<s>
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
is	O
a	O
1994	O
multidirectional	O
shooter	O
developed	O
by	O
Danish	O
studio	O
Zyrinx	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
"	O
rotate-and-thrust	O
"	O
capabilities	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
must	O
aim	O
,	O
shoot	O
,	O
dodge	O
and	O
carefully	O
maneuver	O
their	O
way	O
through	O
the	O
hazardous	O
landscape	O
while	O
constantly	O
taking	O
gravity	O
and	O
refueling	O
needs	O
into	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
gained	O
a	O
reputation	O
as	O
an	O
"	O
overly	O
difficult	O
"	O
game	O
and	O
suffered	O
from	O
poor	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
critical	O
reception	O
was	O
positive	O
with	O
game	O
journalists	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
an	O
evolution	O
of	O
gravity-based	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
games	O
like	O
Gravitar	B-Application
(	O
1982	O
)	O
and	O
Thrust	B-Application
(	O
1986	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
controls	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
other	O
gravity-based	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
games	O
,	O
like	O
Gravitar	B-Application
and	O
Thrust	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ship	O
is	O
rotated	O
with	O
the	O
directional	O
pad	O
and	O
the	O
B	O
button	O
applies	O
thrust	B-Application
in	O
the	O
direction	O
it	O
is	O
facing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
key	O
difference	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
games	O
of	O
this	O
type	O
is	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
back	O
thrusters	O
,	O
which	O
allow	O
the	O
players	O
to	O
reverse	O
thrust	B-Application
as	O
they	O
try	O
to	O
dodge	O
enemy	O
fire	O
and	O
maneuver	O
their	O
way	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
hazardous	O
landscapes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
,	O
each	O
level	O
is	O
an	O
enclosed	O
map	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
free	O
to	O
wander	O
in	O
all	O
directions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
features	O
three	O
difficulty	O
modes	O
(	O
Easy	O
,	O
Normal	O
and	O
Hard	O
)	O
,	O
all	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
start	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
,	O
players	O
earn	O
points	O
for	O
shooting	O
down	O
enemies	O
and	O
are	O
also	O
rewarded	O
with	O
end-of-level	O
bonus	O
points	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
overall	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Zyrinx	O
,	O
a	O
small	O
studio	O
formed	O
by	O
people	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
active	O
in	O
the	O
demoscene	O
during	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
and	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
1991	O
Amiga	B-Device
demo	I-Device
"	O
Hardwired	O
"	O
shares	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
visual	O
effects	O
and	O
styles	O
later	O
used	O
in	O
their	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
and	O
Red	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
their	O
Swedish	O
members	O
decided	O
to	O
form	O
DICE	O
and	O
work	O
on	O
games	O
like	O
Pinball	B-Application
Dreams	I-Application
and	O
Benefactor	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
their	O
Danish	O
members	O
–	O
David	O
Guldbrandsen	O
,	O
Karsten	O
Hvidberg	O
,	O
Jens	O
Bo	O
Albretsen	O
,	O
Michael	O
Balle	O
,	O
Jesper	O
Jørgensen	O
and	O
Jesper	O
Kyd	O
–	O
decided	O
to	O
form	O
Zyrinx	O
and	O
develop	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
mainly	O
because	O
they	O
were	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
sprites	O
that	O
Sega	O
's	O
console	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
handle	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
Zyrinx	O
did	O
not	O
possess	O
an	O
official	O
Sega	O
development	O
kit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
they	O
hacked	O
together	O
their	O
own	O
development	O
kit	O
using	O
Amiga	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
was	O
bought	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
,	O
which	O
gave	O
Zyrinx	O
enough	O
money	O
to	O
relocate	O
their	O
offices	O
from	O
Copenhagen	O
to	O
Boston	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
sound	O
driver	O
was	O
also	O
used	O
in	O
Red	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Adventures	I-Application
of	I-Application
Batman	I-Application
&	I-Application
Robin	I-Application
(	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
)	O
,	O
AWS	B-Application
Pro	I-Application
Moves	I-Application
Soccer	I-Application
and	O
Ultracore	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
title	O
screen	O
(	O
and	O
credits	O
)	O
implying	O
a	O
1993	O
release	O
,	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
May	O
1994	O
issue	O
of	O
Mega	O
,	O
editor	O
Andy	O
Dyer	O
criticized	O
Sega	O
of	O
Europe	O
for	O
not	O
giving	O
a	O
high-quality	O
game	O
enough	O
attention	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
not	O
only	O
did	O
 [ Sub-Terrania ] 	O
arrive	O
pretty	O
much	O
totally	O
unannounced	O
,	O
but	O
Sega	O
seemed	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
complete	O
apathy	O
when	O
promoting	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
Sega	O
of	O
America	O
held	O
a	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
contest	O
between	O
April	O
to	O
July	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prizes	O
included	O
:	O
all-paid	O
weekends	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
and	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
to	O
attend	O
the	O
Marvel	O
Mega-Tour	O
,	O
VIP	O
tours	O
of	O
the	O
Marvel	O
headquarters	O
,	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
CDX	O
systems	O
,	O
three	O
games	O
(	O
Gunstar	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
,	O
Ranger	B-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Thunder	O
Force	O
IV	O
)	O
,	O
limited	O
editions	O
comic	O
book	O
ashcans	O
,	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
hats	O
and	O
T-shirts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hardcore	B-Application
Gaming	O
101	O
noted	O
that	O
"	O
pretty	O
much	O
every	O
song	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
in	O
excess	O
of	O
five	O
minutes	O
long	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
great	O
for	O
listening	O
