Subterrain: Mines of Titan
- March 12, 2024
- Pixellore Inc
- 11h median play time
In "Subterrain: Mines of Titan," you must manage a mining colony on Titan after it goes dark due to a meteor strike. Reboot resource production, uncover the fate of the first colonists, and ensure the survival of the remaining colonists in this challenging, dynamic, and persistent world. Every action matters as time is of the essence to prevent the colony's collapse.
Reviews
- Engaging turn-based combat that requires strategic planning and resource management.
- Rich pixel art and immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Variety of character classes and skill trees that allow for diverse playstyles.
- The writing can be inconsistent, with some dialogue feeling forced or overly lengthy.
- Inventory management can become cumbersome, with limited space for essential items.
- The economy system can feel punishing, making it difficult to progress without careful resource management.
- story155 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging premise and well-written characters, while others criticize it for being generic and bogged down by tedious fetch quests. Many appreciate the immersive atmosphere and the depth of the main narrative, but feel that side quests often lack significance and can detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the story has its strengths, it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of meaningful choices, leaving some players feeling disconnected from the characters and plot.
“A turn-based sci-fi survival horror with RPG character advancement, a story compelling enough to hold interest and a unique setting with a hefty dose of survival-craft style resource collection and management.”
“The story and characters are well written, each NPC has at least one side quest that will eventually pop up that will let you get to know them a bit better as well as provide some hefty experience and income.”
“Great immersive story, atmospheric design and great UI, atmospheric music.”
“Feels like they outsourced some lazy person that only had experience writing quests for mobile games rather than hiring someone with a true passion.”
“The story conflicts with itself and the combat's unrefined.”
“The world and story are not good.”
- gameplay93 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its engaging mechanics, fun quests, and a solid core loop that combines turn-based combat with resource management and base building. However, many players find the experience can become repetitive over time, particularly due to durability mechanics and the need for backtracking, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers a variety of mechanics and customization options, some players feel that the complexity and lack of clear explanations can hinder the experience, especially for those unfamiliar with roguelite elements.
“The game also lets you tweak almost every aspect of its mechanics and difficulty, both at the start and during play as well.”
“Fun, concise gameplay loop.”
“The gameplay and basic systems here are amazing.”
“The gameplay loop feels very repetitive after you go down your first levels.”
“Unfortunately, I really hate the durability and repair mechanics in this game.”
“Also, once you get a good distance in, the status effects enemies apply to you become more annoying than a genuine mechanic, and they're so stupidly overpowered if you don't have the specific medical supply that handles it.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautifully crafted 2D pixel art, which effectively captures a nostalgic retro aesthetic while incorporating modern post-processing effects. Many reviewers highlight the visual polish and atmospheric design as standout features, although some note that certain gameplay mechanics, like turn-based movement, can detract from the overall visual experience. Overall, the art style is considered charming and well-suited to the game's themes, contributing significantly to its appeal.
“The polish on the game's visuals is really apparent and it's a highlight of the experience.”
“Pixel graphics are well done and readable, with some gorgeous post-processing effects.”
“The graphical style fits very well for this type of game and ties the world together extraordinarily.”
“High points are the graphics and atmosphere, but the atmosphere is unfortunately undercut by the writing and lack of reactivity.”
“There are good things about the game, like the UI scaling options, elevator placement, and the graphics remaining true to Subterrain's original grimy/industrial aesthetic, but even those are tarnished by how stuttery turn-based movement looks like when you want to make a long trip with little combat (or a short distance over environmental hazards).”
“The graphics are decent, and the sound and music design are awesome.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive storytelling, atmospheric design, and compelling music, creating a dark and gritty environment reminiscent of classic titles. However, some players feel that the atmosphere is diminished by less engaging writing and a shift away from the isolation that characterized earlier installments. Overall, the combination of beautiful pixel art and a well-crafted sci-fi setting contributes to a captivating experience, despite some critiques regarding the game's reactivity and depth.
“Great immersive story, atmospheric design, and great UI, atmospheric music.”
“Great game, oozes atmosphere.”
“The artwork is pretty excellent which helps set the right atmosphere with all the worn-out base facilities and grotesque enemies; it's simple but satisfying.”
“I think we also lost a bit of the closed atmosphere that was part of the first game; you were alone and had to overcome challenges, but now you just buy items from ten different people.”
“High points are the graphics and atmosphere, but the atmosphere is unfortunately undercut by the writing and lack of reactivity.”
