Subterrain

A Claustrophobic Descent into Survival and Sanity
At first glance, Subterrain might appear to be just another sci-fi survival game, but it quietly grows into something far more compelling—an oppressive, slow-burning descent into isolation, systems management, and dread. Set in the crumbling underground colony of Mars, the game throws you into the role of Dr. West, a wrongly imprisoned scientist who wakes up to a facility gone silent and a red planet no longer under control. What follows is a harrowing journey through survival mechanics, strategic exploration, and mounting psychological pressure.
The Depth Beneath the Surface
What truly sets Subterrain apart is its refusal to hold your hand. There's a rough charm in how it throws you into a cold, uncaring world with no tutorial parade. Instead, you're left to figure things out—how to manage oxygen, power, water, hunger, thirst, infection, sleep, mental stability, and even body temperature. It can feel like spinning plates on a unicycle, but the satisfaction of mastering this brutal rhythm is what gives the game its hook.
There’s a constant need to balance scavenging expeditions with life support systems. The colony is slowly decaying—power runs out sector by sector, oxygen systems fail, the infection spreads—and there’s no stopping the clock. That time pressure turns every decision into a gamble. Stay out too long and you risk exposure; go back too early and you waste precious time and resources.
The game’s semi-procedural map layout and interconnected sectors add a sense of scale and realism. You're not just exploring for loot—you're piecing together the story of a disaster, one crumpled note and shattered corridor at a time. Combine that with an eerie, minimal soundtrack and subtle environmental storytelling, and you’re left with a creeping paranoia that never fully fades.
Not Without Its Scars
For all its ambition, Subterrain stumbles in ways that can test patience. The user interface is clunky and often feels like it's fighting against you. Managing your inventory, crafting, recycling, and researching takes up a huge chunk of time—and not in a rewarding way. It’s hard to shake the feeling that some of the systems could be streamlined without losing the challenge.
Combat is another rough edge. While it's serviceable, it lacks finesse. Gunplay feels floaty, and enemy AI often behaves more like a nuisance than a true threat. Boss fights are underwhelming, occasionally reduced to frustrating bullet sponges rather than climactic encounters. The visuals also won't win any awards, with dated character sprites and environments that start to blur together over long sessions.
Then there's the pacing. The early hours are brutally slow, and some might check out before the systems start to click. It's a game that demands time and attention, and in return, it gives anxiety, repetition, and a sense of being constantly behind the curve.
Pros:
Deep survival mechanics that reward strategic thinking
Atmospheric world design and immersive environmental storytelling
A strong sense of tension and progression over time
Uncompromising and unique gameplay loop
Cons:
Clunky interface and overwhelming micro-management
Underdeveloped combat mechanics
Repetitive environments and dated visuals
Slow, sometimes punishing early-game pacing
Final Verdict
Subterrain isn’t polished or easy to love. It’s the kind of game that tests your resolve as much as your skill. But those who stick with it often find themselves hooked on its relentless systems and the raw satisfaction of surviving against mounting odds. It's messy, it's tense, and it’s undeniably one-of-a-kind.
Score: 7.5/10 – A flawed but fascinating gem buried beneath the Martian soil.
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Don't generally write reviews, especially on an 8 year old game, but just wanted to commend this game for doing what it does well. It's fairly simple in design, but it's challenging, creates a sense of progression as you go along and has just enough variety to keep you going. I've spent way more on games that I've put much less time in. Well worth it.

A really good game, once you understand the mechanics you're good; just don't give up if you seem overwhelmed the first time you have to deal with all the research / production, including all the menaces.
There is a ton of quick good guides on steam if it's too difficult for you.
The story is well made, you want to know what's really going on and escape, or at least try to.
The mixed dark ambiance and pressure with contamination, battery, oxygen, thermal generators and reactor cores is superb, you'll feel stressed, on the rush, sometimes desperate with resources, but just don't waste, recycle as much as possible and reuse.
For a good start, max your oxygen and thermal protection, battery, backpack and gun, you can then make longer runs and waste less resources (one go from floor 1-5 than back home drop the loot and keep running to floor 10).
Also, always try to discover all the oxygen / thermal rooms, you'll need it for an easier endgame.
The final bosses (some people are complaining about them) aren't that hard, but be prepared enough with :
- A maxed gun or sub
- A maxed shotgun
- A plasma gun (mine was only lvl2 but far enough with a good heatsink)
- At least 40 grenades (enough to destroy the needed parts)
- 5 medikits
- 5 windtoid XL
Now it's time to enjoy "Subterrain: Mines of Titan" and expect Subterrain 2 someday :)
Side note : You're not the only mamal alive on MPO but....well....improvised surgery....MEOW !

Loved the opening hours but eventually hit a wall where progression stopped being fun and became more tedious.
There is an absolute gem of a game here hidden under a few poor design decisions. I recommend heeding the warning of the negative reviews that detail this.
Yet, still I recommend giving it a try. The atmosphere and overall gameplay loop for those first few hours is just so darn appealing it's worth seeing if the entire game is for you.

I love this plucky little game. It has a lot of systems put together: the top down shooting, some base management and survival elements. Each one isn't too fleshed out, but I feel they work together well.

good atmosphere, quite entertaining, story was good, little repetetive after while but still not boring

this is kind of a game when you play one hour, then be back in a month and you dont remember what to do and how to do, and you don't what to start from the scratch, meh. But I can understand people who 'd like it.