Key Preview Takeaways:
- It’s essentially Jacques Cousteau by way of The Adventures of Flapjack.
- Nautus feels, in many ways, like a careful mash-up between Steamworld Dig and Subnautica.
- Gameplay above the surface is cozy, but when you take your submersible under the sea, it becomes a Metroidvania-inspired survival-action game.
To be a cozy game is to embrace all things chill and atmospheric, finding comfort in routine and bonding with a growing community of characters, taking it one day at a time. With the upcoming Nautus from developer Magic Design Studios, it’s bringing those chill vibes to a tropical island setting where the waters below hide long-held secrets, and some quirky friends will help you uncover them. It’s a delightfully weird concept with some interesting ideas, all channeled in the style of a classic Cartoon Network animated show that brings the world to life.
Just ahead of Gamescom 2026 and the upcoming closed-beta launch, we got some hands-on time with Nautus and its offbeat aquatic world filled with deep-sea wonders. Along with some solid playtime, we also got to speak with game designer Damian Carmona about the making of Nautus, and how they’re following up on Have a Nice Death’s cutesy-gothic setting of the afterlife with a new world that’s a bit more folksy and tropical and has many underwater secrets to uncover.
Nautus and its colorful aquatic survival crafting adventure is essentially Jacques Cousteau by way of The Adventures of Flapjack. Taking on the role of a young explorer of the deep, you’re brought to the seemingly tranquil faraway island in search of your lost uncle. After meeting the strange-but-totally-chill locals who are trying to get their community back on its feet, you’re soon given access to an underwater submersible that can steadily explore the waters below. But to reach the lowest depths to uncover the mystery of the island and the underwater world, you’ll need to power up your mini-submarine and empower the community on the surface to make it happen.
The developer’s previous work on the cult-hit 2D action-roguelike Have a Nice Death – another game with a charming, cartoon-inspired visual style – was something of a stepping stone for their turn to Nautus, but mostly for the new opportunity to go for something more colorful and upbeat. Speaking with game designer Damian Carmona during our playthrough, he explained why the shift to a tropical island setting made for a compelling change of pace.
“We’re going on very different adventures with Nautus, when it comes to tone and all that. We’re very proud of Have a Nice Death, but we wanted to change it a little bit from the gothic style and the black and white visuals to go for something a bit more colorful, and the ocean is a very colorful setting,” said the game director. “We said, ‘Hey, let’s make a game in this ocean setting.’ It just came to life with a lot of interactions with the world, and of course for the survival, crafting, and exploration gameplay as well.”
Diving into Nautus, I was immediately taken in by the island’s surface world, a colorful, stylized setting that felt like stepping into a living cartoon series. I was also surprised to see that the game feels, in many ways, like a careful mash-up between Steamworld Dig and Subnautica. It takes to the survival-crafting structure well, with the need to collect wood and other resources to build crafting benches and meet other needs to keep the surface HUB in working order, while also ensuring you’re prepared to dive. There’s a certain craft — literally in this game’s case – to explore the depths below, and you’ll need to prepare to make that transition.
Within the opening missions I played, Nautus really leans into building up a community of quirky islanders while also powering up my submersible to reach depths below without it being crushed by pressure. Much like Steamworld Dig, the core focus in Nautus is to empower your protagonist’s suite of tools and network of friends. With better tools, crafting skills, and people to lean on for insight and some witty one-liners, you’ll become more of a capable explorer of the deep. One of my favorite characters was Umiko, the elderly mechanic who tasks you with repairing the submersible station and also gives you larger goals. She can be a bit aloof, but she’s one of your best allies in the adventure, and once you help get her hearing aid back that sank into the waters below, then you’ll get on her good side.
It was interesting to learn that, in addition to cartoons, the developers were also inspired by The Office TV series when it came to fleshing out a weird cast of characters orbiting your protagonist. Along with Umiko and Mitchell – a carefree islander who runs the undersea gear shop – you also get to meet the ancient island deity that will grant you the necessary upgrades to survive the depths below. Coming back to the surface after dives felt like returning to a safe but oddball haven where aloof inhabitants go about their chill lives, all while long, dark secrets lie hidden below. That’s where Nautus’ core gameplay takes a strange but interesting turn as it shifts into a survival experience.
When controlling your submersible, Nautus transitions to a Metroidvania-inspired survival-action game where you have to carefully navigate hazardous zones and face off against hostile aquatic life. While this isn’t a big tonal shift like Dredge or Subnautica, which tapped into sudden horror elements, Nautus still aims for an eerie vibe on its undersea jaunts. In addition to the hostiles, you’ll still have to manage your submersible’s energy, along with oxygen for your diver when they need to go solo. This, of course, ties into your goal: explore the underwater world as deep as you can to find lost artifacts and clues about where your lost uncle went.
I really enjoyed exploring the undersea world of Nautus, and many of the surface world elements build up to the moments when you’ll take these dives. It’s eerie to explore, but also alluring and colorful, with different biomes transitioning into slightly more alien-like seascapes. It brings the expressive and detailed visual style to a new level, and Nautus’ undersea worlds are some of the most captivating locales I’ve seen in a survival-crafting game.
For the developers, the making of this undersea world was all about keeping the surface’s inviting atmosphere, but also ensuring that it was a clear contrast to it to make for an alluring setting to explore – one that you can steadily explore at your own pace.
“We like to think of Nautus as combining the thrill and mystery of submarine exploration you might find in something like Subnautica with a much more relaxed surface experience, where the player can prepare and progress at their own pace,” said Carmona. “The experience we’re aiming for is really that rhythm between the two – to take your time on the surface, prepare for an expedition, then dive back into the depths to explore somewhere stranger and more dangerous than before.”
From this early hands-on with Nautus, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the interesting balance that developer Magid Design Studios is pulling off. Survival-crafting games can be somewhat challenging to find your groove with, especially for the long term, but I was really taken in by how chill and cozy Nautus’ tone was. It’s not just an expressive, cartoon-inspired world that feels inviting and fun to sit with; it also has some really clever, well-developed survival-action elements that feel exciting to get in step with.
If you’re looking for a new survival-crafting game, then you won’t have to wait too long, as the closed beta test will kick off on August 31, with sign-ups starting now on Steam. Nautus’ cartoon world is a compelling adventure to take in, and I want to see more of it in the full release.
While you’re here, check out these previews of other big upcoming games we’ve played recently!
Alessandro Fillari is a longtime games media professional. Talk video games with him on BlueSky at @afillari.bsky.social.
