And the jarring texture pop-in from the original Subnautica seems to be all but extinct, though I did still run into it in a couple areas, like around the edges of icebergs. The use of color and shape gives such a strong identity to each area and creature, with instantly recognizable and memorable silhouettes for important landmarks and species. With several new land and underwater biomes to explore, I was filled with wonder as I navigated the tangled passages of the Twisty Bridges or swam alongside alien wales in the Fallen Lily Pads. It's just a beautiful, beautiful game.And of course, Unknown Worlds’ art direction continues to be astounding. It's much more fun to have to sneak by or outrun the giant ice worms and sea monsters that serve as guardians to some key story areas and valuable resources.

It would take a lot of the sense of danger out of Subnautica if you could just bolt a machine gun onto your suit. Combat is still pretty limited, especially in the water, but that's by design.

As you track down abandoned Alterra facilities and use context clues and voice logs to piece together what happened, you'll get to unlock and play with new technology like the spy pengling, an adorable little robot that can access areas Robin can't.

Subnautica game preview