Report – Found in Miranda's Lab. Can't be missed.
- Spencer's Letter – Found in Miranda's Lab. Can't be missed.
- Miranda's Diary – Found in Miranda's Lab. Can't be missed.
How to Find All Goats of Warding
Of course, there are also various other collectibles like toy goats that you can find throughout the game. Referred to as Goats of Warding, there are 20 in total and they must be destroyed (shooting or cutting them with the knife works). While destroying all of them won't provide any unique unlocks, it will provide 16,000 CP which can be used to purchase items from the Extra Content Shop.
Here are the locations for all of the Goats of Warding. If you listen careful, you may be able to hear them as well:
- Inside a shrine behind the Maiden of War statue in the Village square.
- On the roof of the Village Church.
- When entering Luiza's home, look to the left of the gate. The goat should be on a stone wall in the upper left side of the field.
- Before encountering The Duke, there will be a vineyard near the castle with scarecrows. Check near the walls until you find the goat.
- Near the entrance of the Distillery of Castle Dimitrescu, look for some candles to spot the goat.
- Upon reaching Castle Dimitrescu's attack, look behind the ladder for some boxes until you find it.
- Near the docks with the lycan (on the Lone Road), look for a small room.
- Behind the Village Church is a cemetery with some mausoleums. The goat will be behind on of them in the top right, though the Iron Insignia Key is needed to reach it.
- Search between Luthier's house and a shack until you find a pile of firewood.
- When traveling to House Beneviento, you'll have to cross a suspension bridge. Before doing so, however, look to the left. There will be another bridge in the fog with a goat on it.
- Just before entering into House Beneviento, look out to the cliff. Near the fence will be a goat.
- Upon entering the Reservoir, check near the log pile of the first windmill.
- When inside the mine-cart building, use the sniper rifle to see a broken windmill. There will be wooden beams sticking out with a goat on top.
- After dealing with Moreau and exiting from the mill, look to the left among the rocks for a goat.
- Located in a small shrine underneath Otto's Mill.
- At the bottom of the stairwell in the Stronghold, look to the right on the railing.
- When situated on the top of the Grinder Shaft, look for some bulldozer parts for the goat.
- Upon riding the lift from B1 to B3, look outside the door. You'll see some red girders with the goat on top. If you miss it, simply take the ladder outside of the lift on B3 to head back up and shoot it.
- After the fight with Sturm in the room with Heisenberg's Diary, look for a vent. There will be a goat on top of the barrel.
- At the megamycete after setting the explosives, look to the right. There will be a statue in some water. The last goat is located at its base.
To better spot all of the files and Goats of Warding, check out the videos below from 100% Guides and Somewhat Awesome Games.