I would have done this a long time ago(read: after my last one), but it accidentally got deleted by a browser error and I hadn't had the time to write one since. I am also keeping my original fraction-based scoring.
Without further ado, my review of Subsurface:
Subsurface is, at best, decent. It's quite slow(it takes place underwater, but that doesn't excuse it), has boring, repetitive enemy patterns, and has only one type of bonus - but it also has well-balanced difficulty and weapon upgradeability. The game's only bonus raises the score by a minuscule amount and brings the player a bit closer to a weapon upgrade(read: an extra stream of fire), but the upgrades come quickly enough and are satisfactory(though they aren't nearly as frequent or interesting as those in Funky Space). The initial levels may be off-putting to shoot-em-up enthusiasts, but after a while, the game gets more interesting with moving(gasp!) enemies, tighter situations, and better upgrades(wow, I can actually use the torpedo button now!). The low initial difficulty might suit shoot-em-up beginners, though.
The graphics are definitely worth mentioning. As with Funky Space, they are quite flashy and make liberal use of pre-rendered 3D models(albeit at a much lower poly count) and particle effects, and adds a few alpha-blended sunbeams, but the game runs at normal speed, for some reason. I attribute this to more efficient coding, but I can't be sure about that. The game's deliberately slow pace might also have something to do with it. Whatever the case, it works well, and is quite eye-pleasing.
As for the sounds, though, they pale in comparison with the graphics. The music(read: background noise) is basically a steady drum rhythm with the occasional synth note, and the sound effects are bland and unoriginal. I can't say much more about that.
The theme is original - I haven't seen more than five comparable games in the same setting, and all of them were very old. The ship(well, sub) and enemy designs are also good and gel together nicely. It even has spiky mines, and what's an underwater game without those?
The menu screen looks like some kind of graphical demo, with particle effects, vector trails, sine-wave distorted text, and just about everything else that the developer felt like cramming in. Needless to say, the game get high marks for presentation because of this, and the atmosphere added by the background depth and aforementioned sunbeams certainly doesn't hurt.
The game ran without problems - in Vista. Since I didn't have to use Compatibility Mode, there must be something wrong with it! Of course, I'm simply making a stupid joke - it also ran well on my mom's XP laptop. I only wish that it had a pause function - at the moment, pressing Escape exits directly.
Overall, I give Subsurface a score of seven and two thirds out of ten(seven for gameplay, nine for graphics, six for sound, eight for theme, eight for presentation, and eight for finish). It plays slowly, and the initial easiness might be off-putting to some - but those flaws are made up for by the well-done graphics, original theme, and general playability. It even works on Vista!
