How a Non-Horror Game Mastered Fear

[@CarTM]

Some horrendously bad opinions in this video lmao

[@JeloUnderscore]

I agree, he fell off.

[@Speedy_Gamer3096]

​@@JeloUnderscore bro dissed himself

[@VisualBasicYT]

Imagine getting the pin of shame

[@bluyxx6482]

exactly like why opinions are like assholes, some are shitty, some are clean, givin that his are squeaky and disinfected, yours are 100% pus infested and shit covered

[@Vergil_Sparda_1976]

Congrats man, you got the pin of shame

[@devonmyhre766]

I got the shit scared out of me when I first encountered that cave kamikaze fish. I fucking HATE that guy

[@akshatpratapsingh1160]

Haha we love our huggy boy

[@sapphirestar3978]

Ironically I'm apparently one of the few people who was never scared of those things.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

@@sapphirestar3978 Me neither. Annyoed yes, but afraid... Why? You hear him, you do a 180, get your Seaglide going, listen for the boom and go on with your business. 🤷🤔😉

[@InheritingNightmaresDev]

I read somewhere that the devs didn't intend for this game to be a horror game, but the testers got really scared of the murky foggy waters so they pivoted into it being a horror game, which I really like.

[@Domeda_Official]

i assume this is true. if you look at early builds of the game it is well lit without anything hostile. once they added the more realistic water lighting it starts to pivot towards horror

[@martiano13bros]

​@Domeda_Official Hopefully they stick to it a little more than sub zero. I like sub zero, but subnauticas atmosphere is way more spooky

[@MarxInMars]

Me after 5 minutes into Subnautica: I can't imagine going more than 60m deep. Me on my second playthrough: Bet I can swim straight down to 750m on one breath.

[@Kind710]

Fun fact: that is not the moon. It’s just the planet near where you are. The actual moon is behind that planet

[@Mr.scooter-le8yo]

Imagine that, a planet closer than the moon.

[@Kind710]

@@Mr.scooter-le8yo I mean. We don’t really know how far the moon is

[@WarFoxThunder]

WOAH

[@emmanuelpaul6903]

Aren’t you already on a moon of the planet ?

[@TampicoV2]

@@emmanuelpaul6903no you’re on the first planet from the star 4546A thus the name of the planet is 4546B

[@coffeejellyash]

I always called the Sea Treaders my favourite leviathan, but the Ghosts stole my heart. I've even taken to making a deadzone base, and no matter how pretty I find them, whipping out the stasis rifle to build 1000m down in the void to avoid dying will always be nerve-wrecking

[@blaaaaaaanket]

The void ones are especially pretty yeah

[@Hedron1027]

I had the most terrifying experience in this game not even 3 hours ago. I was looking for the Architect cache in the Dunes and steered a bit too far west and ended up in the Void. I then had to maneuver back into the Dunes and, thankfully, found the crater before any Reaper Leviathans spotted me. The Seamoth Sonar is amazing.

[@lennartpause6418]

“…just as big as you or unnecessarily tower over you” made me cry

[@blaaaaaaanket]

Ive never seen the sunbeam explosion not on the island. Thats horrifying on a whole other level.

[@reesecorner4800]

Perfect video timing for the start of my subnautica obsession

[@Speedy_Gamer3096]

Also perfect for why I gave up an hour in

[@slimerancherfan213]

@@Speedy_Gamer3096 Wait you refunded it right?

[@Speedy_Gamer3096]

@@slimerancherfan213 no it was on gamepass when I played it, they removed it tho. I've been thinking about replaying it/finishing it.

[@starrunner2838]

Just beat the game great time for this video

[@holyheckism]

great video, and I absolutely agree! One thing that I think makes Subnautica so unique is how the graphics really aren't scary. The vast majority of creatures are pretty cartoony and smooth around the edges in their design. Still, they manage to scare you shitless because of the atmosphere they're placed in. The reaper looks almost goofy when I look at an image of it, but hearing its roar and running into it in the murky waters of the crash zone makes anyone shit their pants.

