One of my favourite moments in the game was when I hid in the roots of the tree where the ghost leviathas were and after a tense 10-15 minutes managed to complete a scan. "Ghost Leviathan Juvenile" .. .. "JUVENILE?!"
Oooh boy, yeah, those things are tiny babies, and the realisation of that is terrifying. Did you ever see the mamas? If not, they're still out there. You can scan them. If you can brave the abyss.
@@doejohn13 well at least until they reach their biological limit. Although considering the existence of the gangartuar, i dont know if such a concept exists in subnautica lore
Wasnt that ghost leviathans wont stop growing until they die? They can get pretty big but usually dont live long enough to be the size of a Gargantuan for example@@boi2192
I remember hearing one streamer say that Subnautica wasn't a horror game, but rather a terror game. There's no gore, very little that would horrify someone, it's just tense, dark, and full of the terrifying unknown.
naah thats not true, terror its when the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience. horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually follows a frightening sight, sound, or otherwise experience, for example if some is shooting and you run for your life thats terror, the atmosphere of the game its horror, for my subnaitca its just a explration game XD i dont feel any type of horron when i play that well some jump buuut not terror i want to know more about the creature XD
I still remember driving my seamoth through one of the safest sections, where the only threats are the tigerplants and leeches (and those darn spadefish) when my cat meowed. Despite knowing I was safe, the tension was strong enough that my cat asking for food made me jump.
@stellanovaluna I did mean biters instead of leeches, but if I remember correctly the spadefish were the ones that would drain your seamoth health when you ran into them. Didn't help they made quite the noise when doing so.
for me its almost the opposite; subnautica is the only horror game i could ever play. it scared me the same way it scared you, but it was playable in a way horror games that try to scare you arent for me
Same here, I can get used to the subnautica's horror. It's the fear of the unknown, and the fear of death. The horror in subnautica mostly died off when I realized that even the leviathans won't one shot me, and at that point I knew I could survive even if I sacrificed a sea moth. Once I knew that, I had information, the leviathans became known threat, and I was really disappointed. Subnautica has a whole aesthetic that gets me nervous and jumpy, then you put my resources on the line to build pressure, and if I was about to lose it I would absolutely be a nervous reck. Yet the known threat of leviathans that don't kill me ruins it, I can get my nerves under control, my brain kicks into a logical high gear, and I'm calm and collected.
@@xomvoid_akaluchiru_987You can outrun leviathans in a seamoth by strafing left and right. This also works while swimming. I also know of other stupid tricks. For example if you stop piloting your cyclops while it’s being attacked by leviathan’s they will leave it alone. It works like 85-90% of the time. But yeah leviathans are mostly just an annoying nuisance. Also I wasn’t ever really truly afraid of leviathans because I’m not afraid of open water. If anything I have the opposite problem where I have to stop myself from trying to just rush into the lava zone with the prawn suit. Because I get it stuck. Lol
@@mrmeep2047 if the setting is right, or I happen to be in a particular mood, I can be really jumpy. I am afraid of the unknown, and I am afraid of the dangerous. Leviathans weren't scary after my first encounter because: 1. They don't kill on hit. 2. They deal consistent damage. If the damage was random I would have felt like I barely escaped, if the damage could kill I would know to be cautious. Subnautica is a great setting for that kind of fear and pressure, the environment, the sound design, the visuals, the depths that conceal information. It makes me ecstatic! I don't want to lose my progress, I don't want to die, I don't know what's down there! In my opinion the consistency and predictable behaviors of leviathans kills the whole mood. It's such a waste. I enjoyed everything about subnautica, but there's still so much I could nitpick about it.
"I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy." A full quote is always a bit fancier. X^) And the full quote in VO is always even more fancy. 👀 "Je laisse Sisyphe au bas de la montagne ! On retrouve toujours son fardeau. Mais Sisyphe enseigne la fidélité supérieure qui nie les dieux et soulève les rochers. Lui aussi juge que tout est bien. Cet univers désormais sans maître ne lui paraît ni stérile ni fertile. Chacun des grains de cette pierre, chaque éclat minéral de cette montagne pleine de nuit, à lui seul, forme un monde. La lutte elle-même vers les sommets suffit à remplir un cœur d'homme. Il faut imaginer Sisyphe heureux."
Really loved your analysis of Lovecraftian aesthetics as opposed to Lovecraftian horror. What's interesting is that although I agree that Subnautica is genuinely terrifying, I would argue that it doesn't quite meet the criteria for true cosmic horror: a big part of Lovecraft's horror is not just the existence of forces that you don't understand, but the inescapable truth that these forces CANNOT be understood. In Subnautica, there are logical explanations behind the mysteries: the cannon is quarantining the planet, the disease is caused by the alien Kharaa virus, the big sea monsters want to eat you because they are hungry, etc. As you said, once we understand the threats that face us, the game loses much of its fear factor. And yet, while I think the ultimately comprehensible nature of the world makes Subnautica fall short of "true" Lovecraftian horror, I think you are right about how it evokes the FEELING of cosmic horror better than just about any other media in existence. Staring down a sheer cliff into the unforgiving blackness of an unknown abyss is one of the most terrifying experiences in any game ever, not because of any visible danger, but the feeling of helplessness and utter insignificance in the face of a world that doesn't care about your survival. THAT is the exact sort of existential dread that cosmic horror should elicit, not an explicit fear of eldritch tentacle monsters covered in eyeballs. A big part of Lovecraftian horror is not just fear of the unknown, but that which is inherently unknowable. Simply exploring the cosmic truths that govern reality is dangerous due to the inability of our fragile human minds to deal with what we might discover. And this is the feeling that Subnautica really nails in my opinion; it brings about the feeling of standing on the precipice of understanding, knowing there is more to discover and yet unwilling to risk searching for it. We aren't afraid of the deep because we know what lurks in the depths below, we are afraid because we fear what we might find if we dare to venture there.
Hard agree! I think this video is great, and correctly identifies the reason Subnautica, as a Horror Game, just works. But I think the reason it's not brought up as an example of Lovecraftian Horror is that it doesn't really qualify for it. I think a better word for it is Dread. A lot of Horror Games only rely on Shock Value to scare you, making any encounter quick, while great Horror Games make you feel Dread. A great example I like to use for Dread is, ironically, Metroid Fusion. For most of the Game, you are helpless against the SA-X, so all you can do is hide from it or run. The Tension can never really dissolve, as most encounters end in a Stalemate, if the SA-X even notices you. Similarly, Subnautica does an amazing job to never let its Tension dissolve. Reaper Leviathans will shout at you from across the Map, and chase you, but never quite kill you to avoid giving that Tension any release.
@@Sigmund_Froid I think the term "Dread" is very appropriate. I think that maybe there should be a distinct genre for Subnautica's type of horror called "Lovecraftian Dread", which could describe games that elicit the same feelings as Cosmic Horror while lacking the truly incomprehensible forces at play in Lovecraft's fiction. Sort of like a "Roguelite" as opposed to a "Roguelike"; they are similar experiences, but differ in certain key elements. Also, I like how you point out how Subnautica constantly maintains tension, which makes me think of another thing that contributes to the game's tension: the oxygen meter. It becomes less of an issue in the late game when you get the final oxygen tank upgrade and start to spend most of your time in vehicles, but for much of the game you have a very limited air supply, which adds this constant low-level tension to every moment spent in the water.
Subnautica came up in conversation recently and I remenisced about the evolution from super cool futuristic but simple crafting game that had one or two scary monsters, to the full blown game with huge areas and varied wildlife and a full base builder with a story and deep lore. Like remember when they first introduced an island and it was just kinda... There? Then everyone was like 'nah this sucks I'm going back to the ocean'
That's actually where I stopped playing the game. I already struggled everywhere else, constantly cheating to get over my fears, but being trapped in that cave was too much.
I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it anymore, but over 15 years ago on Kongregate I came across a Flash game with light-and-dark mechanics. It was a 2D puzzle platformer with the mechanic that only the visible (lighted) things were real. So you had to play around with light sources in order to both discover the level structure (and its exit) and to get there. And the funny thing is - the author didn't INTEND for it to be a horror game - it was just a cool light/dark mechanic. But what people commented on it was that it was one of the best horror games they had recently played. This video made me remember the game and finally it clicked WHY it was such a terrifying experience. Because there was literally nothing else scary there - no enemies, no jumpscares, nothing. Just a lot of cold, dark unknown....
I found it!!! It's called "Closure". The original is on Kongregate, but doesn't seem to work for me. BUT - the author also released an expanded version on Steam. :)
OH! YOU'RE CEAVE! I was using this to go to sleep- I was like "Aw. This sounds like Ceave.. I miss him." Then you did the reveal right after the HOOray and I literally shot up out of bed to check my phone!!! I missed you so much! I didn't know about any new channel you had, last I knew you were playing with mario maker 2. I'm so happy to hear you again!! T~T
Fun fact about the blue whale. There is an ichthyosaur species discovered that is believed to be a juvenile (well, it's fossil). Said juvenile is 82 feet long. Ichthyotitan severnensis is possibly the largest animal to ever exist, since it's juvenile stage is almost blue whale sized.
What makes Subnautica really interesting to me is that, unlike a lot of other Games in the Genre, it gives you a lot of Agency while keeping you at a low Power-Level. Because of that, a lot of the progression is based around learning more about the Game and it's creatires, and simply finding the Courage to move on despite your fear... It also makes the Scary bits scarier by forcing you to think about your next steps. Because it isn't a pre-determined path, it's just your choice. It also nails the feeling of Dread, ironically by letting you get away with a lot. Because barely getting away with your life is way scarier than dying and seeing a game over screen.
Ceave: "The lack of lethal weapons means we never make it to the top of the food chain." The prawn suit's drill and grapple combo strongly disagrees with you, Ceave.
