10 Most Effective Jump Scares In Sci-Fi Video Games
3. Subnautica - The Reaper Leviathan
You may be looking at the above photo - which depicts an appropriately-named Reaper Leviathan getting the drop on some poor soul's submersible - and be wondering how the hell something so big managed to sneak up on the person manning the vehicle.
Reader, it's a question I've asked myself many times during my time with Subnautica.
Like Alien: Isolation's xenomorph, the Reaper Leviathan makes its way onto this list not for any one scare in particular. Rather, it's here because I can guarantee that, at some point in your playthrough of Unknown Worlds' oceanic masterpiece, you will disregard the advice of Blue Oyster Cult and fear the Reaper (Leviathan).
Unlike the xenomorph, there are a number of Reaper Leviathans populating the world of Subnautica, and all of them pose a severe threat to the player. Reapers move far faster than their size suggests, and the first time one rushes at you like a toothy torpedo it will catch you out and devour you before you're done panicking.
Like any shock tactic, it loses its effectiveness the more times it occurs. But you'll never forget the first time the Reaper sent you to Davy Jones' locker.