Sub-Terrania

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Sub-Terrania
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Zyrinx
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT), SF Interactive Media (SE rental), Tec Toy (BR)
Licensor: Scavenger
Sound driver: Zyrinx/Jesper Kyd sound driver
Genre: Shooting
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-04 $54.9954.99 1551 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 1994-06-01 SUBsub EU 1994-05 1551 PT 1994 MDJ1551 UK 1994-05 £49.9949.99 1551 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x FSUB01SMC BR 199x 046560 AS 199x 1551

Sub-Terrania is a shoot-'em-up game by Zyrinx, released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1994. Despite of the existence of a Japanese region coded version, the game was not released in Japan.

Story

A hostile group of aliens has attacked an underground mine on an off-world asteroid, trapping many of the helpless workers inside. It is up to a lone pilot in an experimental attack fighter to rescue the survivors and drive the aliens away.

Gameplay

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Training Grid

The game is a shoot-'em-up. Alien invaders have attacked a deep-space mining colony, and the player must repel them and rescue the trapped miners. Unlike most shoot-'em-up games, the player controls a rotatable craft with thrusters that is constantly subject to the force of gravity and its own inertia. Each level is an enclosed cavern in which the player is free to roam in all directions. The last levels take place partly underwater. The objectives for each level vary, and the player is often required to solve puzzles and find and use specialized equipment in order to complete each mission. The ship has limited fuel, so the player must carefully manage use of the ship's thrusters and find efficient routes through the levels in order to conserve fuel.

The ship rotates with or . Rotating the ship aims its weapons, and rotating while moving sets its trajectory. The ship can engage its forward thrusters by holding , which propels it forward. If the player releases , the ship falls toward the ground under the force of gravity. The ship can land on level terrain by using gravity to fall and rotating to face straight up, which is necessary for collecting pods (for fuel and shields), for rescuing workers, and for returning to the starting base at the end of a mission. The ship is also equipped with reverse thrusters that it can engage by holding , which propel it backward. Using thrusters burns fuel, shown in the red "Fuel" gauge in the top-left corner of the screen, so the player is encouraged to take advantage of the game's physics when possible to minimize the use of thrusters. Idling burns a small amount of fuel. The ship can be refueled by landing on fuel pods placed throughout the levels.

The ship fires its weapons by pressing , which can be held for continuous fire. It is equipped with red lasers by default, but the weapon can be changed to green or blue lasers, which have different characteristics. Lasers are fired from two points at the front of the ship in the direction that the ship is facing. They have unlimited ammunition and can be upgraded up to three times by collecting weapon capsules. Firing the lasers empties the orange "Mega" gauge in the top-left corner of the screen, which replenishes when the ship is not firing. Firing when the gauge is filled fires a "Mega Shot," a more powerful blast in multiple directions (including behind the ship).

Some levels contain mining rails that the ship can slide along. While attached to a rail, the ship can freely rotate and fire, it consumes no fuel, and it is not affected by gravity, which can make for easier targeting. The ship can attach to a rail by flying onto the orb at one end, then move along the rail with or . It can detach by flying off one of the ends.

The ship can collect other weapons and cycle between them with . Homing missiles are the most common secondary weapon, and they are limited in supply. There are also several special weapons that are used to accomplish specific tasks in the levels. The equipped weapons are shown as icons in the bottom-left corner of the screen (with the color of the first weapon indicating the type of laser and the number indicating its level).

The ship is equipped with a force field. The player's ships are shown in the bottom-left corner of the screen, and the damage sustained is shown by filling the current ship (the rightmost ship) with red. The ship is damaged by enemy fire and by colliding with terrain. Shielding slowly regenerates over time. The current ship explodes if it sustains too much damage, requiring an extra ship in order to continue. If the ship runs out of fuel, it crashes. Losing a ship restarts the level from the beginning, with its weapon level reduced by one (except on Easy difficulty). The state of the level is retained after losing a ship. A mission can be failed and must be restarted at the cost of an extra ship if the player does something to make fulfilling its objectives impossible (such as killing miners or wasting an item that is needed to progress). There are three difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, and Hard), which affects fuel consumption, the effect of gravity and inertia, and the amount of damage that the ship takes. There is a "Training Grid" in Controls menu that lets the player practice controlling the ship.

Items

Pods are collected by landing on them. Capsules are collected by touching them.

