The main objectives of the game include surviving the variety of alien creatures and finding a way off of the planet. However, the game offers chances to explore areas of the map and to build structures and vehicles. Subnautica gives players a balance between completing objectives, freely exploring, and building. The Aurora’s travel was funded by the Alterra Corporation. This corporation comes into play in the game frequently, as the lifepod that Robinson was on is made by that same corporation as are the tools used to craft and build structures. Using Alterra equipment, the player can mine materials and build bases that serve uses in having crafting items and storage but can also host many aesthetic items. Players can make beds, desks, vending machines, and little plants that serve no use in reaching an objective. This allows the game to not feel as robotic, where the player is put on a linear path to go from objective to objective. Instead, the player has the opportunity to create bases aesthetically, making them feel more personalized and homier. Additionally, the player can craft various mobility vehicles to move faster around the large map and to reach deeper depths in the game, which many of the game’s objectives and rarer items for crafting are found at lower depths. These low depths are not reachable by the player at the very start of the game, so the player must improve and craft items to get closer towards the end of the game.