[@coffeejellyash]

Exactly! They really perfected the atmosphere, and I could harp on about Chylinski's work on the soundtrack - great examples are the Lost River soundtrack, which are mostly calm with eerie undertones, and the Lava Zone/ILZ as you're not only keyed into the sounds of Levis and Warpers around you, but you also have the music's backing.

[@holyheckism]

@@coffeejellyash I agree! I really hope they bring Simon Chylinski’s music back in Subnautica 2. While I love Ben Prunty’s songs in BZ, they just don’t have that same connection to the atmospheres as in SN. Just like you pointed out, the music in the Lost River and lava zones is rather simple, with a lot of quiet and eerie beats and sounds that amplify the atmosphere. While BZ music is good, I feel like the music in more dangerous and scary areas is too… complex and energetic, to the point where it kinda distracts from the atmosphere and covers up the natural sounds of the biome. (I hope you don’t mind my sudden BZ rant, it’s still a good game, this is just a thing that stood out to me)

[@monke2676]

@@holyheckism chylinski aint coming back

[@holyheckism]

@@monke2676 damn what happened?

[@pisipunk]

@@holyheckism He got fired for racist, sexist and hateful tweets right after the first game was released. His music really is exceptional. But I think it`s right not to indulde hateful beaviour in our society :(

[@Vhailor_Mithras]

Another fear is that of the sounds/music. It doesn't scare me per se but it definitely puts me on edge when I hear both Crabsquids and Warpers as the music ramps up. Plus it's _really_ dark.

[@RealityCheck6969]

One of the most immersive games I ever played. Even more immersive than Cyberpunk.

[@darkway-the-devourer]

fun lilfact that makes this MORE terrifying so we all know the reaper roars right and most think oh its just a regular roar for intimidation but keep in mind im pretty sure reapers...are blind and use echolocation to hunt thats why they are so close to the aurora so "if you can hear it..it can see you" and that just makes me shiver

[@pacadile2025]

No they aren't blind but they do use echolocation

[@Pandafox4321]

@@pacadile2025bad eyesight tho and that musty water doesn’t help

[@VladRadu-tq1pg]

not an actual gameplaye feature though...dunno hy you people keep spamming this shit

[@Pandafox4321]

@@VladRadu-tq1pg canon lore dumbass

[@ril3y649]

@@VladRadu-tq1pg sadly its not but ig u can say ur never gonna find a reaper without hearing its roar

[@fertileplanet7756]

If you haven't already, COMPLETE THE GAME. It's amazing and super satisfying.

[@fekl0416]

the reaper still terrifies me after 8 years of playing this game. I try to avoid it like the plague

[@megavictor025]

Its stange, in my case the reapers hidde from me, in the moment that i see one thery go back out of my vew whitout intention of attack me

[@thomaskositzki9424]

Stasis Rifle and Knive healed me from my Reaper fear. First time one fled from me seriously wounded did the trick. 😎 Admittedly, until I got the items, they freak me out to this day.

[@Hauke-ph5ui]

3:00 There are actually quite a few small predators, not only the biters: Blighters, crashfish, mesmers, bleeders amd cave crawlers are all between 50 centimeters and a meter in size.

[@SophisticatedPringleCat]

I feel like I have an idea on how to make this game much more frightening, we all know the stasis rifle shoot something and now it can’t move until the bubble is gone, takes a bit of the fear out of this game. Now my idea is what if the stasis rifle could only be used so much on one creature, let’s say your trying to kill a reaper, you shoot it with the stasis and start slashing bubble is about to disappear so you shoot it again, but the reaper is able to get out of it, so you shoot it a third time and now it gets out twice as fast, and the forth time you shoot it, the reaper just doesn’t get stunned. This way it turns this back into pure survival where you can’t just kill all the leviathans so easily unless you have a way that you can confirm you can kill it, idk I feel like it would be a fun idea because why should you be able to fight back so easily

[@VladRadu-tq1pg]

you are 100% right.Then again no one aked you to kill leviathans...i played like 3 hardcore runs and NEVER needed to kill any leviathan (defo merked like 1000 bonesharks and crabsquids though )

[@SophisticatedPringleCat]

