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Which should I buy, The Forest or Subnautica? (PS4)

Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
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I'm in the mood for a crafty-survival game. and both these games have caught my eye in the past. Any survival game fans have any insights on these two, how satisfying the crafting/building is, and especially the PS4 versions when it comes to performance/UI?

Subnautica is $10 more than The Forest, but price is not that big of a deal to me.
 
sredgrin

sredgrin

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,276
Subnautica is a lot easier to get into
 
OP
OP
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
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PerrierChaud said:
Heard that Subnautica's performance on PS4 was less than stellar so I would avoid that one for sure
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whelp, i guess I'll find out

bZynvA0.jpg
 
TeenageFBI

TeenageFBI

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,241
Subnautica is a far more interesting game to me so I'd get in in spite of technical issues. I don't know how well it performs on PS4 though.

edit: HOORAY
 
ShinUltramanJ

ShinUltramanJ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,950
I would go with Subnautica. I love the aquatic theme far more, and the variety of alien life is more interesting.
 
TheClaw7667

TheClaw7667

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,705
Subnautica for sure. It's the best survival game I've played and it uses its underwater setting perfectly.
 

Deleted member 5549

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,198
while subnautica was a great choice, it's not really performing well on the ps4. it got better, but for the majority of the game, I was waiting for the world to finish loading. at some point, I didn't care anymore and took shortcuts through the holes.

the forest is more of a robust experience, but depending on where you want to settle, you might end up having a bad time.

anyway, both are worth it!
 
klastical

klastical

Member
Oct 29, 2017
4,712
Subnautica is the only survival game I've ever played for more than like 5 hours. It's an incredible experience despite dragging on for a bit too long at the end.

Ps4 performance isnt great (that's what I played it on) but its still a fantastic game and it's worth playing despite the loading issues your going to encounter.
 
Clowns

Clowns

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,869
unless you like hunger/thirst meters, I'd play the mode that doesn't include them.
really wish I had for my playthrough :/
 
TeenageFBI

TeenageFBI

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,241
Clowns said:
unless you like hunger/thirst meters, I'd play the mode that doesn't include them.
really wish I had for my playthrough :/
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I generally hate hunger/thirst meters yet I leave them on in Subnautica. The meters empty slowly enough to not be a problem and I enjoy the occasional meal prep before a big journey. There are even a few fun tech improvements that would mean very little with hunger disabled.

edit: Oh, and I like how each fish type gives different nutrient values with in-universe explanations in the journal.
 
Fisty

Fisty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,224
The Forest is a fantastic experience and I highly recommend circling back to it in the future. I can even help get your bearings in The Forest PS4 if need be, I'm always available to help a good boy
 
Nephilim

Nephilim

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,282
Thinking of buying Subnautica on PS4..
Has performance been improved on PS4 since release?
 
Elandyll

Elandyll

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,822
Subnautica.

I have played it to completion on both PC and PS4, and although it has a few performance problems on console it is still very enjoyable, and one of the beat survival games available on the market imo.
 
Aaron D.

Aaron D.

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,326
Subnautica along with The Long Dark are the two best survival sims available on console, imo.

Subnautica is more forgiving and sports a really novel & atmospheric space.

TLD is more punishing but just as gorgeous with grounded, authentic survival conditions and mechanics.
 
SunBroDave

SunBroDave

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,157
Report back with impressions OP. Subnautica is in-fucking-credible and I'd give anything to wipe my memory and experience it all for the first time again
 
Vex

Vex

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,213
Never played the other but I liked subnautica and all but once I found out there was literally ZERO combat? I dropped it. Im not a fan of running from enemies all the fucking time. Id rather stand and fight sometimes at least.
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,051
Nephilim said:
Ok.
And which one of those two games do you recommend?
I like both settings by the way.
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I've not played The Forest but Subnautica is really good. It does a good job of leading you on towards what you have to do next, and the game world is huge, especially when you start going down deeper and deeper. It also feels really unique as you spend almost all your time in the water and it has a very real feeling of fear as you can't see around you and there are a lot of sounds in the ocean. I've probably only played about 18 hours and I don't think I've gotten very far yet, but as someone who doesn't really like survival games I found it really good and fun to keep playing.
 
Box

Box

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,629
Lancashire
Loved Subnautica and I'm playing the EA of Below Zero at the moment. Read that the story as it is now is being overhauled so figured I should dip a toe.
Both great games and BZ will be incredible when it's released.
I'd love a new engine to celebrate new consoles or something. The LOD shifts that plague both games even maxed are jarring af and the atmosphere aside from this one thing is top notch. The claustrophobia remains untouched, not even Alien Isolation tops it imho, and Subnautica is the one survival game where I don't instantly want to turn all the survival shit off.

Vex said:
Never played the other but I liked subnautica and all but once I found out there was literally ZERO combat? I dropped it. Im not a fan of running from enemies all the fucking time. Id rather stand and fight sometimes at least.
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Are you in this thread? :p

 
Xero grimlock

Xero grimlock

Member
Dec 1, 2017
2,946
Vex said:
Never played the other but I liked subnautica and all but once I found out there was literally ZERO combat? I dropped it. Im not a fan of running from enemies all the fucking time. Id rather stand and fight sometimes at least.
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I mean you can kill anything in subnuatic, but the game very clearly shows it not the point of the game.
 
Serpens007

Serpens007

Well, Tosca isn't for everyone
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Oct 31, 2017
8,129
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Subnautica is one of my favorite experiences of the gen. Sometimes the soundtrack pops in the shuffle and makes me want to come back to the game again
 

Deleted member 7148

Oct 25, 2017
6,827
You made the right choice. Subnautica is one of the best games of the decade.
 
