The game has beautiful graphics and a stunning world to explore, showcasing a lot of potential for future updates.
Despite being in early access, the game offers a fun and relaxing experience reminiscent of Subnautica, with unique biomes and creatures.
The developer is responsive and actively working on improvements, which gives hope for a better gaming experience in the future.
The game is poorly optimized, resulting in low frame rates and performance issues, making it unplayable for many users.
There is a lack of clear instructions and tutorials, leaving players confused about how to progress and survive in the game.
Many players have reported bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as disappearing items and unresponsive controls.
optimization
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
67%
22%
The game's optimization is currently a significant issue, with many players reporting poor performance, low frame rates, and high memory requirements, particularly on certain hardware configurations. While there is hope for improvement with an upcoming update, the game is still in beta and requires substantial optimization work to enhance the overall experience. Players are eager for fixes, as the game's potential is overshadowed by its current technical shortcomings.
“A big update is planned to release soon and should fix a lot of the optimization problems. I'm excited to see where this game goes.”
“Would love to see this optimized better for Steam Deck; playing at 15fps on average, I can tell it could give so much more.”
“I think optimization should be top priority until it can run at 60fps on most machines.”
“The game is poorly optimized right now, but that's what other reviews have already said.”
“It looks like a promising Subnautica-like game, graphics are good by what it looks like, but the game is extremely unoptimized (especially in comparison to Subnautica). I tried playing this game at low settings with an RX 580 and an i3 10100F + 16 gigabytes of DDR4 RAM, and I failed to achieve 30 FPS despite the fact I was playing at the lowest settings. I tried to reduce the quality even more by setting the game to 720p and still no 30 FPS yet.”
“Horribly optimized, please fix it.”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and artistic style, showcasing a vibrant palette and well-designed environments. However, many users report severe optimization issues, resulting in low frame rates even on low settings, which detracts from the overall experience. There is a strong demand for more customizable graphics options to accommodate players with lower-end hardware.
“The game has a great art style, a promising premise for an unconvoluted story, and most importantly, it's got soul to it, as the 'passion' part of this passion project shows!”
“Visually it's a pretty game, with bright clean aesthetics and a varied palette.”
“The graphics really surprised me.”
“I can play most games at at least 30-60 fps, and I even run Subnautica at a solid 120 fps on max graphics, but this game makes my frame rate drop to a solid 15-20 fps on low.”
“It would be appreciated if they added some settings to lower the graphical quality of the game enough that it was pleasant to play, because, as it is, it is jarring.”
“I give it a 2/10 because there are no settings to change the graphics, and it wasn't moving smoothly on my PC.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
73%
16%
The gameplay has been compared to Subnautica, featuring similar mechanics such as crafting and survival elements, which many players find enjoyable. While some aspects, like the hunger mechanic, are seen as overly punishing, others appreciate the abundance of resources available. Overall, the game offers a relaxing exploration experience, though it is still in beta and may require further refinement.
“The mechanics - this game shares a lot in common with Subnautica, which can only mean it has a lot of good in it.”
“Very fun game has good graphics and good mechanics, not too much grinding, and good story and lore.”
“This might end up with half-assed mechanics replicated from Subnautica.”
“The gameplay is momentarily limited to exploration, but the atmosphere is soothing and it's a relaxing experience (until you inevitably face death from hunger).”
“After 10 minutes of dead silent gameplay to be greeted with a ding when I found a new resource had me appalled as I thought the sound just bugged out.”
story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
58%
16%
The game's story is currently in a nascent stage, with players noting a barebones narrative that lacks depth and clarity, particularly in comparison to established titles like Subnautica. While there are hints of an intriguing premise involving the mystery of the Icarus, many feel the world feels empty without a more developed plot, and the exploration aspect often overshadows the storytelling. Overall, there is potential for growth, but the current execution leaves much to be desired.
“The game has a great art style, a promising premise for an unconvoluted story, and most importantly, it's got soul to it, as the 'passion' part of this passion project shows!”
“This game has a very good beginning and I like the story that it has to tell even though I only played it for a while.”
“I give it 6/10 because the plot is interesting and it can grow from there.”
“However, Below Zero's story was just too much and detracted from the main purpose of the game: exploring an alien ecosystem.”
“Considering how big the world is, it feels very empty without any proper story, and there's no way to tell if you're progressing through the game except in the realm of crafting new materials.”
“None of this is made clear at all in the story.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, particularly during loading screens, and various glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some players enjoyed the experience when it worked, the overall consensus highlights significant issues that need addressing, such as lag, unresponsive controls, and persistent bugs. Improvements in stability and performance are essential for enhancing the gaming experience.
“Now when I try to open the game, it freezes on the loading screen after the menu and will not bring up the game. I loved playing it and was so excited to find another game like Subnautica, but it's disappointing that it won't work again. Hopefully, this can be fixed because I love the game. I will give a thumbs up for the gameplay I actually had.”
“After that, it goes to the loading screen where it appears to be loading, and I can move my mouse as it loads, but after approximately 5 to 10 minutes, the whole computer freezes.”
“While it is difficult to play, there are a lot of lags, freezes, etc. and few settings.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many users praising it as fantastic and one of the best soundtracks they've experienced. However, some players noted that the default music volume is significantly louder than other audio elements, which can be distracting. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
“So far visually, for an alpha, the game is stunning. I'm in love with the character models, and I also love the music.”
“The music was fantastic!”
“One of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard.”
“The default music volume is way louder than the rest of the game, especially the computer.”
“Voice acting / music / sound”
“Still, the music's decent.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its beauty and soothing qualities, enhanced by well-designed biomes and creatures that contribute to a relaxing exploration experience. However, some players feel it lacks certain unearth-like traits, such as varied gravity and atmospheric effects, which could further enrich the environment. Overall, while the atmosphere is welcoming, there is a desire for more unique and immersive elements.
“The biomes are beautiful, as well as the creatures; so much effort has been put into them, and it really adds to the atmosphere smoothly.”
“The gameplay is momentarily limited to exploration, but the atmosphere is soothing, and it's a relaxing experience (until you inevitably face death from hunger).”
“The atmosphere is beautiful and welcoming.”
“The gameplay is momentarily limited to exploration, but the atmosphere is soothing and it's a relaxing experience (until you inevitably face death from hunger).”
“The biomes are beautiful, as well as the creatures they have been given so much effort; I can just tell, and it really adds to the atmosphere smoothly.”
“Un-earth-like traits, such as stronger/weaker gravity, thicker/thinner atmosphere, different-colored sun, different-colored sunsets, and atmospheric diffraction, etc.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers suggest that the character development could benefit from a more streamlined and simpler character design, particularly in the inventory screen, to enhance user experience and clarity.
“The inventory screen needs a simpler character design.”
“Character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
“The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the game.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game evokes strong feelings, with some players expressing a deep sense of conflict and sadness when critiquing it, indicating that the game resonates on a personal level.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the game's humor, highlighting its blend of funny and eerie elements, such as quirky animals and alien devices, which contribute to a unique and engaging atmosphere. The creativity displayed by the single developer is particularly noted, suggesting potential for further growth in this aspect.
“I really look forward to seeing this game grow - there are brightly lit regions, dark caverns, funny and eerie animals, alien devices, and sites... an amazing feat for a single developer!”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the game features minimal grinding, allowing them to enjoy the engaging story and lore without excessive repetition, all while benefiting from good graphics and mechanics.