REVIEW, Coming back from the end of the series: If you're a Subnautophile and looking for a good playthrough, you've found one of the best. Lukael's play is top notch, and covers all the highlights with a level of attention to detail and knack for figuring out where to go, what to do, how clues connect, that will make you feel embarrassed for your own first time. Captures the big shocks and reveals, the exploration, reads the PDA entries like a clever fella, really takes the world and the game seriously while having fun. 10/10 can recommend.

To answer your question, I think the exploring and meandering is a big part of what makes the game fun & interesting to watch. Don't feel like you have to edit out the parts where you're running into dead-ends or figuring things out. The challenging parts of this journey only makes the discoveries & victories more meaningful!

39:14 you forget about oxygen, and then on your way out of the cave in a panic take a wrong turn and get lost, then drown in the cave. Congratulations friend, youve completed step one of the subnautica player initiation

I love love love that u are actually reading all these PDA's! Most gamer just ignore them! I'm staying here for the ride!

Most of us that follow these blind playthroughs are looking for the authentic experience. We remember what a great time we had playing these games like Outer Wilds, and Subnautica, figuring out stuff, struggling with air and resources first, learning the lore on the way, and getting our minds blown realizing what is actually happening. And we want you to have the same experience, because that way we can re-live our own experience a little, by watching you first not realizing things, and then later when it all starts to make sense. We love those moments of realization, and the excitement of discovery. We love to hear first theories of what you think is happening, and then watch you realize what is actually happening, and how close your theory was to what actually was happening, the way of thinking on doing things on a certain way. You have the attention to detail that's needed for this game to make it a great playthrough, play it the way it makes you feel good, that way we will all have a great experience. You play, we watch. 🤝

"it takes so long to get back to the surface"... and me crying "please, use your god damn seaglide" 😂

For veteran Subnautica players, your reading all the PDA entries affords us a wonderful opportunity to vibe out to the games awesome music. It’s so good

I've never watched a player taking such thorough information from the PDA before going out, I like that. Too many players miss a lot because they don't read.

Don't worry about reading things, people wanted you to play this game so much precisely because you have that attention to detail and respect for the lore. Subnautica is a survival crafting game in its mechanics but its much much muuuuch more of an exploration game than a sandbox, trust us, there's a ton of lore to uncover and the similarities to outer wilds will become apparent eventually. Don't be too afraid to explore because that's the core experience, dying is not that big of a deal as you can recover everything you lost by returning to the place you died before [as you did at 1:01:17 those things on the ground were yours previousy] also, btw. HIGHLY recommend that you warn people not to spoil anything for you at the start of the video, subnautica fans love to spoil things and as much as outer wilds and obra dinn this is the kind of experience you can only get for the first time once.

The confusion about the non-vegetarian water is always funny to me 😂

I didn't expect to see a new blind playthrough of Subnautica, most people these days have had a lot of the game spoiled for them or already played it. that being said Subnautica is definitely best experienced blind so be carful of spoilers.

32:15 You *must* be a speedrunner. In the history of Blind plays you found cave sulfur faster than I have ever seen anyone find it.

Exploring wrecks is one of the most dangerous things to do, both in game and real life. They can get really confusing, and when you hear the oxygen warning, most people have a tendency to panic which often ends in death.

Hey guys! Just a quick note to ask for please, NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS. This includes story stuff, details about the lore, world, etc. but also backseat gaming stuff, answers to rhetorical questions I ask in the videos, hints about game mechanics I might figure out for myself later. I will have someone screen the comments to hopefully catch most of these before I read them but please be mindful of this stuff! Please allow me to have an authentic first time experience so I can share it with you guys!

29:21 - I, too, am sometimes startled by the noises from my own stomach 😅

Its good to keep scanning and reading stuff because it means youll eventually have to scan the scary stuff lol

I absolutely love blind playtrhoughs of Subnautica. You going SO CLOSE to the kelp forest and turning around multiple time while complaining that tou can't find the yellow fruits is both frustrating and hilarious

Taking the time to read the lore and actually talk about it, making theories and getting the full understanding of the game world, is one of the most interesting parts of your playthroughs. I wouldn't stress too much about the survival aspects of the game, as that mostly takes a backseat to exploration. Take your time and enjoy the playthrough! I would suggest moving the video feed to the bottom right corner though, as it currently blocks the oxygen/food/water gauges.

My hours scouring KZfaq for blind let’s plays of Subnautica where the KZfaqr actually reads the databank has paid off!!! 🎉

You're doing very well at figuring out the pronunciation for new words. Buoyancy is a tough one, but you nailed even that. I have a lot of respect for people able to learn multiple languages. That's something I've never managed to do beyond bits and pieces.

