Voices from Beyond

-![Mongolian settlement](Mongolian_settlement.webp)+| Feature | Details |+| --- | --- |+| **Type** | Audio Drama Series |+| **Episodes** | 5 |+| **Release Date** | November 25th, 2025 - March 26th, 2026 |+| **Running Time** | 3 - 4 min. per episode |+| **Director** | Scott MacDonald |+| **Writer** | Seth Dickinson |+| **Companies** | Unknown Worlds, KRAFTON, Power Up Audio, Vox Point LLC, Dave & Dave Recording Studios, BOND Agency |  -**Voices from Beyond** is a short-form audio drama series set in the *Subnautica* universe, released as part of the promotional campaign leading up to the release of *Subnautica 2*. Set after both *Subnautica* and *Subnautica: Below Zero*, the series follows a Mongolian family of three: a father, mother, and their newborn daughter. As political tensions rise and a mysterious outbreak threatens their way of life, the couple must decide if following their dreams is worth the risk.+***Voices from Beyond*** is a short-form audio drama series set in the *Subnautica* universe, released as part of the promotional campaign leading up to the release of *Subnautica 2*. Set after both *Subnautica* and *Subnautica: Below Zero*, the series follows a Mongolian family of three: a father, mother, and their newborn daughter. As political tensions rise and a mysterious outbreak threatens their way of life, the couple must decide if following their dreams is worth the risk.   The story is told primarily through diegetic audio, with both the audience and the characters learning key information from radio broadcasts. The series’ sole visual component comes in the form of a largely-static backdrop. For the first four episodes, this is the room in which the family’s radio is kept. Details in the backdrop change between episodes, reflecting advancements in the story as well as the passage of time. For the final episode, the backdrop is changed to an Alterran seabase.  -## Series Information+![Mongolian Settlement](Mongolian_settlement.webp)  -| Field | Details |-| :--- | :--- |-| **Episode Count** | 5 |-| **Director** | Scott MacDonald |-| **Assistant Director** | Donya Abramo |-| **Writer** | Seth Dickinson |-| **Running Time** | 3 - 4 min. per episode |-| **Release Dates** | November 25th, 2025 - March 26th, 2026 |-| **Production Companies** | Unknown Worlds, KRAFTON, Power Up Audio, Vox Point LLC, Dave & Dave Recording Studios, BOND Agency |-  ## Episodes   ### Episode 1: Don't Fear-**Release Date:** November 25th, 2025  -[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9On9vY7bJNM)+**Release Date:** November 25th, 2025   > "A young family begins their life as part of a Mongolian settlement on an alien planet. Uncertainty surrounds them as a not-so-distant threat creeps ever closer."   A Mongolian singer performs over the radio as a man, the father of a small Mongolian family, enters the room and tunes into a couple stations. The first radio station, a news broadcast, discusses Alterra’s recent surveying of the planet Zezura, having found it to have desert-like conditions that clash with Alterra’s previous claims that Zezura would be perfect for its pioneer program. A co-anchor mocks Alterra for its failure, recalling how the transgov previously called the Mongolian Independent States "crazy" for settling in the Ariadne Arm. The rant is cut short by the father tuning into the next station, the Intergalactic Intellectual Radio Hour. The host introduces Ryley Robinson, sole survivor of the *Aurora* crash, who has since become a household name and published author. Before Ryley can speak, the father is interrupted by his wife knocking on the door, reminding him that it is their child’s bedtime. After singing a lullaby, the father returns to the radio, tuning back into the first station just as the news anchor reports on a mysterious bacterium.   ### Episode 2: Dreamers-**Release Date:** December 19th, 2025  -[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GikWaE4qDT4)+**Release Date:** December 19th, 2025   > "The situation surrounding the Mongolian Settlement is beginning to look dire. People are fleeing. But with so much on the line, will this young family follow suit or hold tight to their dreams?"   As his daughter babbles in the background, the father tunes into three radio stations: First, a news anchor reporting on Alterra’s colonization efforts in the Ariadne Arm and the mass exodus of Mongolians amidst an outbreak; second, a speaker calling for unity among Mongolian settlers in the fight against Alterra; third, a public service announcement recommending the avoidance of anyone coughing, sneezing, or displaying cysts on the skin. The father, concerned by the worsening outbreak and political instability, suggests to his wife that it may be worth reconsidering their current plans. The wife, not wanting to abandon their mutual dreams, disagrees. Their argument is cut short by their daughter looking to be held.   **Visual Changes:**-*   A sippy cup replaces the baby bottle.-*   Improvement in the child's art.-*   Budding flowers appear.-*   A poster for Alterra's pioneer program replaces the reef artwork.-*   Outside the window, the settlement has gone dark, and several doors and windows have been boarded up.+*   A sippy cup in lieu of a baby bottle+*   Improvement in the child's art+*   Budding flowers+*   A poster for Alterra's pioneer program replacing the reef artwork+*   Outside the window, the settlement has gone dark, and several doors and windows have been boarded up   ### Episode 3: Pioneer-**Release Date:** January 29th, 2026  -[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWemleKL8oM)+**Release Date:** January 29th, 2026   > "Havoc is being wreaked across the Ariadne Arm. A difficult order is enacted, changing the trajectory for the Mongolian Independent States. Is Zezura the light at the end of the tunnel?"   