Since Subnautica 2 launched, players have been hard at work debating fish killing. Combat has never really been in the creepy underwater series’ DNA—the original game gave you a shabby knife that allowed you to fight back a bit, but exploration and stealth (and the helpless feeling that comes with being alone underwater without a real way to defend yourself) were always at the core of the series.
However, Subnautica 2 has axed that knife entirely, and it also introduces some particularly aggressive fish, so not being able to mitigate their attacks in a way that feels meaningful has left some players frustrated. Quite a few fans have requested the addition of weapons, while others just want these creatures to be a bit less aggressive. It’s become kind of a whole big thing, and a level designer even faced criticism after telling players to “go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill.”
On Wednesday, developer Unknown Worlds issued an open letter to players regarding the debate over fish killing. The developers apologized for that statement and promised that balance changes to creature aggression are incoming, but weapons definitely aren’t.
“We are actively working on improvements to creature behavior and player mitigation tools,” the letter reads. “Upcoming changes will include adjustments to creature aggression timing, aggro range, flare effectiveness, Survival Tool effectiveness, and creature interactions with vehicles and bases. These changes will be delivered over a series of upcoming patches.”
Weapons, however, are missing from that set of promises. Unknown Worlds also clarified that this is an intentional design decision, and the balance changes should help justify this.
“Second, we have heard the strong request for more direct ways to deal with hostile creatures, including the ability to kill them,” the letter continues. “We understand where that request is coming from. When avoidance and mitigation tools do not feel effective, it is natural for players to want a more decisive solution. Our current direction is not based on judging players who want combat, and it is not because we think those players are wrong. Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat. We believe that this is part of what makes the game unique. However, that design only works if creature encounters feel fair, readable, and engaging. Right now, we know we have more work to do to achieve that.”
I’m personally overjoyed that Unknown Worlds is standing by this decision, although I hope the balance changes work well enough to appease everybody in the fish-killing camp. So many games are centered around combat, and Subnautica is the rare series in which things get pretty scary without players being able to effectively fight back. That lack of control is what makes these games so nerve-wracking, and it’s exactly what made my very terrified self spend so much time alt-tabbing out of the original Subnautica whenever I swam into a particularly eerie area (only to hesitantly alt-tab back for more).
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