So here's the thing. I just played through Subnautica, and am now playing through Below Zero, after of course playing Subnautica 2.
Below Zero is better designed. Astheticly, there's no rough, pointy edges of terrain that you can see the devs didn't quite know how to handle yet that the first game had, there's not as much open, deep ocean of emptiness as the first game, there's usually always something to look at, to focus on.
And that I think it what gives it a different vibe to the first game.
The first game is rough, and open, and at many points you can't see the bottom for 100s of meters, the story is a complete mystery, you know nothing about this planet, you don't have any idea what can be in the water, you just have your imagination.
Below Zero is more polished, corners are rounded, there's not a lot of empty space- the map is cramped and vertical, fitting for an ecosystem thriving in cracks in the ice but lacking in places where your imagination can run away with fear, there's little wide, open ocean, you can usually, if not see the bottom, see something, a landmark, or certain animals. And, if you're playing, you've probably already seen the first game; you have idea's, theories, it's less unknown.
Which takes away a lot of the primal fear activated by the first game, where if it's night, and you're at adequate depth. You Can't. See. Shit.
There's just open ocean in all directions, and all of it is black. Your mind will start to play tricks.
Did you see a shadow in the water? Or was that just bubbles?
Is that sound something? Or part of the ambience?
It's the fear of the unknown. Below Zero feels safer, less scary, less wild, because it's so heavily polished, so densely populated, you can predict the size of the creatures in areas, huge ones? They simply don't fit in most of them, so your brain calms down, and when large open area's are present, you're more on gaurd, you're expecting something because from a video game perspective they almost have to put something big there to justify the space.
You want the same vibe as the first game? Have big, open, dark spaces. Where your brain can't predict how big or where from on anything, where you're put in situations where you, a terrestrial, air breathing, warm blooded mammal, are completely out of your element, where you don't belong. And no amount of building or prep can ever let you see any further into the briny deep.
And then make an equal number of them completely safe.
Never let the player get completely comfortable anywhere but the absolute shallowest points on the map, keep the possibility of something unknown as they get deeper, no matter how safe they actually are.
That. Is how you get the same vibe. And it came by complete accident, it came from inexperience. The refining of the craft is what took it away, they got better at spacing and world crafting and in turn didn't give any space for; Space, room for the player to breathe, look around, and really take in:
I can't see the surface, either.
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