Over the radio, Admiral Rathine Studaber reports that the Kharaa bacterium is spreading across the Ariadne Arm at an unprecedented pace, with "mutated xenomorphs" posing a threat to all who live there. The abandonment of the Ariadne Arm seems imminent, but Admiral Studaber suggests that there is still hope, as the Frontiersmen are en route to help stop the spread. Her rally for support is abruptly cut off when the station is changed to a fearmongering advertisement for Alterra's Pioneer Program, looking for volunteers who will travel to Zezura aboard the starship *Cicada*. As the advertisement devolves into static, the station is flipped back to Admiral Studaber, who declares martial law across the Mongolian Independent States. Hearing enough, the father turns off the radio, and insists to his wife that he sign up for the Pioneer Program and travel to Zezura. The two argue, but eventually make a deal: he will travel to Zezura and create a home for his family there, while she stays and tries to make their dream ranch work; if not, she will join him. The father then comforts his tearful daughter, who has overheard the entire conversation, telling her that he will always be with her.   **Visual Changes:**-*   Maps and calendars replace the child's art.-*   Flowers are blooming.-*   A poster advertising Zezura appears.-*   A book on how to terraform new worlds and various notes are visible.-*   Outside the window, the state of the settlement has worsened, with some homes put up for sale and others stripped down to their frames.+*   Maps and calendars replacing the child's art+*   Blooming flowers+*   A poster advertising Zezura+*   A book on how to terraform new worlds+*   Various notes+*   Outside the window, the state of the settlement has worsened, with some homes put up for sale and others stripped down to their frames   ### Episode 4: Lost-**Release Date:** February 26th, 2026  -[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siGulNnnjyA)+**Release Date:** February 26th, 2026   > "Mom and daughter are enjoying a quiet moment together cooking at home when some breaking news shakes the foundations of their entire world."   Sometime after the *Cicada*'s launch, mother and daughter are spending time together while the radio plays music in the background. As the two bond over preparing food, the music dissolves into static as the radio adjusts to a new frequency: a news broadcast reporting that after multiple failed attempts to make contact, Alterra has declared that the *Cicada* has been lost in space. Startled by what she hears, the mother hurries over to the radio, soon accompanied by her daughter. The two break down in tears, fearing the father lost forever.   **Visual Changes:**-*   All lights are turned off.-*   Child's art replaces the calendar.-*   Various items show signs of wear.-*   Flowers are dying.-*   Outside the window, not a single building remains intact.+*   All lights being turned off+*   Child's art replacing the calendar+*   Various items showing signs of wear+*   Dying flowers+*   Outside the window, not a single building remains intact   ### Episode 5: Mayday-**Release Date:** March 26th, 2026  -[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ob0rENhasA)+**Release Date:** March 26th, 2026   > "A distress call from the Cicada repeats in the dark. But is it being received by anyone?"   In what appears to be a derelict Alterran seabase, a radio repeats a distress call from the *Cicada*. According to the call, the *Cicada* made an "unscheduled phasegate transit" to an unknown location after the ship's AI, NoA, detected a signal. Following the phasegate jump, the *Cicada* began to break up in the atmosphere of a gas giant's moon, risking the lives of all 40,000 personnel aboard. As the radio continues to repeat the distress call, the sound of creaking metal, breaking glass, and rushing water can be heard, and an unknown creature swims past the window.   ## Voice Cast   *   **Dad / Mongolian Politician**: Griffin Puatu *   **Mom / Alterra Engineer**: Hester Lee *   **Daughter / Singer**: Jessika Van *   **Baby / Young Daughter**: Nell Barnes *   **Podcast Host / Ryley Robinson**: Dan Gordon *   **Radio News Host #1 / PSA Announcer / Admiral Rathine Studaber**: Emily O’Brien *   **Radio News Host #2 / Alterra Advertiser**: Townsend Coleman   ## Gallery   *   [Don’t Fear (Episode #1)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9On9vY7bJNM) *   [Dreamers (Episode #2)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GikWaE4qDT4) *   [Pioneer (Episode #3)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWemleKL8oM) *   [Lost (Episode #4)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siGulNnnjyA) *   [Mayday (Episode #5)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ob0rENhasA)   ## Trivia   *   Episode #1 of *Voices from Beyond* marks the first time that Ryley Robinson has spoken. Previously, various grunts for the character were recorded for *Subnautica* by Simon Chylinski, who has since been replaced as the voice of Ryley. *   One of the child's drawings in Episode #2 depicts a Spinner Fish. *   The Keep Calm Poster makes an appearance in the background of the first four episodes. *   The credits theme at the end of Episode #5 bears a striking resemblance to *In Search of Familiar Harmonies*, the end credits theme of *Subnautica: Below Zero*.