Or stun gun and poison torpedos, or even just stun gun and Knife. Anything can be deadly in this game, you can kill fish by crashing into them, everything has a set heath, and all the creatures can be killed.
I relate to finding this game incredibly anxiety-inducing. I got shivers in the first 2 minutes of this video, and I've beaten the game 3 times. One of those games you wish you could wipe your memory of so you could play it fresh a second time. I do however take issue with saying there are no lethal defensive options as your mechanical fists will defeat any nasty sea serpent, if you for some reason find your knife inadequate. Prawn Suits are a one-dosage-fits-all solution to deep sea related anxiety.
@@cheezylettuce3360 and to this day I’m still happy he continued after his break otherwise we wouldn’t get to experience the joy of watching a Ceave perspective video again
I think that as far as horror is concerned, Bloodborne is very much Gothic (human centric) horror, since basically all events in the game are caused by humans (Byrgenwerth and the Church, mostly.) The game has a lovecraftian setting, however, as the events they caused attracted lovecraftian Great Ones, which rarely truly interact with the humans. Bloodborne is about the extreme and egregious lenghts humans will go to ascend to the level of these great ones, with the horror not lying in the great ones, but rather the horrors of humanity, or in other words, Gothic horror. I think this is why the most terrifying parts of the game, such as upper cathedral ward and the research hall, have mostly classic horror elements, like the jumpscares.
I think the gothic horror is very much the focus, but it still certainly has aspects of cosmic beyond aesthetic. It builds such a sense of dread, of wrongness, of hopelessness and helplessness in the wake of such unknowable entities, even as you fight on through the nightmare.
I just want to say that I totally LOVE the whole segment comparing the true essence of lovecraftian horror and the horror of subnautica. It was so well written and I was engrossed the whole time
Ceave please keep up the good work. I’ve been watching since your Mario maker videos and eventually found your perspective channel. I see that you put a lot of work into these videos and hope you will be able to hit it big and succeed with your new type of videos.
I adore this channel and in general your videos. I kind of really like the way you talk and play with words. Furthermore I get always sucked in by your astonishing explanations and intresting storyline, often just jumping to a totally different topic, just to connect it perfectly into a grand, great puzzle. I love it!!
a wonderful analysis, as always! i still haven't finished my first playthrough of subnautica; i had to watch someone else play it. i vividly remember needing to stop shortly after i learned that everyone else was dead and the sunbeam was shot down. it was such a serious and genuine evocation of loneliness and dread that i could barely handle. i had encountered a ghost leviathan on my last session of playing and could simply not handle the stress. i went into the ecological dead zone after feeling the heavy weight of knowing there would be no help from other characters in this game. i had my jaw set with determination. i WOULD find a way to survive! then the computer asked me if what i was doing was really worth it. and then the ghost leviathan appeared directly in front of me, materializing out of the abyss suddenly, making that god-awful sound. i made it out alive, but i genuinely had to take 5 minutes to just assess what had happened, and decided i couldn't do it anymore.
ive spent a lot of time in Subnautica...not 'beating the game', the story probly only takes me about 2 hours to get through...but rather, i "exist" in the game, for hours on end...i putt around in my Seamoth, look for spots with nice views, bring my Cyclops over to the spot, and build a base there, so i can enjoy said views...i eat/drink when my meters get low, i sleep to pass the gametime, and the "real me" wishes to actually live in a similar underwater-base environment...
@@davialmeida4442 sadly, the only thing thats missing is a 'debt' to repay...i mean yeah, the PDA jokes about some trillion-credit balance (when you pick up a Diamond) but theres no way to actually 'work it off' in the game... ...well, unless you Mod it, but thats a-whole-nother can of worms lol
I've actually been wanting to do something like that myself, especially seeing videos from people like Oarfish of comfy looking bases built in crazy places like the Lava Zone next to the Sea Dragon and the Crash Zone around dozens of Reapers. I think there's something really appealing to me in that regard of not necessarily conquering the environment, but gaining such a mastery of it that such a massively dangerous circomstance becomes little more than another pretty sight.
I lost it with your remark on top of the summary of the French Philosopher, Camuses’ stance: There is no god, no afterlife, everything we do is utterly meaningless, there is no point to our actions or values, and the only philosophical question worth asking is why we don’t kill ourselves… He was quite fun at parties. That cracked me up. Fantastic perspecitive thus far. I’ll get right on vontiuning from this point, after just one more repeat.
Imagine how much better this game would be if beating it unlocked a New Game+ where you return to the planet with a full arsenal of military-grade weapons and could blow up every sea creature in the game with full catharsis.
This is such an interesting discussion, as someone who's never really explored subnautica or lovecraft horror before this was a fascinating watch, thankyou Ceave!
This was one of my favourite videos that you have made, it's so interesting and I have never played the game before, but you explained it really well, and you've made me want to play it so badly. I really enjoy your new style of videos, and hope you continue making them and don't burn out. We all support you!
Great essay and video. The other game, I feel like completely follows the Lovecraftian horror without aesthetics, is "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs". Although widely regarded as inferior to the predecessor, the "machine", with its incomprehensible size, origin or purpose, the constant sense of the continuously deeper reaching apparatus and conspiracy and the main character going insane while trying to figure out how everything connects only to reach an absolutely devastating conclusion in the end, to me is another example of this Lovecraftian concept.
As a polish oceanographer and mammologist-in-progress, I have to say, that Subnautica contributed to flourishment of my curiosity so much you can't imagine. It was one of many factors, which drove me to apply for my first international project (FINWAP) and to write my first scientific article about the state of salps in the Antarctic (I'll edit the message, when I finish writing).
21:35 yeah there’s violent encounters, just with melee weapon usually the knife or the drill arm. Combining the drill and grapple arms on the prawn suit I’ve killed at least one of each hostile leviathan in both games minus the ice worm because it doesn’t actually exist as a creature.
this type of game is in short supply, and i believe its the exact kind of game that will stand the test of time, not games like fortnite or helldivers that are short bursts of emotion or just good gameplay loops, its the games that provide these things and also manage to make you feel something throughout the game, in subnauticas case, fear.
The horror you described is why I'm always nervous before starting a new game, watching a new movie and even sometimes a youtube video from a new creator. It's the reason why I read through like half of the wiki for Satisfactory before launching it for the first time. And the reason why this and The Outer Wilds videos were essential for me. The only game I ever played blind (and not in my childhood) was, paradoxically, Doki Doki Literature Club. But even then, I knew that it was a visual novel and to.. I don't know.. expect something? I knew that there's something in there, and it made me less anxious, and now I finally know why. And what to discuss in my next therapy session. Thank you.
I've only ever played Subnautica in VR. Spooky shit, definitely recommend it. I had to always listen to something else while playing at the same time. Subnautica is otherwise too lonely and spooky. Especially when you play at night.
I always appreciate how well thought out these analysis videos are from you. Wonderful food for thought. I will, however, provide good-spirited debate on lovecraftian aesthetics no longer working for lovecraftian horror. I'll go right for the heart of my thoughts and save examples for paragraph 3. (I'm writing this at 47:01, if there's a good follow up after this with a counter point whoopsie doodle my comment lives forever as unnecessary. But I enjoyed thinking about it so nonetheless:) I think the aesthetics can still work for the horror. because if the horror is about a fear of the unknowable, things beyond our comprehension leaving us drowning in a sea of existential dread and despair. Well, that feeling is honestly aesthetically neutral. Games focused on pure science or very robotic sci-fi can instill that feeling. That feeling could be evoked by a Cyberpunk game by using corporations as a metaphor for the universe being a machine of atoms and physics, for example. And just because I know what it means for something to be 'from the void, beyond our dimensions of reason and matter." Doesn't mean I can't still be left feeling utterly small and insignificant in the face of it. While one example is, in fact, the Souls series, including Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and Dark Souls 3. All felt like I was struggling to *understand* and while the horror faded with time and familiarity, I still remember that feeling. My favourite example is actually, and god I hate that saying this out loud kind of spoils it. Magrunner Dark Pulse. Going into a Quantum Conundrum style portal clone, only to come face to face with cosmic horror at the end of all things. Idk, even though I knew what Cthulhu *was,* in that moment. It hit hard.
I feel like a broken record at this point but this was another incredibly well-made video. Discussion of why Subnautica is just so damn scary is still the kind of RUclips content I will eat up every time. I also think your "thesis" I suppose about Lovecraftian horror requiring a departure from Lovecraftian aesthetic is a really good observation that I haven't really heard before. I do think that when done well, a Lovecraftian aesthetic can still evoke feelings of cosmic horror, but I very much agree that it is an incredibly difficult feeling to evoke. Side note, but I'm getting a well-paying job soon and will definitely be supporting you on patreon, which makes me very excited. Thanks for continuing to unapologetically make the kind of content you like to make, and which just so happens to be the content I love to watch as well :)
A few thoughts on Lovecraft 1 I feel like his overwhelming racism was really overlooked in the essay when it was a large part of why he found the world terrifying and incomprehensible as well as an aspect that feels disingenuous to miss out when talking about him to this extent (it is a large aspect what makes his work age quite poorly as it is genuinely more horrifying in cases to hear his descriptions of people than monsters or gods). 2 Shadow over Innsmouth while published earlier than many of his other works was written later since most of his books were published after his death (hence why the writing is slightly better).
Is there like, concrete evidence that had anything to do with him supposedly finding the world terrifying and incomprehensible or are we just psychoanalyzing dead people because they had dog shit opinions when they were alive? Just kinda feels like showing up to a panel on the evolution of animation techniques and grinding everything to a halt when Disney's name comes up to point out Walt was an antisemite and how that isn't getting enough focus. Does it actually add anything constructive or is it just an over corrective attempt at critical analysis through a progressive lens? I could be wrong though, it's not like I've combed through every word the man ever wrote so I'm sure it's possible he scribbled something somewhere concretely tying his prejudice to the literary and philosophical concepts he was attempting to explore and wouldn't mind being pointed towards such writings.
