Yo! Atty here!

Warning. Following post contains heavy spoilers. Proceed with caution.

So, I'm not even sure how to start. This is more of a comparing then anything else, really.

In the first Subnautica we have a mute hero Ryley who only expresses emotions once and that is when he punches the needle terminal. Even when hearing the last messages of his deceased crewmates (looking at you Ozzy from cafeteria, + of course Bart)

On the other hand we have Robin who is very much not mute. Even to the point where it's actually cringy at moments. Like I'm sorry but if I found out my sister is dead because trying to stop what shouldn't be done in the first place (fuck you too Alterra) I sure as hell wouldn't preach some bullshit about moving on and honouring her legacy and overall being so accepting about it.

Another thing with this. The first interaction with Al-An. I feel like the freakout about having an alien inside my head could have been better.

Sometimes I speculated what would it be like if Robin was also mute. Like imagine trying to have a conversion with Al-An in hand signs. If nothing else, it would have increased Al-Ans screentime.

Which basically brings us to secondary characters.

So in the first game we don't really have one. The Sea Emperor could be considered, but still... Which I'm actually perfectly fine with. If there is something I really aprreciate in the first game, it's the sense of loneliness, dread and the quiet unknown. Literally everybody else is dead and all you are left with are their final moments. You are completely and uterrly alone and no one is coming. Sunbeam gets shot down and even that additional bit of hope is instantly lost.

In Below Zero we have not one, but two. And for these two I played the game to the very end. I don't regret it.

I start with Marguerit Maida. Yes! Exactly as I imagined. An absolute badass who made a pet of a snowstalker. Can I just add that I absolutely love the greenhouse scene and that one log about making a greenhouse? I love her.

And of course, Al-An. He's so unbelievably endearing at every turn. And it isn't even the point. All these converations about dreams, pets or the uselessnes of human bodies. I love him.

And that's part of the problem. When you like side characters more than the main one, something isn't right.

(Btw, can I just say how the games kept the same pain sound in both games?)

Next thing, voices.

Fucking PDA in Below Zero. I swear the Unknown Worlds went and made the most uncomfortable voice ever.

Also also. Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you captain whatever you are doing is worth it? > Proceed with caution. A leviathan class creature is near.

And it goes hand to hand with the fact that PDA in Below Zero is trying to be so funny/sarcastic that it actually hurts.

I'm also a little butthurt that there isn't a special dialouge for some of the biomes. Og Subnautica had the one about leviathans to Dunes and then one to Blood Kelp or Grand Reef, I can't remember. It was something like "This biom stimulates 7 of the 9 preconditions to instill terror in humans"

Which brings me to the next point and that's the map. Subnautica map is way bigger and deeper. But also more diverse.

Like, in BZ I get that we are in arctic and there isn't gonna be a lot of it, but damn. The land section in basically only white with the exeption of the Spires which you don't really have time to enjoy thanks to a cerrain leviathan and freezing to death.

The main problem isn't even the bioms, it's the fact that for the most time, there isn't something to be done. Purple vents for lithium, deep twisting bridges caves for diamonds, Kelps for gold and silver.

And now, I enjoy colors and diversity. That's why I love the Blood Kelp, Grand Reef and The Lost River. They are blue and green but in a different way than BZ. Ironically, The best place in BZ was the Deep Lily Caves. Oranges, yellows, reds, browns. The exact opposite of the OG. Then there were the Tree Spires with Ventgardens. Breathtaking. Problem is that once you scan the Artifact and get the Sample from Ventgarden, there isn't really a reason to return there as it's quite far away. The same with Lily caves. Beatiful, but too far away and too unnecessary.

And so instead we have close empty space-West and East Arctic, Kelps with abundance of caves with strange greenwater, more green water in the Lilypad islands and white land.

Yes, I skipped Twisting Bridges, because I like them.

And sure you can argue that OG has Crashsite, Cragfield, Dunes, Mountanins and Sparse Reef. And why does it work there and not in BZ?

Creatures.

