Menus in Subnautica and No Man’s Sky
Why one works and the other doesn’t
10 min readMar 11, 2018
On paper, Subnautica and No Man’s Sky are quite similar: you start off with minimal equipment and a damaged vehicle, have to scavenge for resources while surviving in an often hostile environment and both are set in expansive worlds which encourage free exploration, while weaving a scripted story into the player’s activities and achievements…