@@kylegonewild his racism is far more pronounced through his work and minorities are repeatedly used both directly and indirectly to convey evil and corruption, we also know he found the world terrifying but especially minorities through his personal writing and those who met him, so i would say that it is not the same as walt disney.
The one thing I will never forget is the first time I deceeded into the bloodkelp zone. The place alone is scary enough but add in that deep booming heartbeat that consumes the music and you get pure dread.
You know, it’s funny that you brought up Metroid Prime in the beginning because Metroid Prime was what made me want to try this game. The Metroid games also made me try Shinsekai: Into the Depths, which is kind of like Subnautica meets Metroid 2. Unfortunately I never finished that game because the combat/boss gauntlets towards the end of the game frustrated me to no end because of how claustrophobic the arenas were. Plus having to fight multiple annoying enemies at once drove me insane. I kinda had the same problem with Hollow Knight. I loved exploring the world in that game but the souls-like combat just ruined the experience for me with how infuriating the later bosses got. Screw that second Hornet fight.
great video as always. even though the views have gone down the quality of your videos certainly have not. i always considered your content to be a part of my childhood, i remember back in the day when i used to watch your first mm tutorials and now i'm watching this( holy crap its almost been ten years). it feels like your content has "matured" alongside me and i'm genuinely forever thankful for the great content and such you've provided over the years. this comment is probably pretty weird but i just felt the need to show my gratitude in some way. thanks man
Okay. I love Subnautica. I played it in alpha. I also enjoy Lovecraft's work, and like to think I'm relatively well versed in it. With that being said, I just cannot get behind this characterization of Subnautica as Lovecraftian. The fundamental issue I have with your arguments is that you seem to define Lovecraftian horror as simply fear of the unknown. Rather, I think characterizing it as fear of the unknowable is far more accurate. As the man himself once said, fear of the unknown is the most primal of all fears, and I'd even argue it's at the base of fear itself. On its own, I really don't think this is enough to qualify something as Lovecraftian. Lovecraft's works are about a great many things, but they more often than not revolve around people seeking truth and knowledge. The issue arises when they actually encounter the thing they seek to understand, encounters that, at best, leave them scarred for life, and at worse, condemn them to a fate far worse than death. It's not that they don't know, it's that they CAN'T know, at least not while remaining the same. They are often driven to madness, used as tools, or simply die from exposure to the truth they seek. The lucky ones have only a brush with the forces beyond their ken. The fear of cosmic horror stems not from the deprivation of the narratives we construct to give order and meaning to our lives, but rather from the notion that, regardless of the truth of these narratives, they are utterly insignificant to the forces and beings at play. Your life could be snuffed out by these beings the way you would step on a bug; it's rarely intentional. You just happened to get caught up in it, like a fish one day being lifted from the water by a net only to spend its last breaths flailing and jerking before dying, eyes to the sky and the infinite void beyond that it will never, could never, comprehend. The fish foolish enough to seek out the fishhook are often very much like Lovecraft's characters. Swimming away with a torn lip is the best case scenario. Subnautica just doesn't embody this kind of fear. It is absolutely full of fear of the unknown, make no mistake, and utilizes it to staggering effect. It's easily one of the most engrossing, terrifying games I have ever played, but it is not Lovecraftian. Put simply, the world of 4546-B is very knowable. The creatures that dwell in its depths are not some ineffable cosmic beings who would turn you to dust without realizing or intending to; they are animals. Organisms that can be, and are, studied, understood, and classified. You literally have a scanner that will tell you about anything you can see. Point it at a boneshark for a couple seconds and you'll know how it behaves, what it can do, and even that it shares a common ancestor with the sand shark. The same is true of the rest of the vast ecology of 4546-B. Even the Sea Emperor, a being of incredible intellect to the point of being able to telepathically communicate, speaks to you in a way you understand perfectly. Not only that, but it asks for your help. You share a goal, a goal that she dies achieving, going to show that time truly stops for no one, not even a being so great. The Architects do fit the bill of the long gone, ancient civilizations that permeate Lovecraft's works, but only in a thematic sense. Similarly, though, they are not ineffable gods. Advanced beyond our wildest dreams, yes, but ultimately understandable. The aforementioned scanner can read their language, scan their labs and experiments, and tell you all about how the Architects, while capable of incredible things, are ultimately afraid of very worldly things like disease and the wrath of the creatures they seek to imprison. If anything even approaches cosmic horror exists in the world of Subnautica, it's the hybrid consciousnesses like Al-An that we're introduced to in Below Zero. But this isn't about BZ so I'll stay on topic. Point is, the architects are tangible, understandable beings that we can communicate with, even being able to make use of their unfathomably complex technology. At the end of the day, Subnautica is about understanding and mastering the world around you, carving out a place for yourself in this now not so unfamiliar place. I might even go as far to say that it's anti-Lovecraftian. I did enjoy the video and liked your connections to Bloodborne and Metroid, and I don't wanna come off as a hater. This is just something I'm well versed in and care perhaps a little too much about (as evidenced by the length of this comment). A couple games that really nail the Lovecraftian horror in my opinion are Dead Space (mostly the first two) and Signalis, with an honorable mention to PREY, which ultimately doesn't have enough of an eldrich quality to its monsters, but goes like 80% of the way as far as themes, atmosphere etc. If you happen to have played any of those, I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts :)
Your story writing is genius, watching it for a second time and only now realising how you pointed out how we dont understand anything bevor talking about lovecraft
The thought of drowning scared me. Being in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of meters under the surface of an alien ocean on an unknown planet in the vast void of space. Blood screaming through your veins, brain throwing you any memories that could eek that few more seconds of life while you claw for something, anything that could get you home, safe, dry.... And nobody has any idea you even went swimming. Now that. That scares the hell out of me.
Disagree on Bloodborne not being cosmic horror. It has a combination of both gothic and Lovecraftian. The Nursery is where the two clash the hardest. Yes there's the werewolves desecrating the place, but just after that is a scorched corpse standing in a pose you learn is used to attempt to make contact with the great ones, which in turn shows the consequences of trying to understand when you lack the means to do so. After all, one of the main mechanics of the game is that the more insight you have to the world, the more of what was better left hidden is seen. This is shown both mechanically, in that insite inversely effects your rationality and bestial nature, and visibly, in that , as I said, the more your character understands the world, the more actually becomes visible in game. Does it do the best job of capturing the sense of insignifigance? Only if you look for it. After all, two endings are essentially just you either forgetting everything, or becoming a part of the cycle. The third ending, well, who's to say what happens when you get to the point of seeing humans as vermin.
Subnautica was amazing horror game, unfortunatley below zero failed to replicate. I recnetly played a bit of Rain World that seems to replicate a lot of the fear of the unknown of subnautica, but I didn't play it that much yet.
Subnautica is my favorite Survival/Horror game (not to be confused with Survival Horror), along with Below Zero, absolute masterpiece. Well, favorite unless you count Rain World, but I think I may be literally the only person ever who considers Rain World a horror game lol
Thank you, Ceave, for allowing me to understand one thing that always was at the back of my mind until today. It's time for a little story. I don't consider myself a horror fan - not a lovecraftian one, not gothic or any type. But I am an avid roleplay-lover, and the systems like Dungeons&Dragons are my jam. And yet, there is one horror system and setting that left me with this deep feeling of a new and exciting discovery in my inner self, that I failed to replicate since my first time playing it - the system is called "Don't Rest Your Head" (or DRYH in short). The world of DRYH is your typical urban environment (or any other realistic one, honestly), but only on the surface. If someone suffers from insomnia or has other reasons not to sleep for far too long - they "wake up" and realize that the world around them isn't at all what it seems. They find themselves within Mad City, a true world that only has a facade that we naively call "reality" for those who still sleep. The Mad City itself is an endless, psychodelic, dreamlike evershifting place that includes all eras and places, both existing and non-existant. Like Silent Hill cranked up to eleven. It features people who are not really people but mere props that are here to play roles. Nightmares, who are incomprehensible monsters that each have their unique look or lack of it - and abilities that manipulate reaility or twist the very essense of human nature itself. But also the Mad City has awaken - people like you, the player, who happen to find themselves in an utmost confusing and dangerous scenario in the world where they are constantly hunted by Nightmares... And the world that can't be explained or understood. The stories within this setting are the opposite, as they mostly rely on personal character trauma and them either learning how to live with or succumb to it. But when I looked around me and saw the Mad City for the first time - it left an impression on me. Exactly because it was incomprehensible. Because I knew nothing of the weird rules by which this world worked. I was constantly filled with the sense of danger and uncertainty. It was THE lovecraftian horror - and it was my first time experiencing it as a person, hence leaving me begging for me but it could never come again from this exact setting. And now I understand why - because once my first story in this world was complete, I already knew the basics, and now other scenarios would be just chaning the color of the lighting in the room where I would want to enter a completely different and uknown one. So thanks again for making me realize what I wanted all this time. What nudged me from the back of my head. Now I can articulate this to my friends with who I played DRYH - and maybe, just maybe, we can concoct a similarly unforgetting experience once more.
Ceave, you have been an inspiration to me for SO long! I’m so glad that even though there were a few long video gaps, you aways came back. I found your channel around the old Mario Maker videos and I love them. I think the first one I watched was the train themed levels video. I’m very happy that you’re still uploading to this day. Keep on trucking!
