[PREVIEW] Sub-Species – Great Underwater Concept Held Back by a Barebones Demo

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“Sub-Species is a 2.5D Arcade Action/Adventure, where you control a submarine that rotates 360° in order to battle alien sea monsters that will be coming at you from all angles.” That’s how the game describes itself on Steam and honestly, it sounds like an amazing idea. Except… the demo version on Steam showed almost nothing of that potential.

I understand the need to have a demo to generate interest and traction, but after spending around 15 minutes with it, five of which were taken up by the tutorial, I was left disappointed. I at least expected a mode where I could freely shoot alien creatures and experiment with movement and combat. Instead, there was very little to actually engage with.

Solid Underwater Aesthetic

What definitely stood out in a positive way was the aesthetic. The underwater visuals are solid and the game captures that deep-ocean atmosphere well. Tight spaces feel claustrophobic, while open areas still give you the sense that nothing around you is truly safe. Being attacked from all directions is an interesting concept, but the enemies themselves felt largely pointless.

They behaved more like schools of fish than threatening creatures: grouped together, extremely squishy, and posing no real danger. Most of the time, they only managed to hit you if you moved closer to them yourself. With a radar sensor in the bottom-right corner, you can simply stand still and shoot enemies before they even reach you. That said, enemy placement in the cavern system made more sense, ambushes there actually kept you on your toes.

The weapon upgrades and limited ammo mechanics were interesting, especially since they forced more strategic play against enemies. For instance, being able to fire two bullets instead of one added a nice layer of power. However, it felt like a missed opportunity to showcase more variety; I really wish the demo had highlighted these features more effectively.

Really Wished Demo Showed More

The game features two submarine modes. One allows full 360° movement and free rotation, while the other slows you down and limits movement so you can collect resources, pick up upgrades, and carry bombs to destroy blocked paths. This is a genuinely good idea and gives a sense of progression.

Unfortunately, I managed to break the game several times. In one instance, I dropped a bomb near the cave exit because of enemies, only for it to completely disappear. After restarting, I cleared all enemies first and then carried the bomb to the highlighted area, only to be attacked by newly spawned enemies despite having already cleared the zone.

Once you enter what appears to be the first mission’s storage room (the demo feels more like a prologue or introduction), you’re faced with familiar enemies again and a large, fish-like boss. Visually, the boss looked great, but mechanically it was disappointing. I defeated it simply by throwing six bombs around it. It posed little challenge, mostly just rushing at you, and since dodging wasn’t really an option, the fight felt more improvised than skill-based.

Considering this is only a demo, the foundation is there and the concept is strong. However, I personally dread games that fail to make combat feel rewarding. Enemies here felt like mere obstacles rather than meaningful threats and the same applies to the boss fight. I defeated it, received nothing and simply moved on to the end of the demo. The whole experience felt barebones, lacking that satisfying payoff, especially after taking down a boss.