The Biology of Subnautica | Full Documentary

I love how any time a fictional creature has an unbelievable trait there is always an ant that has actually evolved that trait

Funny thing is Subnautica wasn't intended to be a horror game, the devs wanted to give people an alien ocean to explore and to make it as immersive as possible. It's just that oceans are terrifying lol. Thy accidentally stumbled upon a near perfect recipe for a horror game with the setting and gameplay mechanics. Lightning in a bottle.

The fact there exists alien penguins in the Subnautica universe proves that penguins are indeed the true ultimate lifeform

This documentary has single handedly convinced me that the creators had a thorough interest in animal biology. I love that the creatures found fit certain niches and their evolutionary attributes always had a reason for existing. Thank you for making such an amazing documentary!

The first time I tried "exploring" the dead zone and ran into a ghost leviathan was one of the most terror inducing moments I've had in any game

This series and the game itself helped me realize marine biology is something that im super interested in and im now enrolled in college for it. Thanks so much for everything

One thing you forgot about Stalkers is that in their entries, I believe, as well as a Degasi log or two, it mentions that one plausible hypothesis for their liking of metal from the Aurora or just metal in general is that they can grind their teeth against said metal to sharpen them. This hypothesis is also backed by their teeth falling out occasionally when they do it.

These two games are the only games that have EVER terrified me while playing. The aurora exploding literally sent my fear meter into low-earth orbit when it happened. I haven’t even played them that much but they are still terrifying. I don’t suffer from thallasophobia or any ocean-related fear, it’s just the creatures and events of the game are terrifying.

You forgot the rockgrub, a creature so tiny you probably didn't notice it while swimming through the caves in the depths, these small creatures feed on algae that grows on the rocks found in the caves in the lower areas of the alien ocean

These are starting to feel like real documentaries, love it man.

I feel a profound empathetic sadness as the Sea Emperors section came to a close with it singing somberly. She probably has been trapped there for hundreds of years, missing her family, her life essentially wasted in the depressing confines of that precursor "tomb". Really goes to show how cruel any species can be if advanced enough. I was wishing that she wasnt so old, so she could swim with her children and sing them to sleep at night. Your editing is top notch and really brings out the feels.

12:00 The reefbacks seem to be the first we see of a specific group of Leviathan Species, characterized by long, rear-facing tentacles that are presumably used for motion, a relatively bulky frame, and two claw-like appendages on the front of its underside that appear to work as both strong fins and formidable weapons. There are three leviathan species with such a body plan; The Reefbacks, The Sea Dragons, and the Sea Emperors.

Playing Subnautica is thus far the only time I legitimately couldn’t finish a game because of the phobias I suffer from. Specifically, thalassophobia.

For some reason, the Sea Emperor's death always strikes my heart like a missile. I tear up every time. They stayed there, alone, for so long waiting, hoping, that something or someone would come along to help their babies. When you finally do, they know they won't make it to see their babies thriving in the shallows, but they are so grateful you've helped. Agh, it just gets me, lol! Thanks to you, the player, the ecosystem is pretty much saved from mass extinction, and it's very impactful. There are very few games that touch my heart like this, and Subnautica actually made me fall more in love with our oceans on Earth! I have a much deeper respect and curiosity for life in our oceans now, and Subnautica's biology, while obviously otherwordly, has a faint semblence of realism in the sense that the creatures' evolutionary paths and traits make SENSE. I feel like this is super hard to accomplish, but the team did an incredible job!

12:05 "listening to them call out to each-other with complex sounds that suggest a surprising amount of intelligence" this is absolutely hilarious when you realise these sounds were recorded by just having the guy scream randomly into the mic, and then slowed it way down.

“Question is, is it friendly?” “Not friendly” Third time I’ve watched this and it still cracks me up. Love listening to these at work, makes the time fly!

I love the Sea Emperor. One of the biggest creatures you ever see in the game... but it's non-hostile towards you and intelligent enough that it can communicate with you. Before Al-An in Below Zero, it's the most intelligent creature you ever encounter.

I love how all the details in each lifeform are never just there to make it look cool. There's always an explanation and a purpose for everything.

There's plenty of channels that explains creatures in games and books like yours. But this format you have like an in-person documentary discovering countless organisms just hits the right spot! I absolutely love this format, please keep on doing it! Much lovee!!

The stalkers will pick up something and take it back to their "nest." They always return to the same place when they find something. Great way to gather their teeth is to put a few scrap metal around and watch them go back and forth. Some stalkers (or dogs as they're also called) will nest in mid water, dropping scrap metal only to have it fall to the seabed. These are the best dogs to harvest teeth from because you don't have to move the scrap metal around to get them to pick it up again.