Hey Ceave! I love your videos and was worried when you disappeared for ages. I really like this new channel and all the content on here. Your Outer Wilds video inspired me to play the game and it's my favourite game ever now! I can't wait for the retrospective on the DLC. Edit: I did play the game before I watched the video
I wonder whether the divorcing of the aesthetics of Lovecraftian Horror from the feelings of Lovecraftian Horror isn't in part deliberate- if the full dose of the feelings is disturbing enough to put off even general horror fans then it could especially put off casual fans and limit the potential market. So you just do a soupcon of the Horror- big up the aesthetics, just dip a toe into the sensations and create something that's merely scary but commercially safe. Which considering the budget of some of these games...
Subnautica is one of my absolute favourite games ever. I love how damn scary it is, and it is probably my most replayed game. It. Is. Peak. I wish I could forget games like this one so I play them for the first time again. I'm also really glad Ceave still makes content.
Really interesting disscussion as always Ceave. I think you're ideas about how the more the planet becomes known the less scary it becomes can be extended to the sequel Below Zero. Many people, myself included, found Below Zero to be a bit dissapointing given how it failed to get those same emotions of terror out of me that the original did. It's still an amazing game, but now that we understand the planet better it's just not as scary the second time around.
Jumping on to hit that like and add a comment, but I gotta deuce cause I haven’t played this game yet! Cant wait to watch once I do - cheers, Ceave, you rock!
Great video! Subnautica is one of my favorite games of all time, and your video highlighted a perspective which allows me to appreciate the game even more. Well done!
i have such fond (and panicked) memories of this game. I remember when i first got to the volcano zone in my cyclops, and the dragon attacked me. my ship caught fire and i didnt have a fire suppression system at that point (im dumb) so i had to run in my prawn suit to find crystalline sulfur to make it- and then wait for the dragon to pass before realizing my PRAWN SUIT COULDNT MAKE IT BACK INTO THE CYCLOPS. so i had to get out, grab the sulfur from the prawn inventory, swim while panicking (i was already low health from a warper that JUMPSCARED ME)the 30m or so to the cyclops, all while praying that the dragon doesnt turn its attention to me and that i can fabricate the suppression system in time. so yeah. fond memories.
Haven't finished watching yet, but I appreciate the fact that you show footage of Metroid Prime while talking about the philosopher and his belief in an absurd universe, since both are presented as alternate works by different creators that share surprising amounts of similarities to the primary focal points of their sections.
The single scariest moment I've ever experienced in gaming was that small alcove before seeing the strider leviathans, hearing them moaning and grumbling, quaking the ground beneath my feet with their size and ferocity, but all I could see was a black void. I was so immersed, my heart was racing at the terrifying noises coming from the unknown. I finally mustered the courage to crest the hill and swim out into their domain... and they're just a bunch of friendly guys.
Lovely video, Ceave. Subnautica really captured my attention when it was first coming out, but its not a game that I could ever play myself (too scary for me)
your recent videos are so good. I stopped playing subnautica around the same time as you for the same reasons, but watching this made me wanna pick it up again! such a cool game
20:25 Really like the mindset behind the approach they decided to take with it, it's almost like there's more ways of dealing with problems than just killing everything in sight 🤔
you successfully evoked the feeling of dread even in the viewer, and I now question my decision to have watched it before going to bed on this fine evening. Excellent video all around. The discussion of Lovecraft's content felt a bit lengthy, particularly as we got to watch the Metroid Prime cutscenes over it (I had to rewind a little because my thoughts drifted off during it), but the points you've raised are amazing and it turned out to be a great, cohesive retrospective. I haven't played the game, I probably never will, but it's taught me a lot about atmosphere playing its role in game design.
Thank you for containing the heavy spoilers to the last chapter; like you I got to a certain point in the game, was really enjoying the game itself, but was too scared to explore further 😅 I'm looking forward to the discussion & maybe the motivation to go back to the game 😁
Subnautica is easily one of my top 10 favorite games. I think the main reason is its immersion, like you said, it is 10/10. Few games have made me feel like I was inside the game like this one, and I think one great thing about it that most people overlook is the fact that there are no loading times. When you start the game, there is a big loading, sure, but once the game starts, no more. I love it, I wish more games did that Plus, I think the first time I encountered a Reaper was the most I have ever been scared in a videogame. I was in my Seamoth, looking for a way to get inside the Aurora (I didnt know you had to go to the front of it, so I was looking in the back) when I heard a distant and small roar. I looked back and saw nothing. That made me tense, but I thought that maybe it was nothing, so I kept looking for a way to get in the Aurora. Then I heard another roar, but this one was super loud and, before I could do anything, the camera rotated 180 degrees and I was face to face with the Reaper. He released the Seamoth with like 5 hp left and I tried to rum away to my base on a straight line, to get out of there as soon as possible... but the Reaper managed to get me again and destroyed the Seamoth. I managed to run away alive after this, but my heart was pounding so fast. I had to pause the game for some minutes
I'm really enjoying these videos! Your well thought out explinations, examples, and comparisons drew me in for a very satisfying journey through your thoughts on the game. Really got my mind running through my own experiences! Thank you for all the hard work you put into this.
Ive been introduced to water (as in swimming) at the age of 2 and have never experienced water related fear in my life. And yet subnautica is still one of my favorite games of all time. This game is in fact probably the reason its so hard for me to play survival games. I cant find games that are this good.
I believe Lovecraftian horror is a combination of eldritch horror (the otherness and incomprehensible and unknown) and cosmic horror (confronting our insignificance and powerlessness) with this aesthetic he established. I am personally completely indifferent to cosmic horror, so I hadn't even noticed what Ceave points out here when playing the game. But the eldritch horror of Subnautica is definitely on point: you don't know the rules, things feel wrong, and you don't know what awaits you in the depths. I remember how off-putting it was to notice how the size of the alien facilities was *wrong* when walking through them. We just aren't at the right scale to interact with it.
One thing that was very significant for me that in the end after building the rocket I didn't even really want to leave the planet. Somewhat early on some message tells us that all the material we use belongs to the Altera corporation by contract and by using them for our survival we are basically accumulating debt. While the planet encompassed all the described horror in the first 2/3 of the game, until the end you just know all the environments, creatures and how to navigate around their spaces that the planet really feels like home. Leaving that home to return to some civilized planet and living the rest of your life in debt was a very real horror that I didn't want to commit to. The only reason I actually went on the rocket was because I wanted to see how they designed the end of the game, not because I wanted to leave, quite the contrary. Funnily enough the developers kind of picked up on that by (iirc) having the last thing you see be the enormous sum of debt you have on return.
Even though the base game is plenty terrifying, watching footage of early build "far lands" just hits me like a deer in headlights. Gigantic blocks of irregularly shaped land with repeating textures stretched over them, disappearing into the depths of the ocean. It's like the experience is hacking your brain to imagine Things That Should Not Exist hidden just out of sight. Even modded-in leviathans aren't as terrifying.
subnautica is terrifying. every time i pull it up, i feel the same sense of dread. Going into Jellyshroom Caves? scared. Going to the Aurora? so tense that a knock on the door caused me to freak out. NEAR a warper? running away at the speed of sound. I have beaten the game many times and it is still terrifying.
Fantastic video as usual! You do a great job of making me interested in games that I had previously ignored. I think I might have to try Subnautica now!
I usually am absolutely terrible with horror games and Subnautica was no different but I still tortured myself through this game (together with a good friend sitting next to me, we took turns while playing lmao) and it's one of the best games I've ever played. I wouldn't want to play it again but I love watching videos and streams of other people playing it. tl:dr This game made me shit my pants but I felt like a cool marine biologist while doing so. 10/10. Edit: Just finished watching the video. Absolutely amazing. If Ceave ever gets into the Xenoblade series that'd be absolutely phenomenal. Don't know whether JRPG's would be his style of game but having such long form and in-depth analyses on the Xenoblade games would be something I'd love to watch. Just giving some recommendations :). I'll have to go and check out some of the other vids now!
One of my favourite moments in the game was when I hid in the roots of the tree where the ghost leviathas were and after a tense 10-15 minutes managed to complete a scan.
"Ghost Leviathan Juvenile"
..
..
"JUVENILE?!"
Oooh boy, yeah, those things are tiny babies, and the realisation of that is terrifying. Did you ever see the mamas? If not, they're still out there. You can scan them. If you can brave the abyss.
What’s even better is that ghost leviathans don’t stop growing even in adulthood
@@doejohn13 well at least until they reach their biological limit. Although considering the existence of the gangartuar, i dont know if such a concept exists in subnautica lore
Wasnt that ghost leviathans wont stop growing until they die? They can get pretty big but usually dont live long enough to be the size of a Gargantuan for example@@boi2192
I remember hearing one streamer say that Subnautica wasn't a horror game, but rather a terror game. There's no gore, very little that would horrify someone, it's just tense, dark, and full of the terrifying unknown.
naah thats not true, terror its when the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience. horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually follows a frightening sight, sound, or otherwise experience, for example if some is shooting and you run for your life thats terror, the atmosphere of the game its horror, for my subnaitca its just a explration game XD i dont feel any type of horron when i play that well some jump buuut not terror i want to know more about the creature XD
The word you're looking for is probably "dread", a subtype of the horror genre.
@@Ignisami I dreaded discovering the terror of the deeps.
@jorgecarvajal5385 that point of horror is rarely reached, whereas terror is very, very common when playing
Interminable suspense.
I still remember driving my seamoth through one of the safest sections, where the only threats are the tigerplants and leeches (and those darn spadefish) when my cat meowed. Despite knowing I was safe, the tension was strong enough that my cat asking for food made me jump.
Spadefish? Do you mean biters?
@stellanovaluna I did mean biters instead of leeches, but if I remember correctly the spadefish were the ones that would drain your seamoth health when you ran into them. Didn't help they made quite the noise when doing so.
@@JediSteve-J3- oh really? Aren’t spadefish the ones that you can just cook and eat?
