I liked the first game and Below Zero a lot. Some of my favorite survival crafting games out there. And I know liking BZ may eb a kinda unpopular opinion, but I really liked how the campaign elements were handled, and only thought the exploration was disappointing because it was very familiar after the first game, which definitely isn't a design issue. If it were the first Subnautica I'd played it probably would've hit very similarly. And I will say that this game scratches the same itch, even unfinished, but it definitely needs more time in the oven if you really need this $30 right now.
There's something about the map that feels kinda empty and boring. Maybe there just aren't enough AIs or variation therein, or details in all the biomes haven't been filled in, but a lot of the places just don't feel that dynamic with plenty of large spaces just being legitimate wastelands or offering very little variation in resources/enemies/passives if they offer any at all. And I don't want to say the AI are boring since I think that might just be an issue with the lack of variation and population right now, but I coulda sworn the hunting styles and passive mobs was more interesting in the past two games. Like the approach of a Reaper (♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ iconic) or how stalkers were only in kelp forests or how those exploding ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ made no sense or the fart dudes in the shallows. This seems like mostly "I'm gonna bite you" or "I'm runnin". The variation in the old games kept you engaged by forcing you to shake up strategies in different areas, even within a single biome, and forced engagement with enemies for various resources or competition for resources in their territories. Now it's less like you're a part of the ecosystem and more like some of the enemies are no different from some passive damaging feature like a vent.
Also feels like they're trying to balance the story approach between Alan and the original game by using your base AI, but he's a Skyrim npc that just repeats the same ♥♥♥♥ every time you take to it and gives the same incessant alerts when you aren't near him even though the various PDAs and logs you can find seem to insinuate that he is actually much more interesting a character than you get to experience in person.
Anyway, I'm glad I got it on release. I was really looking forward to it and knew what I was getting into with EA, and it helps fund them as they continue improving the game. If you would rather wait for a full release, that's valid too. It really seems like, given time and feedback, this'll be an awesome addition.