Because in Dunes, Mountains and Crashsite you have the Reapers. You have to go to Crashsite because of Aurora and Cyclops, to Dunes for a cuddlefish egg and Al-An lore and the Mountains for wreck. Then you can hapilly go and never visit them again. Same goes for Crag Field and Sparse Reef, but you don't have to go there at all.

And why it works? Because you still have a lot of other bioms. In BZ you have so very few and half of them are so boring. And why. Below Zero has exactly three dangerous creatures. One of them on land you'll never visit again and the Shadow leviathan and Chelicarate are...meh.

Shadow leviathan is cool. However placing four of them in a rather small place probably wasn't the best of ideas. The animation could have been done better, but I like it. The problem with them and the Chelicarates is that once you get the defense system, the feeling of dread completely evaporates. During the whole game I flinched exactly once to Chelicarate and that's because I didnt know there is one near Tree Spires. The first time I went to Crystal Caves I was scared. And with the Ice worm just annoyed.

And now comparing to OG. The feeling of dread was constatnt. Once I figured out where are the Reapers and Ghosts, Sea Dragons decided to introduce themselves and screwed me over. And even then, when piloting Cyclops through the Lost River and trying to evade Ghosts.

Continuing with the creatures. I get it. But BZ feels so empty. From the big creatures you only have Chelicarate, Ice worm, Shadow leviathan and the whales. Yes, penglings and pinnacarids and snowstalkers are cute af but they really aren't gonna cut it. Sea monkeys and Ventgardens and Jellyeyes neither. In Deep Purple Vents there isn't one single unique creature. And the same to Twisted Bridges Caves. Lily Caves had at least the Lily paddler, Ventgardens nothing except themselves. Crystal Caves are literally empty save for the Shadow leviathans. Would it be so hard to place there, I dunno, maybe some purple variant of Jellyray? Those glowy things in Mushroom forest and Grand Reef? Purple vents are also empty save for the occasional Chelicarate and some armored underwater dog.

Even more so, Chelicarates don't appear to be somewhat large. Not the Void ones and not the normal ones. Nothing seems actually big. Perhaps it's just my perception, because Chelicarate is supposed to be as big as a Reaper right? Well, Chelicarate is a noodle. And Reaper has a rather big jaws. Maybe that's it?

The animation is better though. Anyone noticed the Arctic peeper? Smooth and so so satisfying.

Next is music.

The only ones that somewhat stuck in my mind from BZ are the opening one - Below Zero and Cathedral. I know I liked more of them, but none other memorable.

The OG soundtrack is however absolute fire! Into the Unknown, Tropical Eden, Salutations, Red Alert, Leviathan and my forever favorite-Abandon Ship. (I actually destroyed my Cyclops so many times just to hear it. When it played for the first time, I just sat in front of my Tv with my eyes wide vibing to it as my Cyclops got crushed.

It was also a brilliant choice for the credits. That shit was fire. (Even if I then reloaded and decided to never leave 4546B and my 5 cuddlefish.) The perfect choice.

And once again, BZ is behind. I don't remember the credit music at all.

Which leads us to the Ends.

But I'll start with the pacing of the story.

So basically, first Subnautica is really long if you do everything. And somewhat all parts equal. So, for example I went ar my own slow pace. Spent some hours stocking my Cyclops to the journey to the Lava Zone. Spent hours in the Lava Zone. Spent some time with the Sea Emperor and only after all that was done, I started to built Neptune. Slow and at my command.

In BZ, I met Al-An pretty early, so he was inside my head for the most time and because I delayed the trip to the Fabricator Caves thinking it will be something like getting into the Lava Zone in OG, I heard every piece of his dialouge. I did the Sam quest (And despite being the supposed primary quest, you can actually not do it) and then I went to stock my Sea Truck. The Fabricator Caves took literally 30 minutes! And afterwards, 10 minutes to end the whole game. I could stay, like in OG but in BZ you actually want to leave with Al-An.

Which brings us to the very ends.

"What is wave without the ocean? A beginning without an end? They are different, but they go together. Now you go among the stars and I fall among the sand. We are different but we go...together.

=

"With you, I'm ready to face whatever awaits."