Yeah, even otherwise harmless fish are dangerous when you run into them with a seamoth.
@@dnr-vs1lk oh ok that explains it
for me its almost the opposite; subnautica is the only horror game i could ever play. it scared me the same way it scared you, but it was playable in a way horror games that try to scare you arent for me
Same here, I can get used to the subnautica's horror. It's the fear of the unknown, and the fear of death. The horror in subnautica mostly died off when I realized that even the leviathans won't one shot me, and at that point I knew I could survive even if I sacrificed a sea moth. Once I knew that, I had information, the leviathans became known threat, and I was really disappointed. Subnautica has a whole aesthetic that gets me nervous and jumpy, then you put my resources on the line to build pressure, and if I was about to lose it I would absolutely be a nervous reck. Yet the known threat of leviathans that don't kill me ruins it, I can get my nerves under control, my brain kicks into a logical high gear, and I'm calm and collected.
@@xomvoid_akaluchiru_987You can outrun leviathans in a seamoth by strafing left and right. This also works while swimming.
I also know of other stupid tricks. For example if you stop piloting your cyclops while it’s being attacked by leviathan’s they will leave it alone. It works like 85-90% of the time.
But yeah leviathans are mostly just an annoying nuisance. Also I wasn’t ever really truly afraid of leviathans because I’m not afraid of open water. If anything I have the opposite problem where I have to stop myself from trying to just rush into the lava zone with the prawn suit. Because I get it stuck. Lol
@@mrmeep2047 if the setting is right, or I happen to be in a particular mood, I can be really jumpy. I am afraid of the unknown, and I am afraid of the dangerous.
Leviathans weren't scary after my first encounter because:
1. They don't kill on hit.
2. They deal consistent damage.
If the damage was random I would have felt like I barely escaped, if the damage could kill I would know to be cautious. Subnautica is a great setting for that kind of fear and pressure, the environment, the sound design, the visuals, the depths that conceal information. It makes me ecstatic! I don't want to lose my progress, I don't want to die, I don't know what's down there!
In my opinion the consistency and predictable behaviors of leviathans kills the whole mood. It's such a waste. I enjoyed everything about subnautica, but there's still so much I could nitpick about it.
one must imagine sisyphus happy
"I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."
A full quote is always a bit fancier. X^)
And the full quote in VO is always even more fancy. 👀
"Je laisse Sisyphe au bas de la montagne ! On retrouve toujours son fardeau. Mais Sisyphe enseigne la fidélité supérieure qui nie les dieux et soulève les rochers. Lui aussi juge que tout est bien. Cet univers désormais sans maître ne lui paraît ni stérile ni fertile. Chacun des grains de cette pierre, chaque éclat minéral de cette montagne pleine de nuit, à lui seul, forme un monde. La lutte elle-même vers les sommets suffit à remplir un cœur d'homme. Il faut imaginer Sisyphe heureux."
Really loved your analysis of Lovecraftian aesthetics as opposed to Lovecraftian horror.
What's interesting is that although I agree that Subnautica is genuinely terrifying, I would argue that it doesn't quite meet the criteria for true cosmic horror: a big part of Lovecraft's horror is not just the existence of forces that you don't understand, but the inescapable truth that these forces CANNOT be understood. In Subnautica, there are logical explanations behind the mysteries: the cannon is quarantining the planet, the disease is caused by the alien Kharaa virus, the big sea monsters want to eat you because they are hungry, etc. As you said, once we understand the threats that face us, the game loses much of its fear factor.
And yet, while I think the ultimately comprehensible nature of the world makes Subnautica fall short of "true" Lovecraftian horror, I think you are right about how it evokes the FEELING of cosmic horror better than just about any other media in existence. Staring down a sheer cliff into the unforgiving blackness of an unknown abyss is one of the most terrifying experiences in any game ever, not because of any visible danger, but the feeling of helplessness and utter insignificance in the face of a world that doesn't care about your survival. THAT is the exact sort of existential dread that cosmic horror should elicit, not an explicit fear of eldritch tentacle monsters covered in eyeballs.
A big part of Lovecraftian horror is not just fear of the unknown, but that which is inherently unknowable. Simply exploring the cosmic truths that govern reality is dangerous due to the inability of our fragile human minds to deal with what we might discover. And this is the feeling that Subnautica really nails in my opinion; it brings about the feeling of standing on the precipice of understanding, knowing there is more to discover and yet unwilling to risk searching for it. We aren't afraid of the deep because we know what lurks in the depths below, we are afraid because we fear what we might find if we dare to venture there.
Hard agree! I think this video is great, and correctly identifies the reason Subnautica, as a Horror Game, just works.
But I think the reason it's not brought up as an example of Lovecraftian Horror is that it doesn't really qualify for it.
I think a better word for it is Dread. A lot of Horror Games only rely on Shock Value to scare you, making any encounter quick, while great Horror Games make you feel Dread.
A great example I like to use for Dread is, ironically, Metroid Fusion. For most of the Game, you are helpless against the SA-X, so all you can do is hide from it or run.
The Tension can never really dissolve, as most encounters end in a Stalemate, if the SA-X even notices you.
Similarly, Subnautica does an amazing job to never let its Tension dissolve.
Reaper Leviathans will shout at you from across the Map, and chase you, but never quite kill you to avoid giving that Tension any release.
@@Sigmund_Froid I think the term "Dread" is very appropriate. I think that maybe there should be a distinct genre for Subnautica's type of horror called "Lovecraftian Dread", which could describe games that elicit the same feelings as Cosmic Horror while lacking the truly incomprehensible forces at play in Lovecraft's fiction. Sort of like a "Roguelite" as opposed to a "Roguelike"; they are similar experiences, but differ in certain key elements.
Also, I like how you point out how Subnautica constantly maintains tension, which makes me think of another thing that contributes to the game's tension: the oxygen meter. It becomes less of an issue in the late game when you get the final oxygen tank upgrade and start to spend most of your time in vehicles, but for much of the game you have a very limited air supply, which adds this constant low-level tension to every moment spent in the water.
Subnautica came up in conversation recently and I remenisced about the evolution from super cool futuristic but simple crafting game that had one or two scary monsters, to the full blown game with huge areas and varied wildlife and a full base builder with a story and deep lore.
Like remember when they first introduced an island and it was just kinda... There? Then everyone was like 'nah this sucks I'm going back to the ocean'
I don't want to go near the glowing mushrooms. A mostly non-threatening noodle with teeth might jump out at me.
That's actually where I stopped playing the game. I already struggled everywhere else, constantly cheating to get over my fears, but being trapped in that cave was too much.
I made my first base there with a heat source there, it was rather calm
I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it anymore, but over 15 years ago on Kongregate I came across a Flash game with light-and-dark mechanics. It was a 2D puzzle platformer with the mechanic that only the visible (lighted) things were real. So you had to play around with light sources in order to both discover the level structure (and its exit) and to get there. And the funny thing is - the author didn't INTEND for it to be a horror game - it was just a cool light/dark mechanic. But what people commented on it was that it was one of the best horror games they had recently played. This video made me remember the game and finally it clicked WHY it was such a terrifying experience. Because there was literally nothing else scary there - no enemies, no jumpscares, nothing. Just a lot of cold, dark unknown....
I found it!!! It's called "Closure". The original is on Kongregate, but doesn't seem to work for me. BUT - the author also released an expanded version on Steam. :)
Ceave: "Luckily, the area we landed in are very safe and shallow waters."
I see what you did there.
I would actually pay for qualitative video essays like this. Amazing, 10/10.
OH! YOU'RE CEAVE! I was using this to go to sleep- I was like "Aw. This sounds like Ceave.. I miss him."
Then you did the reveal right after the HOOray and I literally shot up out of bed to check my phone!!!
I missed you so much! I didn't know about any new channel you had, last I knew you were playing with mario maker 2. I'm so happy to hear you again!! T~T
Fun fact about the blue whale. There is an ichthyosaur species discovered that is believed to be a juvenile (well, it's fossil). Said juvenile is 82 feet long. Ichthyotitan severnensis is possibly the largest animal to ever exist, since it's juvenile stage is almost blue whale sized.
What makes Subnautica really interesting to me is that, unlike a lot of other Games in the Genre, it gives you a lot of Agency while keeping you at a low Power-Level.
Because of that, a lot of the progression is based around learning more about the Game and it's creatires, and simply finding the Courage to move on despite your fear...
It also makes the Scary bits scarier by forcing you to think about your next steps.
Because it isn't a pre-determined path, it's just your choice.
It also nails the feeling of Dread, ironically by letting you get away with a lot. Because barely getting away with your life is way scarier than dying and seeing a game over screen.
Ceave: "The lack of lethal weapons means we never make it to the top of the food chain."
The prawn suit's drill and grapple combo strongly disagrees with you, Ceave.
Or stun gun and poison torpedos, or even just stun gun and Knife.
Anything can be deadly in this game, you can kill fish by crashing into them, everything has a set heath, and all the creatures can be killed.
Who needs guns when you can kill things nice and up close and personal inside a mech suit?
@@kylegonewild Armored Subnauticore IV 😂
Can that kill a leviathan?
@@shiuaslake yes.
I relate to finding this game incredibly anxiety-inducing. I got shivers in the first 2 minutes of this video, and I've beaten the game 3 times. One of those games you wish you could wipe your memory of so you could play it fresh a second time. I do however take issue with saying there are no lethal defensive options as your mechanical fists will defeat any nasty sea serpent, if you for some reason find your knife inadequate. Prawn Suits are a one-dosage-fits-all solution to deep sea related anxiety.