Barely an hour into the game and I can tell you have the right mindset. You're on point with your priorities in survival and for picking your next recipe to craft. Subnautica is quite overwhelming at the beginning (and intimidating) but I'm sure you'll manage quickly! My only advice for now is to stay curious (haven't I already said the same for Outer Wilds? hmm, convenient!) and to stay focused as much as you can on the tasks you set for yourself. This game has a tendency to trigger ADHD, there's so much to explore that you will have a hard time keeping track of everything. Unlike Outer Wilds though, there is no log to read to remember your current tasks, so maybe you'll want to keep notes on your own.

You should stick with the food and thirst. There are some really rewarding mechanics that revolve around it that you’d miss out on if you turn it off

Personally I enjoy watching new players to subnautica scan/read all they can and watch them put the pieces of the story together

"How is the water non-vegetarian?" Oooh, to be able to play this for this first time again. It's the little things like that that remind us why we fell in love with Subnautica all those years ago ❤

It always makes me smile when new Subnautica players wonder about how to get food - while swimming in an ocean full of fish. 🙂

I'm at the start of the video and I'm wondering, will he pick up 20 acid mushrooms when he finds them 🙂 because almost everyone does.

Good start. Great job finding the cave sulphur right away. That takes a lot of players a while. Look forward the next part.

1:49:00 nooooo, you went under the water and missed it 😢

honestly i am impressed with how quickly you caught on with the game. you're doing awesome

You're doing great exactly the way you're playing. The fun part of watching someone experience Subnautica is seeing them learn all this stuff and explore and experiment. That's the core of the game. Keep it up! You're in for a huge treat. Especially since you enjoy reading all the PDA files.

A playthrough where they immediately read everything, hell yeah!!! sign me up

This is amazing!! Finding a new subnautica play that actually has proper exploration and pda reading is so rare. Most are livestreams with chat spoiling every thing and telling what to do. This game is soo good to just play and absorb and I’m excited to follow your journey. Doing great so far! Finding the sulfur that fast is great, some players go a couple hours without noticing it in the plants. And no worries about pronunciation or wandering around, knowing more than one language is impressive enough, and the exploration often leads to some great moments!

54:09 This here is one of my favorite creatures in the game aesthetic. Im a big nerd for rays, so adding a super adorable ray was guaranteed to make me love it.

18:48 The going from cheerful "Let's get exploring!" To a crushed "...oh..." never gets old. This game is so atmospheric that blind playthroughs are the best.

Controller is Totally fine for Subnautica, speaking from someone with over 1000 hours in the game and play on switch, pc and steam deck. Love Subnautica on my switch pro controller!

6:40 That is an understatement. Mouse & Keyboard is a gazillion times better than controller for Subnautica. As for reading the databank entries - yes, you should absolutely do that. 50:25 That is not boring at all. We want to see you discover the incredible worldbuilding. 1:45:25 Reefbacks are actually 70 meters long, not 30. The original design was 30 meters, but the devs decided to make a more impressive version - this one you just scanned. The original version is still in the game as well - they have no stuff growing on their backs. They are now considered juveniles. They changed the picture in the PDA entry but for whatever reason never changed the text.

I love the fact you are paying attention to the fish and reading about them . Personally for me ,it is nice to watch someone explore with care and take your time ,but not overly dramatic and scared of everything that moves . You are the balance ,hope you enjoy the lore that is coming .

Reading is where the majority of the world building and story comes from. Definitely dont skip reading, and we want to see it :)

All the reading is entertaining 50% because the text is cool and 50% because of your reactions and brave attempts at reading progressively more difficult English words :D

Subnautica really has very friendly resource recipes. The fabricator is a wonder tool. It can make things from anything, so you don't really need much for most things to craft. What is important in Subnautica is the progress. The resources are there so that you venture out and explore, once you found them, it is relatively easy to get things. So I think that Subnautica is not a hard survival game. The survival aspect is more there so that you feel immersed, and feel that the progress you do is your own progress.

I personally love that you read the data logs. They have little tidbits and help build the world Hope the game doesn't get too tedious on you

I appreciate you reading the lore stuff, no one else I've watched play this does it.

Finally someone that actually reads the info in the game instead of floundering about for hours complaining about not knowing what is going on! I am here for it!

Subnautica is my favorite game of all time, and since I cannot erase my mind and experience it again I am always here for new blind playthroughs. My first successful game was nearly 20 hours and that was with a little bit of foreknowledge, so there's definitely no rush. And even though I thought I had been reading the lore packets I caught something this time around that I'd never noticed before! There's always something to discover.