@@VladRadu-tq1pg oh but people try, just so they can confirm that nothing too dangerous will be waiting for them if they need to go somewhere specific

[@pista69420]

my first playthrough: reefbacks are dangerous asf judging by the size, how tf do you get inside aurora, holy sh*t big fish named reaper behind aurora is hostile, THERE ARE MULTIPLE OF THEM, u can go more deeper than 800 meters, someone is coming to save me, nvm alien building boom boom them, WOOOHOOO BIG SHIP LESS GOOOO, IRON MAN SUIT IM UNSTOPPABLE, lost river o_o, im ill?, Sea dragon can break ur suit/cyclops...IN 2 HITS, woah very massive fish named sea emperor, ohh its friendly, smol sea emperors can cure me, neptune rocket go BRRRRR my second playthrough: hmm silver and copper supply on reefbacks, Stasis rifle + Knife, Spiderman addons in Ironman suit, sea dragon...more like get stasis rifled bozo

[@Meesecrxt]

Yea the last one is the reason my otherwise 24 hour ish play through turned into 30 ish hours because I was always paranoid. You see i took a different approach at it than you I wasn’t scared I was the only survivor I play Minecraft single player after all. What I was scared of is the fear of finding something out there when I’d go exploring in the dark waters at night not knowing what’s out there. The thing with this is it’s a first play through only thing because after you know everything that will and can kill you your not as paranoid.

[@Domeda_Official]

I would also like to add with the music that it ramps up very slowly and uses a lot of ambient noise that sounds natural

[@squiggling568]

Only small fish that hurt you are small bity fish. Crashfish: ...

[@thomaskositzki9424]

My first two playthroughs were some of the most intense emotional journeys I ever had in gaming. Finished my second just two days ago. 😉🥰 Anyone who is into gaming and hasn't played it has missed something huge and beautiful. GO PLAY THIS GAME. 😃

[@armoredman10]

I’m gonna be honest I don’t think a sand shark has even attacked me yet

[@sapphirestar3978]

The game is good at making you feel like prey especially since it gives you a sense of paranoia since alot of times youll hear before you ever see whatever it is. And even when you do see it, It will feel alot faster than it actually is giving you alot of time to panic. Like i was always so much more scared of the reaper than any of the others even the seadragon which is the strongest because i could see it, keep track of it and it wasnt like it was just gonna bolt straight at me.

[@Fantasy9967]

Gotta love a fellow newby in the Subnautica community

[@VitorJexs]

Great analysis. Agree with all the three phobia topics you mentioned. And while isolation is a great part of imersion in other survival games (like Ark), the way the lore is told to us in Subnautic is haunting. The one think that i didn't know while watching your video is about the music. Because for some god forasken reason i muted the BGM at the main menu and FORGOT ABOUT IT.

[@sloopytod9422]

It warms my heart to see that people are still making high-quality videos about this game

[@callmeshifu4114]

Subnautica has some of the best and most underappreciated OST's of all time. Check out tracks like Leviathan, Fear the Reapers, Into the unknown, Ghosts, Abandon Ship, God rays and so on

[@reddemon_6408]

4:13 I don’t think I had ever seen the sunbeam get shot down from that far off

[@marsar1775]

to quote Q: "...It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid" im on my first playthrough rn, and i cant stop thinking about that. I agree, this game is a love letter to the oceans of our planet. but it doesnt shy away from the terrors of the ocean either

[@CashierThatLikesBeanz]

i would love to see a subnautica type space horror game, like no mans sky x subnautica

[@ItzPatrickShorts]

I love this game but I only beat bz because that game doesn't terrify me and wasn't the one to give me thalassophobia in the firstplace

[@boi2192]

I dont think you should be sad for not playing this game earlier. Ive been playing since i dont even fucking know anymore and the amount of waiting for new content in terms of not just the franchise, but also the mods, has not been very funny. Its also just much better to have your first experience on a version that isnt as funky as legacy and prior. Id imagine that having fish randomly stop listening to the laws of physics isnt exactly the best for immersion. Basically ur coming in at probably the best moment u could.