Cant tell how much I love your videos. Its unironically my highlight of the entire week
same, love this content
@@cheezylettuce3360 and to this day I’m still happy he continued after his break otherwise we wouldn’t get to experience the joy of watching a Ceave perspective video again
@@TheodorSt-tb1vm yes
I think that as far as horror is concerned, Bloodborne is very much Gothic (human centric) horror, since basically all events in the game are caused by humans (Byrgenwerth and the Church, mostly.) The game has a lovecraftian setting, however, as the events they caused attracted lovecraftian Great Ones, which rarely truly interact with the humans. Bloodborne is about the extreme and egregious lenghts humans will go to ascend to the level of these great ones, with the horror not lying in the great ones, but rather the horrors of humanity, or in other words, Gothic horror. I think this is why the most terrifying parts of the game, such as upper cathedral ward and the research hall, have mostly classic horror elements, like the jumpscares.
I think the gothic horror is very much the focus, but it still certainly has aspects of cosmic beyond aesthetic. It builds such a sense of dread, of wrongness, of hopelessness and helplessness in the wake of such unknowable entities, even as you fight on through the nightmare.
I just want to say that I totally LOVE the whole segment comparing the true essence of lovecraftian horror and the horror of subnautica. It was so well written and I was engrossed the whole time
I never thought I would see Ceave make a Subnautica video but I’m very happy to see it
Ceave please keep up the good work. I’ve been watching since your Mario maker videos and eventually found your perspective channel. I see that you put a lot of work into these videos and hope you will be able to hit it big and succeed with your new type of videos.
I adore this channel and in general your videos. I kind of really like the way you talk and play with words. Furthermore I get always sucked in by your astonishing explanations and intresting storyline, often just jumping to a totally different topic, just to connect it perfectly into a grand, great puzzle.
I love it!!
Never have I clicked any faster in my life
I love it whenever Ceave uploads. I haven’t played so many of these games, so it makes my day every time I get to learn something new!
a wonderful analysis, as always!
i still haven't finished my first playthrough of subnautica; i had to watch someone else play it. i vividly remember needing to stop shortly after i learned that everyone else was dead and the sunbeam was shot down. it was such a serious and genuine evocation of loneliness and dread that i could barely handle.
i had encountered a ghost leviathan on my last session of playing and could simply not handle the stress. i went into the ecological dead zone after feeling the heavy weight of knowing there would be no help from other characters in this game. i had my jaw set with determination. i WOULD find a way to survive!
then the computer asked me if what i was doing was really worth it.
and then the ghost leviathan appeared directly in front of me, materializing out of the abyss suddenly, making that god-awful sound.
i made it out alive, but i genuinely had to take 5 minutes to just assess what had happened, and decided i couldn't do it anymore.
ive spent a lot of time in Subnautica...not 'beating the game', the story probly only takes me about 2 hours to get through...but rather, i "exist" in the game, for hours on end...i putt around in my Seamoth, look for spots with nice views, bring my Cyclops over to the spot, and build a base there, so i can enjoy said views...i eat/drink when my meters get low, i sleep to pass the gametime, and the "real me" wishes to actually live in a similar underwater-base environment...
That’s crazy, you basically made Subnautica into your animal crossing
@@davialmeida4442 sadly, the only thing thats missing is a 'debt' to repay...i mean yeah, the PDA jokes about some trillion-credit balance (when you pick up a Diamond) but theres no way to actually 'work it off' in the game...
...well, unless you Mod it, but thats a-whole-nother can of worms lol
I've actually been wanting to do something like that myself, especially seeing videos from people like Oarfish of comfy looking bases built in crazy places like the Lava Zone next to the Sea Dragon and the Crash Zone around dozens of Reapers. I think there's something really appealing to me in that regard of not necessarily conquering the environment, but gaining such a mastery of it that such a massively dangerous circomstance becomes little more than another pretty sight.
I lost it with your remark on top of the summary of the French Philosopher, Camuses’ stance:
There is no god, no afterlife, everything we do is utterly meaningless, there is no point to our actions or values, and the only philosophical question worth asking is why we don’t kill ourselves… He was quite fun at parties.
That cracked me up. Fantastic perspecitive thus far. I’ll get right on vontiuning from this point, after just one more repeat.
Imagine how much better this game would be if beating it unlocked a New Game+ where you return to the planet with a full arsenal of military-grade weapons and could blow up every sea creature in the game with full catharsis.
This is such an interesting discussion, as someone who's never really explored subnautica or lovecraft horror before this was a fascinating watch, thankyou Ceave!
This was one of my favourite videos that you have made, it's so interesting and I have never played the game before, but you explained it really well, and you've made me want to play it so badly. I really enjoy your new style of videos, and hope you continue making them and don't burn out. We all support you!
Great essay and video. The other game, I feel like completely follows the Lovecraftian horror without aesthetics, is "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs". Although widely regarded as inferior to the predecessor, the "machine", with its incomprehensible size, origin or purpose, the constant sense of the continuously deeper reaching apparatus and conspiracy and the main character going insane while trying to figure out how everything connects only to reach an absolutely devastating conclusion in the end, to me is another example of this Lovecraftian concept.
This is very quickly becoming one of my favourite channels to listen to! All the love ❤️
As a polish oceanographer and mammologist-in-progress, I have to say, that Subnautica contributed to flourishment of my curiosity so much you can't imagine. It was one of many factors, which drove me to apply for my first international project (FINWAP) and to write my first scientific article about the state of salps in the Antarctic (I'll edit the message, when I finish writing).
How is it going?
21:35 yeah there’s violent encounters, just with melee weapon usually the knife or the drill arm. Combining the drill and grapple arms on the prawn suit I’ve killed at least one of each hostile leviathan in both games minus the ice worm because it doesn’t actually exist as a creature.
Loved this video! I read some Lovecraft before this video came out and it finally paid off.
this type of game is in short supply, and i believe its the exact kind of game that will stand the test of time, not games like fortnite or helldivers that are short bursts of emotion or just good gameplay loops, its the games that provide these things and also manage to make you feel something throughout the game, in subnauticas case, fear.
Haven't even had a chance to watch the video yet, but just reading the title, I feel the urge to add an "(so far)" behind it.
Clearly he hasn't played sucker for love
@TrainWreckYT clearly you haven't played subnautica
The horror you described is why I'm always nervous before starting a new game, watching a new movie and even sometimes a youtube video from a new creator. It's the reason why I read through like half of the wiki for Satisfactory before launching it for the first time.
And the reason why this and The Outer Wilds videos were essential for me.
The only game I ever played blind (and not in my childhood) was, paradoxically, Doki Doki Literature Club. But even then, I knew that it was a visual novel and to.. I don't know.. expect something? I knew that there's something in there, and it made me less anxious, and now I finally know why. And what to discuss in my next therapy session.
Thank you.
I've only ever played Subnautica in VR. Spooky shit, definitely recommend it. I had to always listen to something else while playing at the same time. Subnautica is otherwise too lonely and spooky. Especially when you play at night.
1:04:12 I was thinking about this the whole video ngl. Great video though and you really well explained how subnautica fits those tropes!
I always appreciate how well thought out these analysis videos are from you. Wonderful food for thought. I will, however, provide good-spirited debate on lovecraftian aesthetics no longer working for lovecraftian horror. I'll go right for the heart of my thoughts and save examples for paragraph 3. (I'm writing this at 47:01, if there's a good follow up after this with a counter point whoopsie doodle my comment lives forever as unnecessary. But I enjoyed thinking about it so nonetheless:)
I think the aesthetics can still work for the horror. because if the horror is about a fear of the unknowable, things beyond our comprehension leaving us drowning in a sea of existential dread and despair. Well, that feeling is honestly aesthetically neutral. Games focused on pure science or very robotic sci-fi can instill that feeling. That feeling could be evoked by a Cyberpunk game by using corporations as a metaphor for the universe being a machine of atoms and physics, for example. And just because I know what it means for something to be 'from the void, beyond our dimensions of reason and matter." Doesn't mean I can't still be left feeling utterly small and insignificant in the face of it.
While one example is, in fact, the Souls series, including Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and Dark Souls 3. All felt like I was struggling to *understand* and while the horror faded with time and familiarity, I still remember that feeling. My favourite example is actually, and god I hate that saying this out loud kind of spoils it. Magrunner Dark Pulse.
Going into a Quantum Conundrum style portal clone, only to come face to face with cosmic horror at the end of all things. Idk, even though I knew what Cthulhu *was,* in that moment. It hit hard.
1:00 don't think I've Heard the Name Soma In years. The Game is soooo underrated.
CEAVE!? That I was just clicking because I love subnautica, thay voice is such a shot of nostalgia! I haven’t watched your videos since at least 2020.
I feel like a broken record at this point but this was another incredibly well-made video. Discussion of why Subnautica is just so damn scary is still the kind of RUclips content I will eat up every time. I also think your "thesis" I suppose about Lovecraftian horror requiring a departure from Lovecraftian aesthetic is a really good observation that I haven't really heard before. I do think that when done well, a Lovecraftian aesthetic can still evoke feelings of cosmic horror, but I very much agree that it is an incredibly difficult feeling to evoke.
Side note, but I'm getting a well-paying job soon and will definitely be supporting you on patreon, which makes me very excited. Thanks for continuing to unapologetically make the kind of content you like to make, and which just so happens to be the content I love to watch as well :)
oh yeah there it is
A few thoughts on Lovecraft
1 I feel like his overwhelming racism was really overlooked in the essay when it was a large part of why he found the world terrifying and incomprehensible as well as an aspect that feels disingenuous to miss out when talking about him to this extent (it is a large aspect what makes his work age quite poorly as it is genuinely more horrifying in cases to hear his descriptions of people than monsters or gods).
2 Shadow over Innsmouth while published earlier than many of his other works was written later since most of his books were published after his death (hence why the writing is slightly better).