	Fuel Pod
	Refuels the ship.
	Shield Pod
	Recharges the ship's shields.
	Sub-Module
	Collect to prepare the ship for subaquatic battle. Found in the first six levels.
	Life Capsule
	Gives the player an extra fighter.
	Missile Capsule
	Equips the ship with 10 homing missiles as an alternative weapon.
	Red Laser Capsule
	Changes the ship's main weapon to the red laser or upgrades it if already equipped (up to 4 levels). This weapon fires two streams of red lasers from the front of the ship in a slight spread. The capsule cycles through the three colors.
	Green Laser Capsule
	Changes the ship's main weapon to the green laser or upgrades it if already equipped (up to 3 levels). This weapon fires two streams of green lasers from the front of the ship in parallel, which scatter and home in on targets when near. The capsule cycles through the three colors.
	Blue Laser Capsule
	Changes the ship's main weapon to the blue laser or upgrades it if already equipped (up to 3 levels). This weapon fires alternating streams of blue lasers from the front of the ship in a scatter pattern and alternating streams of blue lasers from the sides of the ship. The capsule cycles through the three colors.
	Anti-Shield Fire Capsule
	Equips the ship with the Anti-Shield weapon, which can destroy the flame barrier around the nuclear power plant. Found in level 5.
	Anti-Pressure Capsule
	Equips the ship with the Anti-Pressure device, which lets it sink underwater. This module is selected and used in the same way as weapons. Unlike the other special weapons, it can be used an unlimited number of times, and it is kept for the remainder of the game. Found in level 7.
	Tube Bombs Capsule
	Equips the ship with the Tube Bombs weapon, which can destroy the cover on the tube at the end of the level. Found in level 7.
	Mirror Lazer Capsule
	Equips the ship with the Mirror Lazer weapon, which can be fired into the repeaters at the end of the level. Found in level 8.
	Nuclear Crystal Capsule
	Equips the ship with the Nuclear Crystal, which gives it unlimited fuel. Found in level 9.
	Gate Key Capsule
	Removes an energy barrier when collected. Found in level 9.
	One-Sided Deflector Shield
	The ship can lift this object (by landing on it, then lifting off) and use it to deflect the mining laser. Found in level 3.
	Two-Sided Deflector Shield
	The ship can lift this object (by landing on it, then lifting off) and use it to deflect the mining laser. Found in level 3.
	Spiked Ball
	The ship can lift this object (by landing on it, then lifting off) and drop it on the alien lifeform covering the Sub-Module. Found in level 5.

Levels

Levels 1 to 6 start with a short briefing that shows a map of the level and explains the mission objectives. The remaining levels require players to figure out the route and objectives by themselves.

	Level 1
	The first six levels have the same core objectives: to collect a Sub-Module to prepare the ship for subaquatic combat and rescue the miners, then return to the starting platform. Miners run toward the ship and board it when it lands near them.
	Level 2
	In addition to collecting the Sub-Module and rescuing the miners, the player must destroy the alien monster to complete this mission. The ship can attach to the mining rails surrounding the monster to move more freely and conserve fuel. When the monster is destroyed, it opens the cave containing the miners. The smaller barriers in the level can be blasted open with the ship's lasers.
	Level 3
	The ship must take the flat deflector and drop it onto the utility truck to deflect the mining laser away. This lets the ship safely land on the platform to the right and clear a barrier. A V-shaped deflector can be found past the location of the barrier, which can be carried back to the laser (which is now being deflected upwards) to deflect the laser to destroy another barrier. Then the ship can fly through, destroy the alien housing below, and pick up another deflector, which can be used to deflect the laser back to destroy the laser battery. This clears the way to find the Sub-Module and the miners.
	Level 4
	The ship must destroy "the Thing," an alien creature, in addition to finding the Sub-Module and rescuing the combat squad. Many of the structures can be destroyed with the ship's laser (including one that contains the Sub-Module).
	Level 5
	The ship must retrieve the Anti-Shield weapon to destroy the flame barrier around the nuclear power plant, then destroy the nuclear power plant. A Spiked Ball can be found in the remains. After rescuing the workers, the ship can pick up the Spiked Ball and drop it on the alien lifeform (which is not vulnerable to the ship's conventional weapons) to collect the Sub-Module. The ship flies much more slowly and uses more fuel when carrying the Spiked Ball.
	Level 6
	The ship must destroy the guardian robot in addition to finding the Sub-Module and rescuing the miners. This level contains mining rails, which can help the ship move and fire more easily.
	Level 7
	This is the first level with underwater sections. The ship has difficulty plunging into deep water without burning excessive fuel using the thrusters, but finding and using the Anti-Pressure device allows the ship to sink. The ship must find the Tube Bombs and drop one onto the cover to the tube near the end of the level to blow it up, drop the water level, and clear the way to the exit.
	Level 8
	The ship must collect the Mirror Lazer weapon at the beginning of the level, then makes its way around the level counterclockwise. Shooting the beam generators destroys them. An "Acid" gauge that appears in the top-left corner of the screen when the ship is underwater in the bottom segment of the level, and the ship starts sustaining damage when the gauge gets too full. After surfacing, the ship can fire the Mirror Lazer into the bottom of the rightmost laser repeater multiple times, which causes lasers to bounce around in a triangle. Then the ship can shoot the repeater to blow it up and create an exit.
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	The ship can find the Nuclear Crystal near the beginning of the level, which gives it unlimited fuel. Then the ship can find two Gate Keys to remove the energy barriers blocking the way to Svin's Cave, where the final boss awaits. The boss has two phases, and it is especially vulnerable to Mega Shots.