“The game is also missing quite a bit of the subterranean atmosphere, where I still remember getting sweaty and scared while walking around empty corridors and using the flashlight to see things.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the lack of variety in environments and the resource management system. While some appreciate the crafting and resource gathering mechanics, many feel that the quests and inventory management become monotonous over time, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite the initial satisfaction, the grinding experience can quickly turn into a chore, leading to frustration for some players.
“But honestly, if it didn't feel like it was worth my money, I wouldn't recommend it, because while it's very satisfying at the start, it rapidly becomes somewhat tedious as quests start requiring you to wander around the base (the most boring and featureless part of the game) from NPC to NPC, and the zones you go into become quickly apparent that they're like 99% one of either a mine that looks like every other mine, or a facility floor that looks like the majority of all the other floors.”
“But there's a host of survival genre related barriers and annoyances that make most of the playtime spent on it very tedious.”
“It gets very tedious.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and effective sound design, with some tracks evoking strong cinematic influences. However, there are criticisms regarding the lack of background music during certain interactions, which can create awkward moments. Overall, while the soundtrack is enjoyable, some players feel it can become repetitive over time.
“Great immersive story, atmospheric design, and great UI, with atmospheric music.”
“Final note, some of the music actually reminded me of 'The Thing' and I would highly recommend upping the music and ambience volumes as this does have a pretty decent bit of sound design to it.”
“The graphics are decent, and the sound and music design are awesome.”
“It's a little weird when there is no background music, especially when speaking with NPCs.”
“The tutorials are extremely dry, and the scenes with all the exposition are just walls of text with zero background music and very little movement.”
“I love the atmosphere, except for the music which gets old quickly.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the variety of classes and the impact of quests on gameplay, others find it limited and lacking in incentive for multiple playthroughs. The potential for character customization and unlockable content offers some replay value, but many feel that the novelty may wear off after a few runs. Future updates could enhance this aspect significantly.
“There is some replayability via classes getting a boost on subsequent playthroughs to their stats on top of it.”
“I hope this will be improved with future updates as it would greatly bolster not only accessibility but also replayability.”
“The quests you take on have an actual gameplay impact instead of the usual 'here's random pointless loot, kthxbai.' There's some inherent replay value with being able to find ID tags, as each one unlocks a new portrait for your character and helps 'level up' one of several classes you take on at the start (improving starting stats, introducing additional starting conditions, passive buffs, etc.).”
“I don't know why I would ever replay it; I don't see any replayability to it.”
“Nice turn-based RPG - in short, I would call it a very simplified Angband-style game, more leaning towards resource grind and with limited replayability.”
“Plenty of replay value, though I would expect anything beyond three playthroughs would exhaust the novelty of different build possibilities.”
- stability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous UI glitches and bugs that detract from the overall experience, leading many users to recommend waiting for fixes before playing. While the graphics are acceptable, the lack of player control over attributes and progression further contributes to a feeling of instability. Overall, additional quality assurance time could have improved the game's stability significantly.
“There's plenty of UI glitches that make this a less than smooth ride.”
“Way too buggy; wait until it is fixed.”
“There should have been a few extra hours dedicated to QA, as I noticed a few weird bugs and glitches during my playthrough.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotions through its compelling storyline and immersive survival elements, creating a sense of intelligence and engagement in players. Users appreciate the emotional depth of the narrative, alongside the strategic gameplay mechanics, suggesting a desire for future enhancements to further enrich the experience.
“It gave doom survival vibes with an excellent emotional storyline, an interesting battle and camp system, and stalker-like inventory management.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a blend of humor through clever item descriptions and amusing dialogues, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the inclusion of Easter eggs and funny mechanics that add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, despite the more serious elements of survival and exploration.
“Also +1 for having some nice easter eggs and funny item descriptions.”
“I find it very good with some funny dialogues at times and some rare moments.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received positive feedback, with users noting that it runs smoothly without any performance issues.
“Game performance is a pleasant surprise.”
“Runs smoothly so far.”
“The game performance is surprisingly poor.”
“Optimization issues make the gameplay experience frustrating.”
“Frequent frame drops and long loading times hinder the overall enjoyment.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the balance of exploration, combat, dialogue, and story, highlighting that this equilibrium enhances character development, making it feel organic and engaging throughout the game.
“The game strikes the perfect balance between exploration, combat, character development, dialogue, and story.”
“Character development is rich and engaging, allowing players to form deep connections with the characters.”
“The depth of character development enhances the overall narrative, making every choice feel impactful.”