Sub-Terrania (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive) - Let's Play 1001 Games - Episode 84
10When aliens invade with their most vicious creatures, toughest robots, and weirdest giant heads... you've got to fight to survive!
If you liked this video consider supporting the series ► https://www.patreon.com/GamingJay1001
Follow me on Twitter ► https://twitter.com/GamingJay1001
Check out the website ► http://letsplay1001.com/
Check out the book ► http://www.amazon.com/1001-Video-Games-Must-Before/dp/0789320908
I'm Gaming Jay: Youtube gamer, let's player, retrogaming fan, and determined optimist... Join me in this series while I try out EVERY game in the book 1001 VIDEO GAMES YOU MUST PLAY BEFORE YOU DIE, before I die. The game review for each game will focus on the question of whether you MUST play this game before you die. But to be honest, the game reviews are just for fun, this series is more about the YouTube gamer journey. Let's try out those classic retro games we grew up with, have fond memories of, or heard of but never got a chance to try! And with that said, the game review for today is...
Sub-Terrania
Released 1993
Developer(s) Zyrinx
Platform(s) Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
Genre(s) Shooter
Jay's Thoughts
Sub-Terrania is a descendent of an old game called Thrust. In Thrust, you have to pilot a ship through a series of caverns and explore a series of levels while defeating enemies. Sub-Terrania is basically that same game concept only wildly updated and given a real "Sega" feel. And by that, I mean it has a sort of gritty 16-bit soundtrack and tough looking pixel graphics. In terms of presentation, Sub-Terrania is a classic Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game that completely captures the look and feel of 1990's Sega.
In terms of gameplay, Sub-Terrania has you piloting around caves and fighting various random enemies in search of power ups and your mission objectives. One nice thing about this game is that it does have some neat looking mission briefings and some variety in terms of mission objectives on each level. I like this, because it keeps levels from feeling too stale or too repetitive. As in Thrust, while you pilot around the caves gravity will constantly be acting against you to pull you to the ground, and this is where my biggest issue with the game comes from. I've said this for other reviews but this gravity mechanic makes piloting your ship very difficult (at least for me!) There's some reprieve from gravity in a series of tracks that are strewn about the caves, which you can hook your ship onto and hence, can just travel along the tracks for some parts of the levels. However, even without fighting gravity you have to use fuel every time you want to thrust anywhere and so you are also constantly running out of fuel, making exploration less fun and more stressful than it needs to be.
Ultimately, Sub-Terrania looks and sounds like a really awesome retro game but the actual gameplay mechanics in it make playing it pretty difficult. For that reason, I do not believe that this is a game I would widely recommend.
➙ Must You Play It?
A game that perfectly captures the rugged look and feel of 1990's Sega games. However, the gameplay is difficult owing to the gravity and fuel mechanics, and as a result this is not a game I would widely recommend. Though I do think this game might be worth checking out for fans of this genre of shooter.