Is there like, concrete evidence that had anything to do with him supposedly finding the world terrifying and incomprehensible or are we just psychoanalyzing dead people because they had dog shit opinions when they were alive? Just kinda feels like showing up to a panel on the evolution of animation techniques and grinding everything to a halt when Disney's name comes up to point out Walt was an antisemite and how that isn't getting enough focus. Does it actually add anything constructive or is it just an over corrective attempt at critical analysis through a progressive lens? I could be wrong though, it's not like I've combed through every word the man ever wrote so I'm sure it's possible he scribbled something somewhere concretely tying his prejudice to the literary and philosophical concepts he was attempting to explore and wouldn't mind being pointed towards such writings.
He does end it with a poke at how ridiculously racist Lovecraft was, so I'm retracting my prods at the essay.
@@kylegonewild his racism is far more pronounced through his work and minorities are repeatedly used both directly and indirectly to convey evil and corruption, we also know he found the world terrifying but especially minorities through his personal writing and those who met him, so i would say that it is not the same as walt disney.
Truly amazing! I started playing Subnautica because of this video and i am very hyped to watch the video fully after playing the game. Good stuff!
what a masterpiece of a video
Love zoning out for a couple minutes and zoning back in at 34:31
i appreciate this comment
Boost for the algorithm
Love your work Ceave!❤️
The one thing I will never forget is the first time I deceeded into the bloodkelp zone. The place alone is scary enough but add in that deep booming heartbeat that consumes the music and you get pure dread.
You know, it’s funny that you brought up Metroid Prime in the beginning because Metroid Prime was what made me want to try this game. The Metroid games also made me try Shinsekai: Into the Depths, which is kind of like Subnautica meets Metroid 2. Unfortunately I never finished that game because the combat/boss gauntlets towards the end of the game frustrated me to no end because of how claustrophobic the arenas were. Plus having to fight multiple annoying enemies at once drove me insane.
I kinda had the same problem with Hollow Knight. I loved exploring the world in that game but the souls-like combat just ruined the experience for me with how infuriating the later bosses got. Screw that second Hornet fight.
This may be my favourite channel on yt
OML CEAVE, ONE OF MY FAVORITE RUclipsRS, HAS MADE A VIDEO ABOUT SUBNAUTICA, MY FAVORITE GAME
YES YES YES YES YES YES
Thank you Ceave! I love how you share the way you play games, it really adds to the experience.
great video as always. even though the views have gone down the quality of your videos certainly have not. i always considered your content to be a part of my childhood, i remember back in the day when i used to watch your first mm tutorials and now i'm watching this( holy crap its almost been ten years). it feels like your content has "matured" alongside me and i'm genuinely forever thankful for the great content and such you've provided over the years. this comment is probably pretty weird but i just felt the need to show my gratitude in some way. thanks man
Okay. I love Subnautica. I played it in alpha. I also enjoy Lovecraft's work, and like to think I'm relatively well versed in it. With that being said, I just cannot get behind this characterization of Subnautica as Lovecraftian. The fundamental issue I have with your arguments is that you seem to define Lovecraftian horror as simply fear of the unknown. Rather, I think characterizing it as fear of the unknowable is far more accurate. As the man himself once said, fear of the unknown is the most primal of all fears, and I'd even argue it's at the base of fear itself. On its own, I really don't think this is enough to qualify something as Lovecraftian.
Lovecraft's works are about a great many things, but they more often than not revolve around people seeking truth and knowledge. The issue arises when they actually encounter the thing they seek to understand, encounters that, at best, leave them scarred for life, and at worse, condemn them to a fate far worse than death. It's not that they don't know, it's that they CAN'T know, at least not while remaining the same. They are often driven to madness, used as tools, or simply die from exposure to the truth they seek. The lucky ones have only a brush with the forces beyond their ken. The fear of cosmic horror stems not from the deprivation of the narratives we construct to give order and meaning to our lives, but rather from the notion that, regardless of the truth of these narratives, they are utterly insignificant to the forces and beings at play. Your life could be snuffed out by these beings the way you would step on a bug; it's rarely intentional. You just happened to get caught up in it, like a fish one day being lifted from the water by a net only to spend its last breaths flailing and jerking before dying, eyes to the sky and the infinite void beyond that it will never, could never, comprehend. The fish foolish enough to seek out the fishhook are often very much like Lovecraft's characters. Swimming away with a torn lip is the best case scenario.
Subnautica just doesn't embody this kind of fear. It is absolutely full of fear of the unknown, make no mistake, and utilizes it to staggering effect. It's easily one of the most engrossing, terrifying games I have ever played, but it is not Lovecraftian. Put simply, the world of 4546-B is very knowable. The creatures that dwell in its depths are not some ineffable cosmic beings who would turn you to dust without realizing or intending to; they are animals. Organisms that can be, and are, studied, understood, and classified. You literally have a scanner that will tell you about anything you can see. Point it at a boneshark for a couple seconds and you'll know how it behaves, what it can do, and even that it shares a common ancestor with the sand shark. The same is true of the rest of the vast ecology of 4546-B. Even the Sea Emperor, a being of incredible intellect to the point of being able to telepathically communicate, speaks to you in a way you understand perfectly. Not only that, but it asks for your help. You share a goal, a goal that she dies achieving, going to show that time truly stops for no one, not even a being so great.
The Architects do fit the bill of the long gone, ancient civilizations that permeate Lovecraft's works, but only in a thematic sense. Similarly, though, they are not ineffable gods. Advanced beyond our wildest dreams, yes, but ultimately understandable. The aforementioned scanner can read their language, scan their labs and experiments, and tell you all about how the Architects, while capable of incredible things, are ultimately afraid of very worldly things like disease and the wrath of the creatures they seek to imprison. If anything even approaches cosmic horror exists in the world of Subnautica, it's the hybrid consciousnesses like Al-An that we're introduced to in Below Zero. But this isn't about BZ so I'll stay on topic. Point is, the architects are tangible, understandable beings that we can communicate with, even being able to make use of their unfathomably complex technology.
At the end of the day, Subnautica is about understanding and mastering the world around you, carving out a place for yourself in this now not so unfamiliar place. I might even go as far to say that it's anti-Lovecraftian. I did enjoy the video and liked your connections to Bloodborne and Metroid, and I don't wanna come off as a hater. This is just something I'm well versed in and care perhaps a little too much about (as evidenced by the length of this comment). A couple games that really nail the Lovecraftian horror in my opinion are Dead Space (mostly the first two) and Signalis, with an honorable mention to PREY, which ultimately doesn't have enough of an eldrich quality to its monsters, but goes like 80% of the way as far as themes, atmosphere etc. If you happen to have played any of those, I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts :)
Your story writing is genius, watching it for a second time and only now realising how you pointed out how we dont understand anything bevor talking about lovecraft
I love your delivery and writing flow
The thought of drowning scared me. Being in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of meters under the surface of an alien ocean on an unknown planet in the vast void of space. Blood screaming through your veins, brain throwing you any memories that could eek that few more seconds of life while you claw for something, anything that could get you home, safe, dry.... And nobody has any idea you even went swimming. Now that. That scares the hell out of me.
Disagree on Bloodborne not being cosmic horror.
It has a combination of both gothic and Lovecraftian. The Nursery is where the two clash the hardest.
Yes there's the werewolves desecrating the place, but just after that is a scorched corpse standing in a pose you learn is used to attempt to make contact with the great ones, which in turn shows the consequences of trying to understand when you lack the means to do so.
After all, one of the main mechanics of the game is that the more insight you have to the world, the more of what was better left hidden is seen. This is shown both mechanically, in that insite inversely effects your rationality and bestial nature, and visibly, in that , as I said, the more your character understands the world, the more actually becomes visible in game.
Does it do the best job of capturing the sense of insignifigance? Only if you look for it.
After all, two endings are essentially just you either forgetting everything, or becoming a part of the cycle. The third ending, well, who's to say what happens when you get to the point of seeing humans as vermin.
Another great video, Subnautica is one of my favorites, so it was fun to see you break it down
Subnautica was amazing horror game, unfortunatley below zero failed to replicate.
I recnetly played a bit of Rain World that seems to replicate a lot of the fear of the unknown of subnautica, but I didn't play it that much yet.
Subnautica is my favorite Survival/Horror game (not to be confused with Survival Horror), along with Below Zero, absolute masterpiece.
Well, favorite unless you count Rain World, but I think I may be literally the only person ever who considers Rain World a horror game lol
Thank you, Ceave, for allowing me to understand one thing that always was at the back of my mind until today. It's time for a little story.
I don't consider myself a horror fan - not a lovecraftian one, not gothic or any type. But I am an avid roleplay-lover, and the systems like Dungeons&Dragons are my jam. And yet, there is one horror system and setting that left me with this deep feeling of a new and exciting discovery in my inner self, that I failed to replicate since my first time playing it - the system is called "Don't Rest Your Head" (or DRYH in short).
The world of DRYH is your typical urban environment (or any other realistic one, honestly), but only on the surface. If someone suffers from insomnia or has other reasons not to sleep for far too long - they "wake up" and realize that the world around them isn't at all what it seems. They find themselves within Mad City, a true world that only has a facade that we naively call "reality" for those who still sleep.
The Mad City itself is an endless, psychodelic, dreamlike evershifting place that includes all eras and places, both existing and non-existant. Like Silent Hill cranked up to eleven. It features people who are not really people but mere props that are here to play roles. Nightmares, who are incomprehensible monsters that each have their unique look or lack of it - and abilities that manipulate reaility or twist the very essense of human nature itself. But also the Mad City has awaken - people like you, the player, who happen to find themselves in an utmost confusing and dangerous scenario in the world where they are constantly hunted by Nightmares... And the world that can't be explained or understood.
