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SubTerra review
Posted On 5/22/2005 By Crystal Shard
SubTerra is a Boulderdash-like game. For those, who don't know or remember the original, I describe: you have to quarry diamonds, trying to evade toppling stones. However, most elements of the game are improved, the means and procedures for reaching your goal are slightly different. This game has average graphics (not as great, as, for example, in Pac-Man adventures in time compared to old Pac-Man) because SubTerra is rather a fan remake, than a carefully planned product by a major. The game developed slowly, and has risen from not very big commercial version to neat freeware with 450 levels, including expansion packs.
Of course, many things have passed from 1984, when Boulderdash appeared, but bells and whistles of SubTerra don't ruin the puzzle. The game successfully incorporates levels, that could appear in Boulderdash (yes, SubTerra is not an assemblage of well known levels: many puzzles are indeed original), several Soko-ban-like levels (and one levelset of about 70 levels), original Supaplex levelset and many brain-teasers in decent style of Pieter Simoons.
The game itself is very addicting. One can easily spend days and nights trying to solve a pattern, carefully time or plan his movements 30 steps ahead.
Yes, it's true. But many games are. This game has more: many friends of mine, who turned back games other games I played, accepted SubTerra. The astonishing fact is that they weren't gamers, but the simple, neat and intelligent atmosphere conquered their minds.
Now I have to describe this atmosphere: you don't have to replay level, awaiting good circumstances, because almost all events and consequences of your moves are predictable. If you have problems with timing, you can set gamespeed lower (the game has 9 values). If you have real troubles, you can solve the puzzle partially, getting fewer points. 102 initial levels ("SubTerra Prime") are formed in rectangle 6*17, so that many puzzles open two next ones: one to the right and one downwards. After about a month of playing, you "open" (can access) almost all levels, having succeeded only in one half of them. Two careful documentations (for the beginners and the complete one) and 17 tutorial levels certainly help.
One of my favorite features of this game is the co-existance of easy, fun levels with really challenging ones. According to the Hall of Fame on the official site of the game (as far, as I can understand, you can still try to get into it), the eleventh player has achieved rank 4 of 10! Another good thing is the Community of SubTerra (yes, there is more, than public Hall of Fame). The game includes accurate level-editor, and there were three annual expansion packs: the best amateur levels of 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Of course, there are some glitches: it's not so easy to switch to another task on some systems, and after switching SubTerra crashes. The animated tiles on some levels are extremely annoying (large areas of water, fire,...). However, if you have a friend, who thinks, that puzzles on computer are only for kids, you can drastically disappoint him (or her) and captivate the same time.
Be that as it may, this game is surely must-have (and try) for anyone, who enjoys solving puzzles.
SubTerra is a Boulderdash-like game. For those, who don't know or remember the original, I describe: you have to quarry diamonds, trying to evade toppling stones. However, most elements of the game are improved, the means and procedures for reaching your goal are slightly different. This game has average graphics (not as great, as, for example, in Pac-Man adventures in time compared to old Pac-Man) because SubTerra is rather a fan remake, than a carefully planned product by a major. The game developed slowly, and has risen from not very big commercial version to neat freeware with 450 levels, including expansion packs.
Of course, many things have passed from 1984, when Boulderdash appeared, but bells and whistles of SubTerra don't ruin the puzzle. The game successfully incorporates levels, that could appear in Boulderdash (yes, SubTerra is not an assemblage of well known levels: many puzzles are indeed original), several Soko-ban-like levels (and one levelset of about 70 levels), original Supaplex levelset and many brain-teasers in decent style of Pieter Simoons.
The game itself is very addicting. One can easily spend days and nights trying to solve a pattern, carefully time or plan his movements 30 steps ahead.
Yes, it's true. But many games are. This game has more: many friends of mine, who turned back games other games I played, accepted SubTerra. The astonishing fact is that they weren't gamers, but the simple, neat and intelligent atmosphere conquered their minds.
Now I have to describe this atmosphere: you don't have to replay level, awaiting good circumstances, because almost all events and consequences of your moves are predictable. If you have problems with timing, you can set gamespeed lower (the game has 9 values). If you have real troubles, you can solve the puzzle partially, getting fewer points. 102 initial levels ("SubTerra Prime") are formed in rectangle 6*17, so that many puzzles open two next ones: one to the right and one downwards. After about a month of playing, you "open" (can access) almost all levels, having succeeded only in one half of them. Two careful documentations (for the beginners and the complete one) and 17 tutorial levels certainly help.
One of my favorite features of this game is the co-existance of easy, fun levels with really challenging ones. According to the Hall of Fame on the official site of the game (as far, as I can understand, you can still try to get into it), the eleventh player has achieved rank 4 of 10! Another good thing is the Community of SubTerra (yes, there is more, than public Hall of Fame). The game includes accurate level-editor, and there were three annual expansion packs: the best amateur levels of 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Of course, there are some glitches: it's not so easy to switch to another task on some systems, and after switching SubTerra crashes. The animated tiles on some levels are extremely annoying (large areas of water, fire,...). However, if you have a friend, who thinks, that puzzles on computer are only for kids, you can drastically disappoint him (or her) and captivate the same time.
Be that as it may, this game is surely must-have (and try) for anyone, who enjoys solving puzzles.
