Subnautica 2D - Complete!

I finally finished my Subnautica 2D adaptation project! Here's an excerpt from my adaptation document where I reflect on the project:

I’m happy with the result of this adaptation. As was inevitable, Subnautica had its own unique set of challenges compared to Resident Evil – notably dealing with my idea for the layout of the world, as well as dealing with the fact that the original Subnautica has a freely-controllable first-person perspective. This has a knock-on effect on the world and level design, as well as how certain mechanics work, as the player can’t aim and interact with objects in the same way. However, the 2D perspective meant I had more control over what the players can and can’t see, and it was useful not having to design a world in which the player can look at from every angle as this would have been time consuming; instead, I could focus on implementing gameplay and mechanics etc.

As I mentioned earlier, Barry Purves’ talk inspired me to go with making the game a sidescroller even though RE2D was also a sidescroller, as the change would have been arbitrary, and I had good reasons to go with what that format – specifically, the ability to dive down. I still think this was the right decision as being able to move vertically is so important to the gameplay and real vertical movement conveys real depth. I feel as though I’ve captured the essence of the original game, while also preserving the original’s goal of everything contributing to exploration, discovery, and the thrill of the unknown, despite the differences in immersion between a first-person experience and a 2D sidescrolling experience.

This project also solidified that creating a playable demo is extremely useful. I started the demo earlier than I did with RE2D meaning which helped me see which ideas made sense. However, I decided to leave talking about changes I made from my plans to the Proof of Concept section, because it’s a useful way of showing how my plans changed from the initial idea. I think this is more useful and interesting than changing this document on the fly to match whatever I go with in the end, especially if things don’t work out as intended which is what happened here.

Finally, my future projects. Though choosing to keep the game a sidescroller ended up being the right choice, I think it’s important that I do explore other 2D formats to explore the medium more thoroughly. In particular, I want to try adapting a game into the top-down format. Even with these two finished projects both being similar formats, it’s been incredibly interesting to see how having the limits of 2D along with using a fully realised game as a base to analyse and adapt can prompt deep dives into every aspect of game design. As I’m writing this conclusion, I’ve actually already started on my next project… we’re going to be taking a trip to Skyrim

That's all for Subnautica 2D. See you in the next one!