Hi there. Welcome to the latest episode of War Stories. We really appreciate all the feedback we see in the comments, here as well as on arstechnica.com. Please let us know if you have any questions or requests for upcoming episodes. This was a particularly fun shoot for us to do!

the hard part was making an exciting and dangerous experience without allowing the player to fight back killed a leviathan with a kitchen knife

"Killing a leviathan isn't rewarding" Me: avenging my seamoth

"Nothing here cares about you" C U D D L E F I S H

I killed like 15 stalkers trying to find stalker teeth before realizing how to actually get it

laughs in prawn mining arm

I remember the first time i floated above a dark cavern and just thought "there is no way im going down there" and once i did, i was literally shaking as the water got darker and darker, and you started hearing distant shrieks of unknown entities. This is why the game was so great. "Frighteningly Beautiful"

The scariest moment for me wasn’t exactly a creature. It was when you go into part of the map and the PDA voice goes, “detecting many leviathan class creatures, are you sure what you’re doing is worth it?” And the water was completely black and it scared me.

Subnautica was a game that made me break my "do-not-buy-early-access-games" rule. Didn't disappoint of course.

Subnautica is the best example of early access done correctly. Such a good game.

Subnautica: We don't want violence in our ga- Me in SubZero: Feeds baby pengling to a carnivore

"You see ths hole that just opens up below you into blackness, you get a shiver like oh wow!" How about: "a shiver like oh fu*k nope nope nope!"

Dev: "Thrills and scares" *flashback* Me: Swimming around, searching for resources and wrecks in a new region PDA Voice: "Multiple Leviathan Class life forms detected in the region. Are you certain, whatever you are doing, is worth it?" Me: "NOPENOPENOPENOPE!" Points Seamoth directly at LifePod and presses the W key so hard the keyboard starts creaking

Whoever is responsible for the little section titles sequences, well done.

One of my favorite parts of subnautica is the soundtrack ...

The fools fail to account for human ingenuity and being backed into a corner. I built a 3 story massive aquarium for one purpose- breed crash fish. Docile and pocketable (in the tank) and self restocking, I loaded em into the storage for the PRAWN. Using the propulsion gun arm I loaded and launched them, on contact with hostile fauna they instantly went from inert to proximity explosive, and it was a two-shot to kill bonesharks. It wasn't efficient against leviathans but that wasn't the point: I tweaked what I called the Proto Asssult Cannon MKI was to efficiently and ruthlessly tear through low to mid tier threats, eliminating them from the AO.

Developer: “I don’t want it to be a horror game.” Subnautica, a game that some regard as a great unintnentional horror game due to the fear of being stranded alone in the middle of the ocean and having massive creatures that make you want to scream: “And I took that personally.”

Subnautica is the most fun game I've played in the last few years.

Bottom of the food chain? No, not when I'm in a prawn suit.

The pacing on this fame was genius. The way they set everything up so you can’t just immediately go down deeper. Yet they made you figure it out on your own without holding your hand. That’s soooo hard to do with an open world game. That team did a literal perfect job on that aspect

"we wanted to make a game that was non-violent" Me: Ramming into and killing hundreds of fish with my seamoth

Hahaha I killed the sea dragon with a prawn suit our battle was legendary

7:53 Bruh that gave me subnautica vietnam flashbacks

I am so glad they went against Cleveland's aversion to horror in Subnautica. Staring into the dark and knowing I need to go deeper and that Here There Be Monsters is a major thrill and keeps bringing me back.

The first time i ever played Subnautica I spent the next 3 days waking up to play it then going to bed in the early hours, until i "finished" it. The ambience blew me away, at times it was like playing a horror game, and at others a relaxing game that you could play while falling asleep. I'd spend time in the shallows just relaxing, and then go to depths for the adventure. Then I combined the two by building over chasms. One of my favorite games of the last decade. The difference between being in absolute bliss and chilling to skin tingling scared while exploring was amazing. I love it.

Subnautica best game of 2018 for me.An unforgettable adventure and an awesome end...

