Development of Subnautica 2 has taken a bit of a back seat in the minds of players ever since the Unknown Worlds founders’ lawsuit began. But a recent dev blog not only reveals that business has been carrying on as usual but also shows players a first look at a new kind of Leviathan coming to Subnautica 2: the Collector Leviathan.
When designing the Collector, it was important to the dev team that it would be “distinct from Leviathans in our previous Subnautica games,” Cory Strader, the visual development lead, explains in the dev diary. “We started with multiple rounds of quick, low-detail thumbnail sketches, exploring a wide range of shapes and silhouettes. And out of all of the designs, this Cthulhu-inspired beast resonated with the team.”
It certainly looks like the kind of thing that would make my soul leave my body while venturing too far into the deep waters of Subnautica. And crucially, it doesn’t just look terrifying; it’s also extremely dangerous to players.
“Our main goal with creatures was to make them feel reactive,” Antonio Munoz Gallego, gameplay lead engineer, says. “The creature is constantly re-evaluating the situation in real time.”
According to the design brief that was shared during the dev diary, the Collector Leviathan is “Intelligent but easily irritable, it disdains players, tadpoles, tridents, and anything it does not recognise.” It’ll spawn in the sparse plains about 20-25,000 units away from the player once they enter this area, and “It has four tentacles to grab, crush, swat, and terrify players,” Strader adds.
It may sound suitably terrifying, but there are ways to predict and escape from this beast. It will apparently communicate its mood with clear sounds, making it easy for players to know when they’ve pissed it off. You can also hide from the Collector, although it will look for you for a few minutes. Then, if you manage to get away once you’ve put 45,000 units of distance between the two of you, it will despawn. So good luck and godspeed to those who have to outrun it.
Unfortunately, there’s more of a gruesome fate for those who don’t manage to get away. Game designer Louis Karim lays out the set piece for players taken by the Collector and what it will look like to be gobbled up by it.
While senior technical animator Stefaan Sorensen reveals that he apparently perfected the tentacle grab: “When the tentacle grabs the player, or vehicle, when all the systems are working together, this provides a fairly cool visual experience.” So, at the very least, players will be treated to a cool scene in their final moments.
