Subnautica is one of those games that starts off really, really good, but then slowly peters off in quality as it progresses. I'm unsure if this is simply because the novelty, fear, and excitement of exploring these underwater environments wear off over time, or if it's a result of the tedious progression. Personally, I think it's a bit of both.
The most fun I had playing this game was in the first 10 or so hours when I felt genuine fear and anxiety going into new biomes and then subsequently marveling at their beauty. Exploring these underwater habitats is close to being among my favorite experiences playing games. Soon, though, this effect faded off as I realized that most of these environments are really not too dangerous so long as you don't act like a complete idiot. Once I overcame this emotional hurdle, none of the exploration ever hit the same as it did with that tension. The entire map essentially becomes your junkyard to return to whenever you run out of X resource.
Additionally, much of the mid-game progression hinges on looking around and scanning really specific parts that can only be found in really specific spots. There's no more scripted content in the mid-game, making this quite boring and tedious most of the time.
The endgame is quite linear, and with all the equipment you have and the design of the area, it feels like an entirely different game from what you've been playing before. Despite exploring completely new areas, they don't feel scary or exciting, they're only slightly intimidating at best.
Lastly, I'd like to mention that this game still does not feel like a complete game, even after early access, even after 5 years of being "fully released" and patches, and even after a sequel has been released. There are quite a few bugs that range from minor inconveniences to completely making me want to alt-f4 and uninstall the game. If you ever play this, I'd recommend saving frequently so that when substantial bugs that significantly set back your progress occur, you can just reload.
The most fun I had playing this game was in the first 10 or so hours when I felt genuine fear and anxiety going into new biomes and then subsequently marveling at their beauty. Exploring these underwater habitats is close to being among my favorite experiences playing games. Soon, though, this effect faded off as I realized that most of these environments are really not too dangerous so long as you don't act like a complete idiot. Once I overcame this emotional hurdle, none of the exploration ever hit the same as it did with that tension. The entire map essentially becomes your junkyard to return to whenever you run out of X resource.
Additionally, much of the mid-game progression hinges on looking around and scanning really specific parts that can only be found in really specific spots. There's no more scripted content in the mid-game, making this quite boring and tedious most of the time.
The endgame is quite linear, and with all the equipment you have and the design of the area, it feels like an entirely different game from what you've been playing before. Despite exploring completely new areas, they don't feel scary or exciting, they're only slightly intimidating at best.
Lastly, I'd like to mention that this game still does not feel like a complete game, even after early access, even after 5 years of being "fully released" and patches, and even after a sequel has been released. There are quite a few bugs that range from minor inconveniences to completely making me want to alt-f4 and uninstall the game. If you ever play this, I'd recommend saving frequently so that when substantial bugs that significantly set back your progress occur, you can just reload.