The ending is the OG is the one I feel really sad over. It's ending and that's it. Sadness, sorrow.

The one in BZ is the one with hope. I love how they came from "Get outta my head" and "I want my own body and btw, your body is really inferior" to "With you, I'm ready to face whatever awaits".

Both have perfect ending. It's the one thing I can't say anything bad about.

I was a little flabbergasted when there was no post credits scene, but I get it. Into the Unknown.

So yeah, I'm a little disappointed in Below Zero, but I really enjoyed talks with Al-An and Maida.

So in total.

Subnautica 10/10

Subnautica Below Zero 8/10

Once again pissed. Why? Let's fucking see.

Galadriel

I actually didn't pay attention to this detail the first time, but why does Galadriel have a Seven pointed star on her breastplate? That's symbol of her Uncle Fëanor.

A little lore. While still in Valinor, Fëanor asked Galadriel for a strand of her hair, which is said to shine as brilliantly as the light of the Two Trees - Laurelin and Telperion. She refused him again and again. That's why her giving three of her hairs to Gimli is such a powerful gesture.

Fast to the leaving of Valinor, Galadriel never swore and oath like Fëanor and his seven sons did, but she went with them anyway, because she desired a land to call her own and rule by her own design.

That went wrong when Fëanor arrived at Alqualondë. Galadriel is daughter of Finarfin who is son of Finwë and Indis, but Fëanor is son of Finwë and Míriel (Her spirit departed her body when Fëanor was born and she passed all of her strenght to him) and Indis was a Vanya (fair, blonde race of elves that basked in the light of the Two Trees while they still stood), Finwë was a Noldo (fair but dark haired) and Finarfin (Unlike his brother Fingolfin(brown hair) and half brother Fëanor (black hair), was a blonde. He married a Teleri (sailors with the best ships in Arda) and so Galadriel was half Teleri and half Vanya.

So Fëanor arrived ať Alqualondë and declared, that the Teleri should surrender their ships to him. They didn't and so the First Kinslaying took place. Fëanor fought the Teleri while Galadriel fought FOR the Teleri, since they were kin. Aka. AGAINS FËANOR.

That's not all. Fëanor defeated them and took the ship and first used them to get HIS kin - Noldor. Galadriel and the rest of Vanyar were left in Valinor, while Fëanor promised he will send the ship back to get them. He didn't.

And only after was the rest forced to cross the Ice plain-Helcaraxë.

Many of them died, including her aunt-Fingolfins wife, and of Galadriel didn't hate Fëanor before, she certainly did now.

She doesn't have ONE single reason to wear Fëanors star.

She never got the chance to kill him, by the time they crossed Helcaraxë, Fëanor was already dead. Killed by Balrogs.

The very same applies to Gil-Galad.

And now for the second issue.

Please tell me this isn't Finrod Felagund.

It can't be. Finrod Felagund, the King of Nargothrond, the fairest of all of his kin, the best singer (sorry Maglor), the one who challenged Sauron to singing duel. The one who sacrificed himslef for his friend by tearing apart a WEREWOLF by his BARE HANDS!

"Thus befell the contest of Sauron and Felagund which is renowed. For Felagund strove with Sauron in songs of power, ad the power of the King was great, but Sauron had the mastery. As is told in the Lay of Leithian:

 Lay of Leithian:

He chanted a song of wizardry,

Of piercing, opening, of treachery,

Revealing, uncovering, betraying.

Then sudden Felagund there swaying

Sang in answer a song of staying,

Resisting, battling against power,

Of secrets kept, strength like a tower,

And trust unbroken, freedom, escape;

Of changing and of shifting shape,

Of snares eluded, broken traps,

The prison opening, the chain that snaps.

Backwards and forwards swayed their song.

Reeling and foundering, as ever more strong

The chanting swelled, Felagund fought,

And all the magic and miht he brought

Of Elvenesse into his words.

Softly in the gloom they heard the birds

Singing afar in Nargothrond,

The sighing of the sea beyond,

Beyond the western world, on sand,

On sand of pearls in Elvenland.