Production credits

• Code: David Guldbrandsen, Karsten L. Hvidberg, Jens Albretsen
• Graphics: Jesper Vorsholt, Mikael Balle
• Music: Jesper Kyd
• Additional Code: Thomas Risager
• Additional Graphics: Karsten Lund
• Mathematics: Sami Badawi

• Producer: Tony Van
• Product Manager: Jaime Wojick
• Lead Tester: Conan Tigard
• Testers: John Amirkhan, Jennifer Brozek, Blair Bullock, Daniel Caraballo, Atom Ellis, Lawrence Gibson, Wesley Gittens, Rick Greer, Richie Mideshima, Lawrence Jeung, Jason Kuo, Vasily Lewis, Tony Lynch, Mike Madden, Jim McCarthy, Mark Paniagua, Joanna Pataki, Andrew Podesta, Siegie Stangenberg
• Developed by: Zyrinx 1993
• Management: Scavenger

Source:

In-game credits

File:Sub-Terrania MD credits.pdf

---

• Programmers: David Guldbrandsen, Karsten L. Hvidberg, Jens Albretsen
• Artists: Jesper Vorsholt, Mikael Balle, Karsten Lund
• Music: Jesper Kyd
• Additional Programming: Thomas Risager
• Producer: Tony Van
• Product Manager: Jaime Wojick
• Lead Test: Conan Tigard
• Testers: John Amirkhan, Jennifer Brozek, Blair Bullock, Daniel Caraballo, Atom Ellis, Lawrence Gibson, Wesley Gittens, Rick Greer, Richie Hideshima, Lawrence Jeung, Jason Kuo, Vasily Lewis, Tony Lynch, Mike Madden, Jim McCarthy, Mark Paniagua, Joanna Pataki, Andrew Podesta, Siegie Stangenberg
• Manual: Carol Ann Hanshaw
• Special Thanks: Clint Dyer, Diane A. Fornasier, David Fisher

Source:

US manual

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Magazine articles

Main article: Sub-Terrania/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #58: "May 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #59: "June 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Todo Sega (ES) #14: "Mayo 1994" (1994-0x-xx)
also published in:

• Hobby Consolas (ES) #32: "Mayo 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

US "game tips poster", distributed with Marvel Comics publications Doom 2099 #18, Ghost Rider 2099 #2 and X-Men 2099 #9 (front)

(back)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source High Score (JP) 60 Hobby Consolas (ES) 88 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) 85

	78
Based on 3 reviews

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) PAL 83 Console Mania (IT) PAL 93 Consoles + (FR) 90 Computer & Video Games (UK) 85 Edge (UK) 90 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 67 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 70 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 7 (RU) 70 FLUX (US) 80 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 70 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 98 Gamers (DE) 67 GamesMaster (UK) 89 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 80 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 86 Hyper (AU) 85 Joypad (FR) PAL 87 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 77 Mega (UK) PAL 86 Mega Force (FR) 88 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 76 MegaTech (UK) PAL 90 Magazina Igrushek (RU) 100 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 91 Player One (FR) 83 Play Time (DE) 78 Power Up! (UK) 86 Sega Power (UK) PAL 79 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 88 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 91 Sega Force (SE) 78 SuperGamePower (BR) 86 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 85 Todo Sega (ES) PAL 87 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 85 Video Games (DE) PAL 76 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 80

	82
Based on 38 reviews

Sub-Terrania

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, US (Not For Resale)
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, PT
Cover

Mega Drive, SE (rental; SF)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, AU (Silver)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, Asia
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Sub-Terrania/Technical information.