"We've been playing for a while and all I've done is reading" As someone who is in the middle of a playthrough of this game myself, you did it right. I did not spend time reading in the beginning and trust me it hurt in the long run. You're teaching me an entire new way to play these types of games. Keep it up.

Hey! I'm so glad the algorithm suggested this video, Subnautica is in my top 5 so I'm always happy to see someone new being introduced to 4546B! I'm so excited to keep watching as you experience the rest of the game.

Please keep scanning and reading all the stuff, this is part of the fun. The pda info and plant/animal lore is so detailed and often very fun (not to mention HELPFUL) to read. Also this is not a spoiler or backseaty to say, imo, but I just want to assure you that food and drink management will become trivial if you find the solutions for it. Won’t say how, of course, because no backseating and no spoilers (unless asked for). I’m here for the full playthrough, can’t wait to get into another player’s first trip through Subnautica!

"i get very into the lore" this is exactly what every subnautica viewer wants to hear looking forward to this! awesome so far :) quite rare for me to come across an on-going subnautica playthrough

I never leave youtube comments, but I just wanted to say, that I love how you read all the little bits of scannable info in the game. One of my least favourite things that streamers/let's players do is when they just ignore reading things in the game so it isn't "boring" and then just fumble around having no clue what is going on. It's far more exciting to watch people actually engage with the game instead.

Awesome. Yes watching you explore and gather resources is fun to watch. And I'd stick with food and water. Having some of these limited resources like air and food are a part of what drives the game forward imho. You're doing great. Maybe move your facecam to the top left.

Subnautica is a one of a kind experience. Even watching someone else play this game for the first time is an amazing experience. This is easily a top 10, if not top 5 game of mine. I believe it is the best first playthrough experience from a game ever. The fact that it's not linear or filled with forced story missions/quests makes everyone's play through unique to them. Those first sights and sounds are nostalgic for me.

OMG - The joy!!! Finally! :) Pleasepleaseplease, leave everything in, the reading, the dead ends, all of this makes the journey the journey. It is wonderful to watch such a thoughtful and mindful gamer. Thank you for sharing! :) Edit: That was amazing! I really hope you will love Subnautica just as I and so many others did. Be assured that Subnautica is very light on the survival aspect. My first playthrough was without hunger and thirst because I don't like it that much for the same reasons as you. But on a later playthrough I found out that what makes Subnautica so special is that you slowly somehow become one with the world into which you are thrown. And that feeling is even more intensive with that light survival mechanic woven into it. Hard to explain. But I guess you will start to feel that, too, soon. I am so looking forward to future episodes! Thanks again!

Im a huge subnautica fan, one of my top 3 favorite games of all time. you are the latest channel to play it for the first time, and i am going to watch this whole thing through. Im subscribing to this channel to watch this moment.

Finally taking the plunge onto 4546B Lukael? Awesome 👊 Last series of yours I saw was Outer Wilds. Looking forward to this one! [EDIT: 100% play the game the way you want to play, Lukael. Don't let your viewers drive your play style. If you're having more fun, it'll be more fun to watch. That said, if you're worried about difficulty in Subnautica, I wouldn't worry about the survival game aspects too much. This one is is not harsh compared to other games in the genre. I'm not a survival game kind of guy either, but looking back I think hunger and thirst add a lot thematically and gave my play-through added depth I'm grateful to have experienced. Be curious on your journey.]

This is my absolute favorite game of all time, so I'm very excited to see you start a playthrough! I watched your entire Outer Wilds playthrough and am watching some of the Ratchet & Clank playthrough, but I absolutely was excited to see Subnautica come up! The option to play on Freedom is there if you don't really wanna bother with hunger and thirst and it's perfectly fine. The early game of Subnautica does make the hunger and thirst feel like a chore, however it definitely becomes far less of a problem later on. Also, much like Outer Wilds, this is a game best enjoyed without having anything spoiled. That said, similar to Outer Wilds, there can be moments where you can feel like you genuinely don't know what to do or how to continue and hopefully you'll be able to receive feedback without spoilers.

What I really love about your playthrough is your eagerness about the lore and making sure to figure out how everything works before diving in - I've seen so many other KZfaqrs who just jump in without "reading the documentation", and while that is a perfectly valid way to play (fast-paced content appeals to a wider audience, after all), I really enjoy your playstyle and don't mind the long unedited video at all. I hope you play more of this awesome game, I'd love to see how you progress!