Then the gloom gathered; darkness growing

In Valinor, the red blood flowing

Beside the Sea, where the Noldor slew

The Foamriders, and stealing drew

Their white ships with their white sails

From lamplit havens. The wind wails,

The wolf howls. The ravens flee.

The ice mutters in the mouths of the Sea.

The captives sad in Angband mourn.

Thunder rumbles, the fires burn –

And Finrod fell before the throne.

Then Sauron stripped from them their disguise, and they stood before him naked and afraid. But though their kinds were revealed, Sauron could not discover their names or their purposes.”

...

"But when the wolf came for Beren, Felagund put forth all his power, and burst his bonds. And he wrestled with the werewolf and slew it with his hands and teeth, yet he himslef was wounded to death. ... He died then in the dark, in Tol-In-Gaurhoth, fairest and most beloved of the house of Finwë, redeemed his oath, but Beren mourned beside him in despair."

Leave this absolute badass rest in peace, please.

And if Felagund is there, Sauron will be as well. Fuck!

Third issue!

Númenor!

Is that really the Golden city of Númenor, the Golden City which even Sauron envied?

"And Sauron passed over the sea and looked upon the land of Númenor and the city of Armenelos and he was astounded, but his heart within was filled the more with envy and hate."

I wouldn't have a problem with it if it were Romména, but the Golden city of Armenelos with Meneltarma?

Try a little less, why don't you Amazon.

I really pity the actors. Knowning they didn't get chosen for their talent, but for their body.

Alright, saw the posters for Rings of Power in Vanity Fair.

Elrond with short hair? Darling, only Edain - men cut their hair shorter.

Galadriel looking like she is in armor from 14. th century France? She is not even in Second Age! If you wanted to see her in armor with weapon you'd have to go thousands of years back to the First Kinslaying. All Galadriel does in Second Age is to leave Bereliand (after Melian leaves and Doriath falls) and warn her step uncles grandson not to trust Annatar (and she is right considering Annatar is Sauron).

Black elf? You got to be fucking kidding me. There are no black elves. All of them were awoken by the lake Cinuvien. They were ruled by three High Kings, who then led their respective branches - Finwë, Olwë and Elwë. They divided the elves into their branches-Noldor, Vanyar, Teleri, Sindar and Avari. How could they just become black? And sure many of them were captured by Morgoth and he tortured them for so long they became Orcs and yes, their appearence was naturally worse. Elves live forever. Elrond is literally the fifth generation. (Finwë + Indis = Fingolfin + wife = Turgon + wife = Idril + Tuor = Eärendil + Elwing = Elrond (and Elros)) And except Lúthien and Beren, Idril and Tuor and later Arwen and Aragorn, they never married a person out of their race. And yes, there is Aredhel who married an Avari, but their son Maeglin is literally described as "ghostly pale".

Fucking blackwashing.

And the Cherry on the top. The black dwarf queen. First of all, the only female dwarf mentioned is Thorins sister Dís. Second, they are explicitly being described as "unrecognizable" from male dwarfs. That INCLUDES BEARDS! Third, black dwarf? Do the showruners realize dwarfs live inside mountains? Or do they just need a lesson or two in biology and history?

I'm not even gonna pirate this shitshow, because is purely for making money and appeasing the dumbasses who want to see strong female black characters.

Ah, my childhood. Thank all the gods it isn't cannon, because if it were, all those people would have to be gone by the end of the Second Age. And I'd really love to see them explain that.

I really wouldn't have issue with it if it focused on cannon storytelling. There is so much stuff in the Second Age! Sure, Celebrimbor and Annatar and the forging of the Rings (did you know that Sauron once he realized Celebrimbor had hidden the Three Rings (for the Elven Kings...), he put Celebrimbors body on a pike and his armies then paraded his impaled corpse to battles until it rot away?), The whole Fall of Númenor (I would give anything to see Sauron come from Mordor to kneel before Ar-Pharazôn at his demand and then manipulate the whole Númenor), classic love story - Aldarion and Erendis and so on and on.

Instead, we'll have this bullshit.

(General Kenobi)