The stories within this setting are the opposite, as they mostly rely on personal character trauma and them either learning how to live with or succumb to it. But when I looked around me and saw the Mad City for the first time - it left an impression on me. Exactly because it was incomprehensible. Because I knew nothing of the weird rules by which this world worked. I was constantly filled with the sense of danger and uncertainty. It was THE lovecraftian horror - and it was my first time experiencing it as a person, hence leaving me begging for me but it could never come again from this exact setting. And now I understand why - because once my first story in this world was complete, I already knew the basics, and now other scenarios would be just chaning the color of the lighting in the room where I would want to enter a completely different and uknown one.
So thanks again for making me realize what I wanted all this time. What nudged me from the back of my head. Now I can articulate this to my friends with who I played DRYH - and maybe, just maybe, we can concoct a similarly unforgetting experience once more.
Ceave, you have been an inspiration to me for SO long! I’m so glad that even though there were a few long video gaps, you aways came back. I found your channel around the old Mario Maker videos and I love them. I think the first one I watched was the train themed levels video. I’m very happy that you’re still uploading to this day. Keep on trucking!
Hey Ceave! I love your videos and was worried when you disappeared for ages. I really like this new channel and all the content on here. Your Outer Wilds video inspired me to play the game and it's my favourite game ever now! I can't wait for the retrospective on the DLC. Edit: I did play the game before I watched the video
I wonder whether the divorcing of the aesthetics of Lovecraftian Horror from the feelings of Lovecraftian Horror isn't in part deliberate- if the full dose of the feelings is disturbing enough to put off even general horror fans then it could especially put off casual fans and limit the potential market.
So you just do a soupcon of the Horror- big up the aesthetics, just dip a toe into the sensations and create something that's merely scary but commercially safe. Which considering the budget of some of these games...
Subnautica is one of my absolute favourite games ever. I love how damn scary it is, and it is probably my most replayed game.
It. Is. Peak. I wish I could forget games like this one so I play them for the first time again.
I'm also really glad Ceave still makes content.
Really interesting disscussion as always Ceave. I think you're ideas about how the more the planet becomes known the less scary it becomes can be extended to the sequel Below Zero. Many people, myself included, found Below Zero to be a bit dissapointing given how it failed to get those same emotions of terror out of me that the original did. It's still an amazing game, but now that we understand the planet better it's just not as scary the second time around.
Jumping on to hit that like and add a comment, but I gotta deuce cause I haven’t played this game yet! Cant wait to watch once I do - cheers, Ceave, you rock!
Great video! Subnautica is one of my favorite games of all time, and your video highlighted a perspective which allows me to appreciate the game even more. Well done!
One of the best video essays I have ever watched. I have to say, you might be the best video essayist to ever have video essayed.
I haven't been this excited for a youtube video in years
i have such fond (and panicked) memories of this game. I remember when i first got to the volcano zone in my cyclops, and the dragon attacked me. my ship caught fire and i didnt have a fire suppression system at that point (im dumb) so i had to run in my prawn suit to find crystalline sulfur to make it- and then wait for the dragon to pass before realizing my PRAWN SUIT COULDNT MAKE IT BACK INTO THE CYCLOPS. so i had to get out, grab the sulfur from the prawn inventory, swim while panicking (i was already low health from a warper that JUMPSCARED ME)the 30m or so to the cyclops, all while praying that the dragon doesnt turn its attention to me and that i can fabricate the suppression system in time. so yeah. fond memories.
Haven't finished watching yet, but I appreciate the fact that you show footage of Metroid Prime while talking about the philosopher and his belief in an absurd universe, since both are presented as alternate works by different creators that share surprising amounts of similarities to the primary focal points of their sections.
The single scariest moment I've ever experienced in gaming was that small alcove before seeing the strider leviathans, hearing them moaning and grumbling, quaking the ground beneath my feet with their size and ferocity, but all I could see was a black void.
I was so immersed, my heart was racing at the terrifying noises coming from the unknown. I finally mustered the courage to crest the hill and swim out into their domain... and they're just a bunch of friendly guys.
Lovely video, Ceave. Subnautica really captured my attention when it was first coming out, but its not a game that I could ever play myself (too scary for me)
your recent videos are so good. I stopped playing subnautica around the same time as you for the same reasons, but watching this made me wanna pick it up again! such a cool game
Alter, Outer Wilds, Elden Ring, UND Subnautica?! You have impeccable taste.
20:25 Really like the mindset behind the approach they decided to take with it, it's almost like there's more ways of dealing with problems than just killing everything in sight 🤔
I’m so excited to see you cover Subnautica! Great video!
you successfully evoked the feeling of dread even in the viewer, and I now question my decision to have watched it before going to bed on this fine evening.
Excellent video all around. The discussion of Lovecraft's content felt a bit lengthy, particularly as we got to watch the Metroid Prime cutscenes over it (I had to rewind a little because my thoughts drifted off during it), but the points you've raised are amazing and it turned out to be a great, cohesive retrospective. I haven't played the game, I probably never will, but it's taught me a lot about atmosphere playing its role in game design.
This video has probably shaped my view of the game so that when I play it I’ll find it much more terrifying than expected
Thank you for containing the heavy spoilers to the last chapter; like you I got to a certain point in the game, was really enjoying the game itself, but was too scared to explore further 😅
I'm looking forward to the discussion & maybe the motivation to go back to the game 😁
Subnautica is easily one of my top 10 favorite games. I think the main reason is its immersion, like you said, it is 10/10. Few games have made me feel like I was inside the game like this one, and I think one great thing about it that most people overlook is the fact that there are no loading times. When you start the game, there is a big loading, sure, but once the game starts, no more. I love it, I wish more games did that
Plus, I think the first time I encountered a Reaper was the most I have ever been scared in a videogame. I was in my Seamoth, looking for a way to get inside the Aurora (I didnt know you had to go to the front of it, so I was looking in the back) when I heard a distant and small roar. I looked back and saw nothing. That made me tense, but I thought that maybe it was nothing, so I kept looking for a way to get in the Aurora. Then I heard another roar, but this one was super loud and, before I could do anything, the camera rotated 180 degrees and I was face to face with the Reaper. He released the Seamoth with like 5 hp left and I tried to rum away to my base on a straight line, to get out of there as soon as possible... but the Reaper managed to get me again and destroyed the Seamoth. I managed to run away alive after this, but my heart was pounding so fast. I had to pause the game for some minutes
I'm really enjoying these videos! Your well thought out explinations, examples, and comparisons drew me in for a very satisfying journey through your thoughts on the game. Really got my mind running through my own experiences! Thank you for all the hard work you put into this.
In my humble opium: Amazing analysis of how contemporary video games use (or don't use) lovecraftian horror!
Ive been introduced to water (as in swimming) at the age of 2 and have never experienced water related fear in my life. And yet subnautica is still one of my favorite games of all time. This game is in fact probably the reason its so hard for me to play survival games. I cant find games that are this good.
I got a hero wars ad before this, and it is a very different kind of horror
I believe Lovecraftian horror is a combination of eldritch horror (the otherness and incomprehensible and unknown) and cosmic horror (confronting our insignificance and powerlessness) with this aesthetic he established.
I am personally completely indifferent to cosmic horror, so I hadn't even noticed what Ceave points out here when playing the game. But the eldritch horror of Subnautica is definitely on point: you don't know the rules, things feel wrong, and you don't know what awaits you in the depths. I remember how off-putting it was to notice how the size of the alien facilities was *wrong* when walking through them. We just aren't at the right scale to interact with it.
Really loved this one. Keep it up!
This is a wonderful analysis of the horror of Subnautica!
One thing that was very significant for me that in the end after building the rocket I didn't even really want to leave the planet.
Somewhat early on some message tells us that all the material we use belongs to the Altera corporation by contract and by using them for our survival we are basically accumulating debt.
While the planet encompassed all the described horror in the first 2/3 of the game, until the end you just know all the environments, creatures and how to navigate around their spaces that the planet really feels like home. Leaving that home to return to some civilized planet and living the rest of your life in debt was a very real horror that I didn't want to commit to. The only reason I actually went on the rocket was because I wanted to see how they designed the end of the game, not because I wanted to leave, quite the contrary. Funnily enough the developers kind of picked up on that by (iirc) having the last thing you see be the enormous sum of debt you have on return.
oh im so exited for this, the last couple videos have been certified bangers
Even though the base game is plenty terrifying, watching footage of early build "far lands" just hits me like a deer in headlights. Gigantic blocks of irregularly shaped land with repeating textures stretched over them, disappearing into the depths of the ocean. It's like the experience is hacking your brain to imagine Things That Should Not Exist hidden just out of sight. Even modded-in leviathans aren't as terrifying.
subnautica is terrifying. every time i pull it up, i feel the same sense of dread. Going into Jellyshroom Caves? scared. Going to the Aurora? so tense that a knock on the door caused me to freak out. NEAR a warper? running away at the speed of sound. I have beaten the game many times and it is still terrifying.
Fantastic video as usual! You do a great job of making me interested in games that I had previously ignored. I think I might have to try Subnautica now!
just commenting to feed the algorithm
I usually am absolutely terrible with horror games and Subnautica was no different but I still tortured myself through this game (together with a good friend sitting next to me, we took turns while playing lmao) and it's one of the best games I've ever played. I wouldn't want to play it again but I love watching videos and streams of other people playing it.
tl:dr
This game made me shit my pants but I felt like a cool marine biologist while doing so. 10/10.
Edit:
Just finished watching the video. Absolutely amazing. If Ceave ever gets into the Xenoblade series that'd be absolutely phenomenal. Don't know whether JRPG's would be his style of game but having such long form and in-depth analyses on the Xenoblade games would be something I'd love to watch. Just giving some recommendations :). I'll have to go and check out some of the other vids now!
I love how you sneak in a bit of bloodborne lovecraft as well, since you said you didnt have time for that in the Bloodborne video