I'm really happy to see someone playing Subnautica for the first time and really enjoying how you play, so thanks! Looking forward to watch you going through this awesome game 👍

Honestly, if you don’t want to worry about food and water, then play on freedom mode, I’d love to see the rest of your series even if you played on freedom mode.

Oh wow! It's been a while since I've seen a playthrough of this game, let alone blind. Can't wait to watch you journey through this.

I love that the Subnautica future is basically exactly halfway between the utopian Star Trek vision and the soulless corporate hellscape you get in Blade Runner and such.

[Has seaglide on tools bar.] "Yea, it takes awhile to get back to the surface."

Aw man, you didn't see the explosion... oh well xD

Oh how lucky you are to be playing this game for the first time. I would give anything to play this game again for the first time, I really hope you enjoy the rest of the game, it holds a special place in my heart.

Nice to see people still discovering the game. Just explore, look at everything, and stay curious, and you will be fine. :D If you get stuck, there is a section of the PDA labelled "codes and clues" that may help you out. Some very general advice, since you appear to be less familiar with survival games as a genre: when you find a new resource/material/collectable object, it will usually be worthwhile to either scan it, or pick it up and put it in your inventory (preferably both), to get any associated blueprints/unlocks. Just being in the presence of the item is not usually enough. For instance, when you got the "cut creepvine with knife" prompt, you did not achieve what the game was intending to show you because your inventory was full and you were unable to pick up any items that may have dropped....

This is great, I'm so glad I found this playthrough. Love watching people who take their time to engage with the worldbuilding play this game. You are doing great, and we all drown now and then in this game.

I love that you take the time to read the scans. So many playthroughs are like speed runs

Something about how chill you are is very calming and I really enjoy how you read the data files definitley staying to see more

Loved it!! The way you read pda info even before getting your feet wet really gave me hope for an awesome playthrough. I Sub'd right at that moment. Btw majority of us Subnautica viewers never want anything to be edited out. The journey is just as imp as the destination. We love everything about this game.

Subnautica playthrough??? HEEEELL YEAH.

Loved "I wonder if I can get to the ship?", immediately followed by the computer telling you it could potentially explode. You could not have timed that better. LOL

Congratulations! I've watched A LOT of Subnautica playthroughs.. I don't think I've ever seen anyone find cave sulphur as easily as you did! Also, kudos for getting into the lore and reading everything.. so many people skip over what is actually a very important part of the game, one that's had a lot of love poured into it.

It's really important that you play with hunger and thirst! In the beginning, hunger and thirst are the main drivers for dealing with the world in a sensible way. We all love open worlds, but if you let us loose in one, without orientation, it's absolute chaos - that can be fun, but the originally planned ambience is then completely ruined.

This first episode was great! You're doing such a great job! Don't forget to scan everything (the icon in the lower right tells you if something can be scanned). Also, the game told you to cut the creepvine but your inventory was full at the time, so don't forget to go back and do it again when you have more space! This game is so rewarding if you're into lore and reading, so I'm sure you'll have a blast!

I think of Subnautica as an exploration game more than survival game. There's so much discovery in it the first go around, especially. If you enjoy even a tenth of how much I've loved playing Subnautica, it'll be worth it :D Don't hesitate getting immersed in the exploration, that's where it's at for this game.

Found your channel because of this game! So glad you are playing.

I've been in love with Subnautica since it was in early access, and I've watched a lot of blind playthroughs. I'm really impressed with your first dive and stoked to see the rest of your journey in this awesome game. You grasped some key things really quickly that I've seen many players take much longer to figure out, very impressive. I wouldn't change a thing about your recordings, and I hope you don't edit anything, watching the complete journey is the best and you just never know when things might get... interesting :) I won't give any tips or spoilers, but I will say reading all the pda's and paying attention to the information the game offers is key - and you're nailing it :)

all I can say is just enjoy the exploration and discovery. The game doesn't really hold your hand, so many have struggled at first because they've disregarded the PDA. In terms of early gameplay, the PDA DOES have some really useful info to start out.... although it's more context clues since it's not going to outright tell players what to do. Some are just more obvious than others. I mean heck, I've been playing the game for ages and I found a particular point of interest that I didn't even know existed in my most recent endeavour (I'm building bases in the most inconvenient or restrictive places..... in survival for the challenge). It always makes me wish I could go back and experience it all again for the first time.

this game has such a rich story with it...i truly love it

Looks like a great start! Exploration is a big part of the game, so don't worry too much about boring us. The quiet moments just enhance the thrill of seeing you figure something out on your own (hopefully you can avoid spoilers and backseaters). The story elements will start unfolding as you advance in your exploration.