[@nathanjacob0459]

You mentioned the soundtrack. It’s great, but I highly recommend doing a play through with music turned off entirely. Totally changes the experience

[@capybara85]

Man i got autophobia and i literally cant even get a bus on my own unless ive been on it like 20 times with someone i know. Lucky for me it doesnt translate into subnautica so i had a blast

[@jckarp2874]

i was just about to agree when all of the sudden, CarTM had announced that this video has horrendously bad opinions. Darn, well i guess we'd better pack it up then because their opinions matters the most somehow.

[@goofyhuman-64]

Then you have games that give you an existential crisis... need i say more

[@endrocu_]

stasis rifle ends every horrror aspect of it

[@shotsfired7219]

you are underrated my friend, this video is awesome

[@Crecellia]

3:25 the moon layers below the clouds

[@Kulooluk]

The only thing that scares me are Leviathans, all the other stuff can never compare

[@koonsik]

I beat this game 2 times and i still sceard going in to arurora

[@cynni_]

I am just reading "clip taken live from stream", I am 3 seconds in and I am instantly pausing the video. This is proof enough. I'll watch, but I'll be cheating

[@SethGregory-m3w]

Tip: proportion gun and hot knife.:)

[@limpid_runaway1879]

Correction: all life on 4546B is carbon based not silicon based

[@bento1732]

Actually, the creepvine says its silicon based, might be more but i dunno off the top of my head

[@Vik_OwO]

amazing video

[@charleswettish8701]

Scary until you realize what the prawn suit can do to any leviathen with just it's claw or drill arm.

[@VladRadu-tq1pg]

yeh cause thats totaly how all of us play. mindlesly trying to kill leviathans for no reason lol

[@charleswettish8701]

@@VladRadu-tq1pg Are you talking to me? Because that's not how I played. I know you're not making up shit about me in your little puke mind. You're not doing that, are you?

[@eloscuro704]

@@VladRadu-tq1pg I've beaten the game twice in hardcore and I have never killed a boneshark, much less a leviathan. Don't even know how. But bonesharks hatched your containment facility are docile and will defend your base.

[@thelidflipper870]

i am pretty sure subnautica is quite literally a horror game

[@RadNitro]

Nice video.

[@ProximityFR4K]

Your really underrated

[@debriscraft]

my top 3

[@UnderTheEarth]

kinda reminds me of terraria's calamity mod sulfuric sea to the abyss

[@Mirthy.]

Views in a period of time bro felof

[@QuotedTrain]

isnt this game labled survival horror on the steampage

[@edtheangler4930]

Why is this game trending 2024

[@akshatpratapsingh1160]

Show us the complete playthrough

[@Ghosty_YT307]

1:02 Real

[@randomavgeek2459]

you talked about terraria alot in this video, can you do one about it?

[@JeloUnderscore]

I plan to

[@gamingmudkip5030]

Fun fact, I recently gained a new fear of the warpers. They come to your life pod trying to hunt you down and kill you and you can pick up their conversation over your radio. That is also how you know that you are completly alone cause even if they survived everything the warpers got to them eventually

[@reddemon_6408]

7:42 the reaper roar is even worse when you learn that reapers essentially use it for echolocation, so when it roars you might not know where it is but it damn well knows where you are

[@ZB411]

I do feel like people exagerate the "fear factor" in this game. During my entire playthru I was only once jumpscared by a warper and nothing else. It's not like the first clip that you showed that one begins screaming when then see a creature coming at them

[@Slipte]

it might be aswell that you got a sort of resistance against fear since it always depends on the person some persons will literally shit their pants at every moment and some dont even are afraid of anything the game throws at them and these are just the two extreme there is plenty in the middle

[@ZB411]

@@Slipte yeah, the thumbnail/name seems to focus on the other side of the spectrum so that's why I said it :)

[@TheCarloCarlone]

Look up one of the suggested videos on how subnautica uses terror

[@ohgodimdead]

Same. Love this game, incredibly immersive and cool, but at least my mind doesn’t get scared.

[@REAPERLEVITHAN05]

Subnautica is soooo Scary like The First time Encountering THE 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗥 is Purest Nightmare Fuel out There