"How subnautica survived without guns (except that one that puts someone is temportal complete paralysis allowing you to literally torture them) but with nuclear and gas torpodeo and 3000 degree knives"

*"Player cant fight back"* Well yes, but actually no

"I've never heard people say 'awe I love the stasis rifle in subnautica, it's so fun and interesting and cool.' " I'll just... Be here. In my little empty corner of loving the Stasis Rifle.

subnautica was one of, if not the best, game i have ever played. this makes me understand more why that is. Seriously so good, creative, and different.

"Without weapons" in oversized, whacky waving inflatable quotation marks.

Playing this on the switch right now... such a masterpiece! That first time a reaper messes up your day is unforgettable haha

Non-violent? Unrewarding? *Laughs in survival knife* Seriously though, killing the Ghost Reaper in the Blood Kelp Zone that had been harassing me for hours. That's what a real achievement is XBox.

Now this comment might remain un-noticed by anyone, but I don't care, as long as I can get out these, *indescribable* emotions that the game gave me. I know that the developer explains how much of a beautiful game he wanted to create, but I hope he realizes that the game is something *more* than beautiful. I speedrun the game now, which kind of saddens me, because I can no longer reach back to the first time I booted up the game, and say the truly indescribable beauty the game showed my eyes. All I do remember is: I almost cried. Cried to the point where I had no tears left, because the game spiked so many emotions with its music, and insane creativity/beauty. I will go back to KZfaqrs who played the game for the first time, and I will smile, not because of their hilarious reactions, but because of how much they appreciate the game. It may not be as much as I appreciated it for the first time I played, but it's something. Every time I go down into the Lost River, I can appreciate the fact that I know Charlie *really* cared about the game when he made it. I get to know that every pixel of this game's beauty is thought up by this man, and I thank him for that. Because this is such an amazing game with an indescribable beauty, I know this comment will confuse others, since it's hard to put into words. All I can say is: thank you. Thank you Charlie and your team, from the bottom of my heart, for making this game a part of my life. For making me feel the beauty of something, in which I had not felt before. For introducing me, to the best game I know.

The music instantly kicked me back in a relax but still adventurous mood. The soundtrack is so well crafted

"we didn't want players killing the creatures" well, then you should have made the baby ghost leviathan squatting in the middle of the Lost River a little less annoying!

Okay straight up, that was a superb video. The transitions were clever, the content was full and interesting, and it was a direct look into the process and mind of the developer. Great job

War stories is such a good series, thank you for making it!

One of my favorite gaming moments was playing Subnautica and I had determined not to look up any information on the wiki or anything. I came within 15 seconds of dying of dehydration and it was one of the most-tense, thrilling moments I've had. Subnautica also has an actual story that is deftly delivered in an organic manner, it also has an ending which is semi-atypical of an open-world survival-crafting game. I really can't say enough good things about it.

Subnautica got me through the hardest days of 2019 in a psych ward. That game is literally therapy for depression and social anxiety. I am so looking forward to sharing it with more people down the line and looking forward to the full release of Below Zero and then hopefully Subnautica 2 in a few years. It's one thing to shoot something to get rid of negative emotions and aggression, and it is a whole 'nother ballpark creating something beautiful and just enjoying the chill music, the colors and making the best of isolation. Thank you UWE, you made my life and coping with mental illness better and I truly hope you guys go big! I also loved that I got from killing predators with SeaMoths electrical discharge at first to just stunning them and caring enough NOT to kill them if possible. Only reccommendations for the future would be deadlier creatures and less random spawns so we would get more out of distraction torpedoes, still having some broken creature spawns. 9/10 been gaming for 25+ years and this game is in the top 5 Hall of Fame of my favourite games EVER. Up there with Baldur's Gate and Fallout. You guys were on a budget and you made a AAA quality game!! Thank you for creating something that besides being an awesome game also doubles as therapy!

Kudos to whoever edited this video. The in-game set pieces describing what was being discussed was a pretty creative technique. Awesome job.

I cant stress how genius this man is, he took such a big turn from modern games and has now opened an entire genre of video game

This was one of the greatest gaming experiences I've had. The fear of the unknown as you explored and the incremental delivery of information about the world and situation was so amazing. Definitely a game I wish I could forget and experience again for the first time.

