Below

Below is a challenging action RPG with roguelike elements set in a mysterious, procedurally generated 2D fantasy world. Players explore a vast, interconnected underground realm filled with dangers, secrets, and permadeath mechanics, where survival depends on managing resources like food and light while uncovering the island’s dark lore. The game features a hauntingly atmospheric soundtrack, pixel-art visuals, and punishing yet rewarding gameplay that emphasizes exploration and discovery.

Below: A Descent into Darkness and Discovery

Introduction

Below is a game that defies easy categorization. It is a roguelike, an action-adventure, a survival game, and a dungeon crawler all rolled into one. Developed by Capybara Games, the studio behind Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and Super Time Force, Below is a game that is as beautiful as it is brutal. It is a game that will test your patience, your skill, and your resolve. But for those who persevere, it offers a unique and rewarding experience that is unlike anything else in the gaming landscape.

Development History & Context

Below was first announced at Microsoft’s E3 2013 press event, where it was revealed as a timed exclusive for the Xbox One. The game was in development for years, with Capybara Games aiming to create a “super video game-y video game” that would push the boundaries of what an indie game could be. The game was initially expected to release in 2014, but it was delayed multiple times, with the final release date being December 14, 2018, for Xbox One and Windows, and April 7, 2020, for PlayStation 4.

The game’s development was marked by significant challenges, including the need to balance its roguelike elements with its survival mechanics. The team underwent four major revisions to the procedural generation framework, which was essential for creating the game’s single-screen levels filled with traps, enemies, and environmental hazards. The game’s art style also evolved, shifting from brighter visuals to a more minimalist, shadowy aesthetic that better captured the foreboding underground atmosphere.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Below is a game that is light on explicit narrative but heavy on atmosphere and implication. The game begins with a lone wanderer arriving on a remote island, descending into a vast, procedurally generated subterranean labyrinth known as The Depths. The game’s story is told through environmental storytelling, with the player piecing together the island’s history and the fate of its inhabitants through exploration and discovery.

The game’s themes are deeply rooted in the idea of descent, both literal and metaphorical. The player’s journey into The Depths is a journey into the unknown, a journey that is fraught with danger and uncertainty. The game’s themes of isolation, survival, and discovery are all tied to this central idea of descent, with the player’s progress being marked by the depths they have reached and the secrets they have uncovered.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Below is a game that is defined by its gameplay mechanics. The game is viewed from a top-down perspective, with the player controlling a tiny warrior exploring the depths of a remote island. The game’s core gameplay loop is one of exploration, survival, and discovery, with the player navigating a vast, interconnected underworld filled with deadly traps, hostile wildlife, and environmental hazards.

The game’s combat is deliberate and methodical, with the player needing to carefully manage their positioning, timing, and resource use against the game’s fragile protagonist, who can succumb to just a few hits. The game’s survival mechanics are equally punishing, with the player needing to manage their hunger, thirst, warmth, and bleeding status effects, which gradually drain health if unaddressed.

The game’s permadeath system is one of its most defining features, with the player’s progress being reset upon death, though they can retrieve items from their previous corpse to mitigate total loss. The game’s procedural generation ensures that each run offers new paths and challenges, with the player’s knowledge and experience being the only things that carry over between runs.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Below is a game that is defined by its atmosphere. The game’s world is a vast, interconnected underworld filled with deadly traps, hostile wildlife, and environmental hazards. The game’s art style is minimalist and shadowy, with a dramatic tilt-shift photography effect that emphasizes the player’s smallness and the vastness of the world they are exploring.

The game’s sound design is equally impressive, with a haunting soundtrack composed by Jim Guthrie that perfectly captures the game’s themes of isolation, survival, and discovery. The game’s ambient sounds, including cave echoes, dripping water, and subtle creature movements, are layered to evoke a sense of depth and unease, reflecting the vast, unexplored depths the player navigates.

Reception & Legacy

Below received mixed or average reviews upon release, with critics praising the game’s atmospheric world-building, striking visuals, and pervasive sense of mystery, but criticizing the game’s frustrating insta-death traps, deliberate slow pacing, and absence of guidance. The game’s reception was marked by a divide between its artistic strengths and gameplay frustrations, with the game’s roguelike elements being viewed as innovative for adding tension and replayability but alienating for casual players due to their high demands on patience and trial-and-error.

Despite its mixed reception, Below has endured as a cult classic within the atmospheric roguelike genre, valued for its moody exploration and procedural depths. The game’s legacy is one of artistic ambition, with ongoing community interest evidenced by discussions on whether it remains worth playing in 2024. The game’s PC community supports a small but active modding scene, including tweaks for keybindings and difficulty adjustments to enhance quality-of-life features.

Conclusion

Below is a game that is not for everyone. It is a game that is defined by its punishing difficulty, its opaque mechanics, and its deliberate pacing. But for those who are willing to persevere, it offers a unique and rewarding experience that is unlike anything else in the gaming landscape. The game’s atmospheric world-building, striking visuals, and haunting soundtrack create a sense of isolation and discovery that is unmatched in the genre. While the game’s survival mechanics and permadeath system can be frustrating, they are also what make the game’s moments of triumph so rewarding. Below is a game that demands patience, skill, and resolve, but for those who are willing to meet its challenges, it offers a journey into the depths that is as beautiful as it is brutal.