Talk:Stasis Rifle/@comment-31189012-20170507233542

"Subnautica happens underwater. The tools that humans build by hand are generally for doing tasks on land, in the medium of air. Ever try swinging a hammer or ax underwater? It isn't easy. Even a knife requires a new understanding because nothing behaves the same underwater as it does above. Firing a gun underwater? Risky, and even if it doesn't suffer a catastrophic failure, that bullet's not going far with any kind of punch. But the game world as crafted explains why there are no weapons available; it's a limitation installed to create tension and difficulty, and one which is explained as part of the narrative.

Basically, everything about Subnautica revolves around taking humans out of the sphere of dominance we've built. We're the apex predators in our environment, but dump humans in the ocean and the dominance pyramid suddenly inverts for us, and now we're near the bottom of the food chain. You're vulnerable, weak, and nearly incapable of defense. You're in the wrong place, and it's that feeling of wrongness that drives a lot of the tension. In almost all games, we play the unstoppable badass. Subnautica gives you a taste of what it feels to be powerless - or at least at a severe disadvantage - and that's why it doesn't seem right to a lot of people. We want to be the shark, not the minnow. Well, in this game, you're now a prey organism. Hunter becomes hunted. And, like all prey, it's usually run or hide."