Amazing. One of my favorite videos on KZfaq this year!

This is such a great series, love each one of these videos. Requests for War Stories Episodes: Rimworld Goldeneye Portal Dont Starve Terraria Freelancer Crusader Without remorse

"I wanted to do something that was fundamentally *non violent* " *Flashback* *WHEEZ*

I just finished this game yesterday, and honestly I thought it was incredible. Knowing so little about what's going on was incredibly powerful story-telling tool. It was so interesting noticing that I had so little information about basically everything, but as I progressed and explored, I learned more. Kind of like in real life! And the prompts for what to do and where to go were so few, but so effective. And they were natural and realistic, which really immerse you into the game. Great experience, thank you!

This was fantastic. I just finished this one and it was wonderful to see so many of the most impressive things about my play through show up here under deliberate design. The clip of fixing the ship after disaster only happened to me after beating the story line and getting caught by a ghost leviathan on my way back out of the depths but it went EXACTLY the way he was talking about/showing in the clip and was one of the most thrilling moments I've had in a long time after I'd already "done" everything. Absolutely succeeded in all the ways they'd hoped. Awesome to see how much care went into creating such spontaneous events. Edit: I eagerly await space penguins.

My favorite survival game. Every single day I want to play it. But I never open the game because I'm too scared to explore deeper and farther due to fear..

Subnautica is one of my favorite games of all time, and I really loved this glimpse into its development. Great video!

Subnautica is truly an exceptional game and, having watched this video, I now understand the (all too rare) principles that achieved that.

I like how their motivation to make a game without any weapons drove them to make a game that proves why weapons are important.

This is one the best single player games to play, when I first played it I literally couldn’t stop playing it. Good job subnautica team 😄

Thank you for this Ars Technica! Quality content as always

For me it was the eerie music when you decide to go deeper just made my skin shiver with intense moments with leviathans. Absolutely loved it, wish there was more!

This is such an awesome video. It highlights user-based development and its advantages really well in addition to telling Subnautica's story. A lot can be learned from this.

that intro using the game was quite clever

One of the most thrilling games I've ever played! Thank you for documenting it 👏

I bought Subnautica when it's very first build went for sale. You could barely do anything, but the seamoth was in, and you could break the game, go under the world and get lost trying to dig your way back up, and I loved every minute of it.

Yes, its not violent... Tell that to my seamoth Kia by a reaper Rest in peace Magikark seamoth, you served well

Man, you guys have been on an absolute roll recently with content releases and these awesome games! Great stories, your standard of quality and production are fantastic as always.

Always love the top notch production quality of Ars Technica videos. Great deep dives, great interviews, keep up the outstanding work!

"people don't kill a lot of creatures" >ignores the 80% of players who cause mass extinction events

just stumbled upon this series from IGN last night, I've been watching these episodes for hours. Thanks for making these, they are right up my alley. I hit subscribe, I'll be checking these out regularly.

I know exactly what he meant when he said the feeling of awe of seeing a reefback. Back then the cyclops was invincible and I accidentally rammed the reefback and it split apart into pieces :(

I always love seeing behind the scenes stuff of subnautica, the entire process they went through is amazing to see

Loved subnautica, wish more devs would create unique experiences like this one. I want to go into the deep dark deep dark again!

Absolutely awesome game, awesome video! The title cards were super creative, really nicely done!

Subnautica is one of my favorite games in recent years. I can't wait for Below Zero to be finished!

I love these videos when theyre about games I played first. Then later watching and realizing why they made the choices they made is satisfying

Subnautica succeeded without weapons by 1: Nothing is really threatening, things just pester you rather than make a deliberate attempt to kill you (compared to, for example, ARK) 2: By actually having weapons. They still give you a knife and your PRAWN's fists/drills. I killed every single leviathan on the map with those. edit: 3: By having the ability to hatch your own creatures which then become hostile to whatever is hostile towards you. While rare, I had to mention this since at least 2 of the Leviathans I rodeo'd across the ocean ended up near my base and getting torn apart by my menagerie of beasties.

Loved this game, spent over 100 hours just exploring and building. Loved the intro to this video too, great job!