to	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
if	O
you	O
're	O
into	O
stuff	O
like	O
Juno	O
Reactor	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
awarded	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
9	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
is	O
quite	O
simply	O
a	O
superbly	O
structured	O
and	O
implemented	O
piece	O
of	O
software	O
:	O
fast	O
,	O
clever	O
,	O
varied	O
and	O
,	O
above	O
all	O
,	O
addictive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Borrowing	O
heavily	O
from	O
blasters	O
from	O
the	O
past	O
–	O
Oids	B-Application
,	O
Thrust	B-Application
and	O
Lunar	O
Rescue	O
–	O
it	O
feels	O
like	O
a	O
classic	O
game	O
yet	O
breathes	O
new	O
life	O
into	O
the	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
genre	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
sentiments	O
were	O
echoed	O
in	O
the	O
review	O
of	O
German	O
magazine	O
ASM	O
,	O
which	O
described	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
as	O
an	O
evolution	O
of	O
the	O
1986	O
game	O
Thrust	B-Application
,	O
with	O
updated	O
presentation	O
and	O
"	O
much	O
more	O
varied	O
gameplay	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
French	O
magazine	O
Consoles+	O
felt	O
that	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
stands	O
out	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
games	O
,	O
not	O
only	O
because	O
of	O
its	O
graphics	O
,	O
music	O
and	O
presentation	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
for	O
combining	O
classic	O
traits	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
,	O
like	O
fast	O
reactions	O
,	O
with	O
methodical	O
,	O
more	O
calculating	O
,	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
90%	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
most	O
beautiful	O
and	O
interesting	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
ups	O
on	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
graphics	O
and	O
soundtrack	O
concluding	O
that	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
is	O
"	O
an	O
exceptional	O
game	O
for	O
shooter	O
fans	O
and	O
non-shooter	O
fans	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
described	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
as	O
"	O
a	O
gorgeous	O
and	O
involving	O
blast	O
"	O
in	O
which	O
shooting	O
"	O
mingles	O
perfectly	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
gravity-based	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	O
agreed	O
and	O
expanded	O
on	O
this	O
by	O
explaining	O
that	O
inertia	O
is	O
"	O
a	O
strange	O
thing	O
that	O
,	O
when	O
used	O
badly	O
,	O
can	O
render	O
a	O
game	O
totally	O
unplayable	O
,	O
but	O
when	O
used	O
well	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
,	O
simply	O
adds	O
yet	O
another	O
veneer	O
of	O
style	O
and	O
quality	O
"	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
"	O
half	O
the	O
fun	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
becoming	O
an	O
expert	O
at	O
combating	O
the	O
inertia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
a	O
similar	O
note	O
,	O
Sega	B-Device
Zone	I-Device
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
manual	O
dexterity	O
of	O
staying	O
alive	O
and	O
the	O
spacial	O
awareness	O
of	O
telling	O
left	O
from	O
right	O
when	O
you	O
're	O
upside	O
down	O
give	O
way	O
to	O
tactics	O
and	O
strategy	O
"	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
tough	O
and	O
well	O
designed	O
learning	O
curve	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
awarded	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
91%	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
this	O
will	O
become	O
a	O
classic	O
for	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
owners	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
giving	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
raving	O
review	O
,	O
Mega	O
expressed	O
disappointment	O
over	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
having	O
only	O
9	O
levels	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
86%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Richard	O
Lloyd	O
of	O
MegaTech	O
,	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
"	O
is	O
very	O
tough	O
on	O
the	O
hardest	O
settings	O
,	O
but	O
after	O
playing	O
it	O
for	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
hours	O
I	O
managed	O
to	O
get	O
all	O
the	O
way	O
to	O
level	O
eight	O
with	O
a	O
whole	O
load	O
of	O
lives	O
left	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
this	O
and	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
levels	O
are	O
exactly	O
the	O
same	O
each	O
time	O
you	O
play	O
,	O
I	O
ca	O
n't	O
see	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
lasting	O
very	O
long	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
shame	O
because	O
apart	O
from	O
this	O
it	O
is	O
an	O
excellent	O
blast	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mean	O
Machines	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
91%	O
concluding	O
that	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
is	O
"	O
an	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
classics	O
,	O
albeit	O
a	O
minor	O
one	O
for	O
reasons	O
of	O
size	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	O
placed	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
at	O
number	O
16	O
in	O
their	O
Top	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
superb	O
game	O
in	O
almost	O
every	O
way	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
appears	O
in	O
the	O
book	O
1001	O
Video	O
Games	O
You	O
Must	O
Play	O
Before	O
You	O
Die	O
,	O
by	O
longtime	O
editor	O
of	O
Edge	O
magazine	O
Tony	O
Mott	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
retrospective	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
he	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
classics	O
like	O
Gravitar	B-Application
and	O
Thrust	B-Application
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Zyrinx	O
produced	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
examples	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
in	O
Sub-Terrania	B-Application
,	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
makes	O
no	O
concessions	O
to	O
underprepared	O
players	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
a	O
perfect	O
envoy	O
for	O
Sega	O
's	O
positioning	O
of	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
as	O
the	O
console	O
of	O
choice	O
for	O
the	O
hardcore	B-Application
gamer	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
