User blog:GamerMum68/Hey Mum look at this Monster!

Imagine being 18. Your fairly serious about gaming and see some vlogs about Subnautica, a game that promises some epic monster battles. So you load it up in creative on the pre release, kick some scaly alien butts and then have a great idea. This will scare the total crap out of your Mum, who also likes gaming but honestly is a bit of a wuss. So you call her up to have a quick go on the Xbox and she bugs out completely the first time a Reaper roars. But....... When the release date comes around she's re-thought things and decides it can't be all that bad, not really. So you get her downloading the game and sit back to enjoy the show.

Thanks Dan, I'll take it from here.........

So, whose actually playing this game. Well I am for one. I have to admit I'm hooked. Yup the Reapers scare the crap out of me but after one bit me then disappeared I thought I've got this. I played to the point that I see the Stalkers as nothing bad, actually I have one that I feed and is almost a pet. The Jelly Rays are cuter than kittens. Ampeels make me jump then I ignore them and the Crab squids look fantastic being sucked into a vortex. Then I met the Ghost Leviathan. I was trying to get some sulphur to upgrade my sub and the Prawn. One scream and I saved and went and had a lie down. But I went back, got the crystals, drilled it's face a few times in the attempt and got the hell out of there. By now you probably guessed I'm following the story so I worked out that after finding the research lab I needed to look for the containment facility. I also worked out I need to go looking somewhere around the volcano's somewhere. I've been doing it the hard way without looking for video's or wiki's but I hit a dead end. I found a volcano area but it didn't go far enough down to need the extra depth upgrades I'd made so I had a look for some clues. That's when I realised that nothing I've already done was anything to worry about. I don't want to finish. I don't care if I go green and die. Sod building rockets to escape.

I've played lots of games. I completed the original Doom and it's 100 add on levels in 5 days straight. I played Runescape for years. I love a good story and decent graphics and I hate letting a game beat me.

I honestly can't say when a game has really grabbed me the way that Subnautica has though. It's the scariest game I've ever played. The moment I realised I was standing on the deck of the Aurora feeling sad that all my shipmates were dead and she was burning was when I realised exactly how clever this game really is. Some parts I found really infuriating. I lost count of the times I asked some fish to please leave me alone because I just want some .........

It gets you on a subliminal level. The sound effects and the soundtrack work together to draw you into your surroundings. I'm not even playing on VR. The truth is everyone is playing Subnautica. It's one of those rare games that you connect with. Everything you manage to do gives you a real sense of satisfaction. Building the Cyclops is a massive achievement for someone who starts out endlessly diving and surfacing just to get enough resources to build a platform for a base. Whether your 15 or 50 it gets you hooked. It's also the only game EVER I have played for 24 hours straight. That's when Dan realised scaring Mum maybe wasn't such a great idea. Because however long it takes I will go and face that Sea Dragon. Or three. I'll die, I'll save a million times and I'll swear a LOT! But I'll do it because I can't leave one of the best games I have ever played, and I can't actually think of a better one right now. I owe it to those ship mates. I owe it to the Stalker I fed because she gave me a load of teeth. I also had to leave her all her salvage because it wasn't fair to take it from her. I owe it for the chance to swim in an Ocean that I couldn't do in real life. Something asked me (and I don't know what yet but I'm guessing I'll find out) What are you? Well I'm a Gamer and a Mum and a Fan because anything this good deserves playing by as many people as possible. Before I leave for Home I think I'll go back one last time and give that Stalker another Peeper. Then I'll gladly wave goodbye to the Reapers and the other Leviathans who have given me endless clammy hands and heart racing moments. Because it doesn't matter who you are. Anyone can play and get "submerged" in this amazing world under the waves.