I loved how he was searching for the "Yellow Plants" while looking directly at the creepvine forest multiple times 😂 I also love how everyone panics when they think the aurora explosion will absolutely kill them or end their game 😂😂😂 sadly you didnt look at the cool explosion 😔

It's so interesting to see someone new playing this game with just basic information on it. This was my first introduction into survival games and it is still one of my favorite games to play. It is so pretty and relaxing. Thanks for the playthrough. 😊

Subnautica is one of my all time favorite games! Love to see new players enjoying it, and I hope you don't get spoiled too badly! You are gonna love it, and I'm so happy you like reading the lore, I enjoy the speculation of what's happening! Number one tip: have fun. Number two tip: scan everything. Number three tip: when you are base building in the future if something doesn't seem to attach keep trying, sometimes things have to be just right to work. I see part two is already up so I'm going to go enjoy that, thanks!

I am mostly excited for the BLIND part. I played it blind, too. I was in for a surprise. Listening to you try to pronounce buoyancy was the best part so far. 😅 The knife looks like this one, if you google it, Gerber Remix Liner Lock Folding Knife 2.9"

Just found your channel due to this vid. Don't worry about taking your time to read and explore, in fact, I encourage more of it! Its VERY much an exploration game. I can't wait to see what you uncover. They're currently working on Subnautica 2 so I couldn't imagine a better time to get into this game!

Sound like a broken record, but you going into it blind is huge. even more of a breath of fresh air, is you are reading logs and scans. You’ll LOVE how the story unfolds. Also if it wasn’t said yet, I think I got your knife question answered at 1:21:05. Jett’s knives from valorant. First time seeing your channel, can’t wait for you to keep going!

I'm a new subscriber and I have to say how great it is to experience Subnautica with you and NOT have chat constantly breaking the emersion. I realize that streaming is a full time job and people have to pay the bills. Interacting with your patreons and subscribers is something that most streamers have to do now, no shame in that. IMO, especially for the first time, Subnautica should be a solitary experience, like that movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks stranded on that island, but with better technology and story. Don't like the planet's designation 4546B? Me neither, so how's about "Aquatopia"? Fishitania? I'll stop now .... I really enjoyed your first episode, you're a natural. Thanks for taking us along or journey Captain. Stay hydrated ❤

First episode was great. I really enjoy how you play the game. Almost everything is told to you by actually reading pdas and scans so you will eventually figure out everything. However, if you need multiple fragments for 1 blueprint you will ALWAYS find multiple of them around the same area. Oh and you can totally use the seaglide anytime u touch water. Even if it doesnt feel like much, it makes you waaaaaaay faster.

What can i say... I love the long episode and you're doing great. :) I'm a huge fan of this game. Good luck and hope you'll love it as much.

I enjoy you reading through things! It's also cool when you read something and seeing you work something out because of what you're reading. Discovering is a big part of the game, so that's cool to see

guess your gonna be my new go to youtuber for a while

Subscribed! I'm so happy to have found your channel, and a blind playthrough of Subnautica! I love seeing you exploring and finding out stuff, including reading the descriptions. There's so much vital information and lore in there.

love the fact that u actally take time to read and understand the lore and stuff, cant wait for the next episode. +1 sub ^^

You're the first person I've watched play this who didn't chase down and catch a fish immediately or who thought the oxygen tank might be single use. This is getting interesting 😄

This was so fun! I always love Subnautica playthroughs, hope you enjoy it!

So happy to see another play through of Subnautica. Especially from someone that actually reads the info given. 👾🐟

This is great :D As a lot of people already said, love to listen to you read the lore, figure things out, and yes, even suffering the food/water/health management. The payoff for the hard work is worth it, in my opinion, but then again, I do like survival games in the first place. Gonna go watch the rest of this now :)

41:45 Lukael: Is this fun for people watching me hit little rocks. At first Yes if they are new resources. We want to see the initial fun and even struggle. We all go through it. You nailed it that this is indeed a resource gathering game, but I feel this game makes that fun. As you have the need to get the basics over and over again and you are a few videos again, I'm cool when you either skipping basic stuff or doing a fast forward segment. But I like to see the new stuff with your reactions.

Hey, glad to see you playing Subnautica! Don't worry about having to do the game justice. Just keep playing and have fun! I think you're really gonna like it.

Reefback noises are the best!

Hey, I'm really happy that KZfaq recommended you to me. I love how chill you are and Subnautica is one of my favorite games. I can't wait to see how you react to the surprises, surreal scenes and frightening creatures. It's going to be a ride, and I'm glad to be here for it.