Though released in 2014, Subnatica still worth exploring

When it comes to survival simulators, Subnautica is one that has earned its spot in the rankings. While terrifying people with thalassophobia (fear of deep bodies of water) but staying beautiful and lore-filled, Subnautica was released on Dec. 16, 2014. The game now is nearly eight years old and still has dedicated fans that play it to this day. 

It takes place on an alien planet. Your character has crash-landed there and needs to not only survive thirst and hunger but also the creatures. 

Subnautica has a diverse and thriving ecosystem, and whether it’s flora or fauna, it’s got it all. A staple of the game’s creatures, the Reaper leviathan, a giant serpentine creature with mandibles on its face, has been spooking players since release. The official game wiki said, “Leviathan is a classification given to extremely large creatures of the Subnautica universe. Any fauna species large enough to lack natural predators can be classified as Leviathan; they need not be predatory.” 

The leviathans really help you understand how small you truly are, and aspects like this are important in games for creating immersive senses triggering parts of your brain that aren’t usually stimulated. 

The game is currently on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and Windows devices. Gameplay consists of diving into the depths for resources and then surfacing for air. As you progress in the game, you will unlock new recipes to fabricate and new resources to acquire. As you dive deeper you discover more and more biomes and environments where strange and alien creatures reside. 

Subnautica has a great replayability factor because no matter how many times you play and beat the game, you will never discover everything. There’s always a new cave system to explore or an unseen biome or a terrifying creature lurking deep below where you have adventured.