Genetrik

Genetrik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,733
Subnautica is one of the best experiences I had this entire console generation. Just wait for that feeling OP when you get a certain thing in the game. It will be one of the best feelings you ever had in gaming.

Regarding the forrest: subnautica is the only survival game I played and loved so far. After I had finished it, I bought "the long dark" but couldn't get it into it. Should I give it another chance?

I also had the forrest on my wish list but based on some of the answers here I should skip it if I am only playing solo?
 
Dusk Golem

Dusk Golem

Local Horror Enthusiast
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,804
The Forest is not bad, I've had a lot of fun in it with friends.

But Subnautica is legitimately one of the best survival games made to date, and has my full recommendation. The only thing The Forest has over Subnautica is that you can play The Forest with friends. But if friend play isn't a factor, Subnautica is legitimately excellent and raises the bar for Survival games, while The Forest is competently made and good even but still just another survival game. If that's what you want though, I would say The Forest does happen to be one of the best "normal survival games" made, and it is completed which is another bonus.

I sang Subnautica praises here on Era a few years ago. Though the thread gets a bit messy due to one of the composers at the time, who's since been fired from the company though. But I word what I loved so much about it in the OP at least.

EDIT: I just noticed it was a bump'd thread, but I will keep this here for posterity.

Nephilim said:
Thinking of buying Subnautica on PS4..
Has performance been improved on PS4 since release?
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The worst thing about Subnautica is that it's optimization is eh, even on PC and such. Ultimately I do think it's worth pushing through as the experience is worth it. I believe it's been patched some, but I bet it still has a lot of problems in terms of pop-in and frame drops.
 
Arukado

Arukado

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,299
Fat4all, give The Forest a chance as well if you haven't already.

I purchased it last year without knowing much about it and was one of my favorite games of 2019. The perfect mix of horror, action, exploration, jank and a blast with friends.
 
OP
OP
Fat4all

Fat4all

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Oct 25, 2017
92,863
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Arukado said:
Fat4all, give The Forest a chance as well if you haven't already.

I purchased it last year without knowing much about it and was one of my favorite games of 2019. The perfect mix of horror, action, exploration, jank and a blast with friends.
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I bought it as soon as i saw the trailer for Sons of the Forest, i knew a bit about The Forest before but the sequel announcement pushed me over the edge

im really excited to get into it, ive been craving a new survival game anyways

and that trailer for the sequel was fantastic
 
Rimkrak

Rimkrak

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,832
Haven't played Subnautica, but the Forest is really good imo. Played it twice to completion, once with 3 friends in coop and once solo. Great game

Edit: oh I see you bought it already :) If you ever need a coop survivor hit me up, I really love this game :) Also I totally forgot about that sequel trailer, can't wait
 

Deleted member 31873

Banned
Nov 8, 2017
3,532
I bought both games a while ago:

I don't really get the praise for Subnautica? It looks fine, but all I seem to do is wait for radio signals, then go to a location, then return. Inventory management is a chore; I now have about 20 boxes floating outside my pod. I have the ability to build a base, but I literally haven't found anywhere to build one that seems to offer any real advantages over the pod location. Getting food and water is a constant chore; I'm constantly having to search around to find bladder fish to make water bottles. Honestly, I'm enjoying Conan Exiles as a single player game a lot more than Subnautica, and I know they're very different games, but Conan Exiles has terrible reviews. Does Subnautica get any more interesting? Not sure if it's worth continuing with it.

As for The Forest, I haven't played it yet because the plan is to play it co-op with my buddy once we're both done with Conan Exiles. I'm really looking forward to it though!
 

FancyPants

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
707
The Forest is good, but Subnautica is a wonderful, wonderful experience. One of my favorite games of that year. You really can't go wrong there.


I don't really get the praise for Subnautica? It looks fine, but all I seem to do is wait for radio signals, then go to a location, then return. Inventory management is a chore; I now have about 20 boxes floating outside my pod. I have the ability to build a base, but I literally haven't found anywhere to build one that seems to offer any real advantages over the pod location. Getting food and water is a constant chore; I'm constantly having to search around to find bladder fish to make water bottles.
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wow... I don't like to be that guy, but you're not playing it right mate. Having 20 boxes floating around and you're not seeing the point in having a base? You're supposed to leave the pod behind and start upgrading shit in your base. After a few hours inventory and oxygen/food stuff should be a non-issue, and after a while you'll venture out to explore larger and larger areas. The radio messages are only a small part of the game.
 
Last_colossi

Last_colossi

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
4,253
Australia
Fat4all said:
I bought it as soon as i saw the trailer for Sons of the Forest, i knew a bit about The Forest before but the sequel announcement pushed me over the edge
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giphy.gif


I just finished googling and apparently that was announced at the TGA's?, I only caught the end of it so I guess I missed that part...

I enjoyed The Forest (especially in coop) but I absolutely loved Subnautica, the story and exploration were just spectacular. Although the performance on PS4 was so bad during my playthrough that a couple of times when I was lost in a cave system I'd deliberately drive fast in one direction with the seamoth so the game couldn't load the terrain correctly, I'd then drive outside the map as a shortcut to my base... It worked surprisingly well lol.
 
Arukado

Arukado

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,299
Fat4all said:
I bought it as soon as i saw the trailer for Sons of the Forest, i knew a bit about The Forest before but the sequel announcement pushed me over the edge

im really excited to get into it, ive been craving a new survival game anyways

and that trailer for the sequel was fantastic
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I remember that the first thing i said after beating it was "we need a sequel", so the reveal at the TGA was a wish come true for me.

I hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
 
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