Is the canon ending done?

[Tanchyon]

Haven't bought the game yet and have had a little bit of a look for an answer but honestly people are posting so many story spoilers that I'd rather just ask. I was going to buy this months ago but IIRC they said something about acknowledging that people weren't happy with how the story panned out and they were going to rework it.

Is this correct? Did they rework it? Is it done?

[Coops]

You are correct, they did rework the story and the story is done.
But, as is always the case, there are people who are not happy with the final version either.
To be honest, there are plot holes and other problems with the story, but the game is playable and in its final form.

[admiral1018]

IMO, it isn't "done" so much as they just stopped working on it. The story has major issues, and the game lets you complete it without even doing anything related to the main story and your original purpose for coming to the planet. To me that's an incomplete narrative, but it's not going to change at this point.

The story is by far the weakest part of this game, so I'd only recommend getting this if you are more into the other parts of the Subnautica experience (exploration, base building, etc.).

[*|PEZ|* Merivio]

I'm inclined to agree with ^. Although the individual plot-related encounters are very well-polished, the integrity of the plot as a whole is... Well let's just say there are many elements that don't sit right with me.

You piece it together sort of like a jigsaw puzzle, which can be a little jarring if you end up at the conclusion before you get some of the other pertinent pieces. I think that is the best way I can describe it.

As a whole, not as good as the original, but still enjoyable all-the-same.

[Hatman]

The story only becomes a problem if you spoil your experience with reading reviews, forums or watching lets plays.
You can complete the game without completing your intial objective, yes.
But if you go in blind you're not aware of that. And there comes a point where the game specifically tells that you reached a point of no return and should conclude all other business before going down that path.
I decided early to simply stop following Below Zero's early access progress and come back when it's finished. Recently i went in blind and had great time with the game. Was hooked from start to finish. Bit different than Subnautica, but not worse at all.
(Although the Snowfox is indeed completely useless. XD)

[HeTiCu7]

I agree with Hatman, except that I did start the game when it came out with it's first major update, long before it was finished. At first I did not even know it was the same planet as SbN, just a different part of, so I had no expectations about the story being connected or incomplete. IOW, I was not comparing BZ to SbN.

Since I was interested in the mechanics, exploration and adventure at least as much as the story, I just accepted how the story went, and ended up. I also think that if you just "go in blind" and don't place expectations on it, it can be enjoyed completely.

Btw, if you end up liking the music from BZ (and the soundtrack can make or break any game or movie) try loading all 54 songs from BZ, and all 27 from SbN into your favorite music software, and jamming out to it while playing another game. Awesome!

[*|PEZ|* Merivio]

Well I can’t really talk about my specific gripes with the plot without spoilers, so I won’t. I will say I only started playing a couple months before release, by which point the story was practically in its finished state. I also did not look through these forums until after my first playthrough.

[Tanchyon]

Thankyou all for your input, it's been a long wait but I am happy to hear that there's nothing left for me to wait for!