Talkative NPC undermines Subnautica: Below Zero's winter-horror promise

Polygon says Subnautica: Below Zero, which is set on the frozen side of the same terrifying planet as the first game, is undermined by one NPC who never stops talking: Al-An.

The piece describes Al-An as a member of the Precursors, a cybernetic race tied to the outbreak of the original game, and praises his character and backstory. But the reviewer says Al-An "installs himself in the player's brain," constantly providing coordinates and commentary; much of that dialogue is necessary for plot, yet its frequency and intrusiveness destroy suspense.

The review contrasts that chattiness with the original Subnautica's sense of isolation—derelict lifepods with no survivors, rescue attempts that end in explosions—and concludes that because Al-An never dies and never shuts up, he melts the intended tension, leaving Below Zero, in the reviewer’s view, a below-average game about a human and a robot-alien exploring the planet.

Key Topics

Culture, Subnautica Below Zero, Al-an, Precursors, Leviathan-class, Seatruck