Subnautica is a really amazing game! It has so many incredible moments of awe and gives you a feeling of wonder and terror. It is a very immersive and amazing experience. Thank you to all the developers who helped make this game so amazing!

You guys make some of the best developer focused game documentaries out there. This was another great story, and so fascinating. Thank you guys!

I thank this guy for making quarantine fun, probably completed the game 5-6 times already.

The part where he talks about Steven King is so true! Designing something and letting it come to life is sounds abstract but I completely understand! Once it develops, it gets to a point where if you try to take the story/game in an unnatural direction it will let you know. It has a flow to it, like pruning a big plant, you can guide its direction, but it has a soul of its own and it will essentially write itself if you're truly in tune with it.

That intro and those transitions were fantastic!

Cool to know I as an early access adopter I helped even though the company needed and deserved so much more at the time.

The devs: this game has no violence! Players: hahaha look at them squirm

One of my best gaming experience of the last decade! Job well done Sir!

Subnautica is one of those games that i just love, and truly whenever i talk to my friends about it, i always say it's more of an experience than a game, all the hardships and rewards for overcoming them, and the exploration, no ever where you look at there is something to gaze and be amazed at, and after experiencing all that the ENDING is the cherry on top, i always cry when i see the ending of that game, they really did do a good job on engaging all the feels possible in that wonderful world of subnautica.

The experiences he explained, is what I experienced, and more. I remember from thinking that Stalkers were terrifying all the way to going down to the active volcanic area was casual. Unfortunately, it felt too casual, and I died in the saddest ways, lol.

Really great piece of game design input, thanks for making this video.

"no boundaries, open space, a hole that opens up in blackness, the thrill of the unknown, having to figure it all out by yourself" It's mindblowing to hear him speak so passionate about these core values, because for some reason all of these have been abandoned in Below Zero. Subnautica is one of my alltime favorites with probably around 600 hours logged, which makes BZ nothing but a disappointment every time I try to give it another chance. Cramped spaces, boundaries, a main character with a voice, forced dialogues with another character, a storyline that tells you exactly what you need to do to progress. with the golden formula in hand, why, why, WHY did they do a full 180 for BZ? mind boggling..

Subnautica Devs: We wanted a game without violence. Prawn: am I a joke to you?

I love these videos. Subnautica kept surprising me all the way through. It's very interesting to see some of the processes behind it.

You kidding me? The Stasis Rifle is my favorite tool/weapon in any game, it made me feel even more powerful than what the Prawn suit did! :D

I love how Ars Tech structures their transitions. "The Fix" got me good. Also how can you say the game has no weapons when you have toxin torpedoes?

I really love this game from beggining and after dozens of hours i still get scared and excited while playing it.This interview made me like then even more. :)

I remember Zero Punctuation did a hilarious and almost positive review of this game.

I found this game to be really captivating. The first couple of times you load it up, the sense of dread and horror that accompanies your exploration is remarkable. By the end of the game, that initial tension is replaced by totally contrasting emotions like accomplishment, awe and excitement. Very few games are able to evoke such a wide range of psychological responses.

Best episode yet. Thanks to the people behind War Stories for this series.

I still haven't finished the game. Too scared to go where I need too. Even in creative. :(

ive been following submarine since it’s first early access release, it was really enjoyable watch the game get fleshed out over time

Not even commenting about the game... Just this interview is a masterclass in interviewing, depiction, pacing, and editing. Thank you for shining this spotlight and sharing it with strangers

I'm a beginning game Dev and this is really impressive and hopeful for me, this went from a complicated submarine sim to a world of life and story even thrills for miles to see, good job

I love this War Stories series. Keep it up

I feel proud having bought the early access to this game now after watching this and having seen what the game has become today

"Without Weapons" Say hello to to the PRAWN brothers, the honourable Mr. Punchalot and Dr. Drilldozer the IIIrd esq.

Design Dev. : .."it's really unrewarding" Me: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "UN-REWARDING"?? Reapers are terrifying! They destroy vehicles. No reapers, no destroyed vehicles. No destroyed vehicles, more exploring. More exploring, less time scavenging for new materials to re-make a Seamoth!