Ecohorror often uses settings that are actively hostile towards human life, are harsh and unforgiving, and have a certain sense of mystery about them to make reader, viewer, or player rethink the power of nature. Subnautica is a prime example of this in multiple ways, and is one of the most popular visions of eco horror portrayed through a video game. Subnautica follows the player character Ryley Robinson after the crash of the starship Aurora, finding himself on an ocean world full of hostile flora and fauna, and desperate to escape.

Subnautica is a particularly interesting piece of media to analyze in the context of ecohorror, as it allows the person experiencing it to play through the story first hand, and experience the world in such a way that books, movies, and other pieces of media would have a hard time conveying. Additionally, its setting on an alien world brings about a sense of strangeness, but is made familiar through the similarities of various pieces of flora and fauna to their earthly counterparts. Subnautica is a haunting and lonely, yet thrilling and exciting journey, which uses various methods to create feelings of isolation and fear within the player, as they descend deeper, literally and figuratively, into the ocean world which they ironically wish to escape. In the context of ecohorror, Subnautica portrays themes of isolation and fear of the unknown almost perfectly, and is certainly a prime piece of ocean ecohorror.

Isolation

Many pieces of media in the ecohorror genre use a theme of isolation in order to drive their story and enrich their setting. For example, Annihilation does an excellent job of setting a tone of aloneness in an environment that is earthly, but extremely alien. Another piece of media being explored in this project is the film Jaws, which also uses isolation, particularly in the latter half of the movie, in order to instill a feeling of hopelessness and fear. In Subnautica, Unknown Worlds Entertainment use a variety of methods in order to instill a sense of total and utter isolation on a completely alien world. As an example, they use story and its associated visuals. This can be seen near the beginning of every playthrough as the Aurora’s drive core explodes, destroying much of the remaining ship and irradiating much of the surrounding environment. This same tactic is used again, wherein the protagonist is about to be rescued, and the ship in question gets evaporated by a defense platform meant to quarantine the planet.

Both scenes instill a distinct sense of isolation, as they are reminders that you are completely alone in this new, fearsome world. Additionally, they use world building. This can be seen immediately upon exiting the crashed escape pod and looking around. Surrounding the player is a vast expanse of open ocean with no land in sight. Furthermore, this can be seen near the edge of the playable map. Unlike most video games that have a distinct wall that cannot be crossed, Subnautica takes a different approach to this issue. Instead, anything beyond the playable area is an ecological deadzone, which is shrouded in complete darkness and stalked by gigantic ghost leviathans. Lastly, this can be seen in the other escape pods around the map. Each shows clear signs of damage, and it is certain that the crew has not survived. All of these methods combined create a sense of complete and utter isolation, making it a prominent theme within this piece.

Fear of the Unknown

Many media pieces of ecohorror, including Subnautica, utilize fear of the unknown as a theme within their setting and story. In Subnautica, this can be seen in multiple ways. First and foremost, this is portrayed in the setting. Subnautica thrusts the player onto a completely alien planet, with flora and fauna that are vaguely familiar to animals on Earth, and gives them practically zero information on what to do in order to progress. At some point Subnautica will give the player pointers as to where to go, but otherwise the player gets very little information in a world that is completely foreign. Ignorant as to what is hostile and what is not, the player is almost bound to assume the worst of the environment around him. Additionally, this is portrayed through gameplay. As an example, roars of giant creatures can sometimes be heard in the distance.

This instills a sense of fear in the player, especially prior to their first encounter with the leviathans present sparsely around the map. Additionally, there are many areas where vision is purposefully limited, such as in the kelp forest (which already has an abundance of predators), the ecological deadzone at the limits of the map, and generally at night. This fear of the unknown is bolstered by the numerous abandoned structures present around the map. These structures echo a sense of dread, as their seemingly advanced creators are nowhere to be found. These are just a few examples detailing how fear of the unknown is a prominent theme within Subnautica. 

Connection to Main Theme

Subnautica is a prime example of ocean ecohorror, and the explanation for this is almost self explanatory. Subnautica follows the protagonist Ryley Robinson after he crash lands on an alien world, using themes of isolation and fear of the unknown to bolster its plot and setting. Both of these tropes are abundant in other pieces of media within the ecohorror genre. Subnautica itself is ecohorror, as the primary threat to the player and the player’s main source of fear is the surrounding natural environment that seems to be almost actively hostile to their very existence. Moreover, Subnautica is an example of ecohorror as essentially all of the ecological threats being presented to the player are of an aquatic, oceanic nature. Therefore, Subnautica relates to the main theme of this site: Ocean Ecohorror.