Below - Action-Adventure Roguelike by Capybara

Dark Souls created the modern standard for difficulty. Many players judge other difficult games relative to that. If you do something different than Dark Souls, you’d better know what you’re doing.

Especially when you’re making an “experience.” On the the hand, Traditional difficult platform games are a separate vector with their own set of rules.

Finally gave this a shot after promptly putting it on the backburner for other things. Wow, what a mistake that was. The sense of adventure in this is incredible. I stayed up all night Sunday (big mistake) playing this and have started a notes document for my mapping of the world and its mechanics. I haven’t quite figured out some key mechanics regarding the meta-progression, so I might look those up, but otherwise I’m trying to keep this a totally solitary experience free of spoilers.

I’m rubbing up against limitations in the combat system and inventory space, but the world is so lovingly put together and the core Souls-like gameplay loop so compelling that I don’t mind. I just save my good arrows for the hard guys I can’t go toe-to-toe with. Also, I just hit floor 8, for what it’s worth. I have no idea how far that is.

EDIT: Argh…this game definitely lets you put yourself in an unwinnable state. I could be missing something but I got locked into a place (as part of the story progression) that could not be left with my current loadout. I saw no other option but to let my character slowly starve to death so I can try again with a new character (as far as I can tell, there is no suicide option. On the upshot, I learned what things in my inventory I am invulnerable to.)

I don’t know if you saw (up thread) but a new exploration version is coming in a few months.

I did, as well as your comment. You are right - if this game, which is beautiful and atmospheric, had the mechanical depth and level layout panache that Brogue has, it would be transcendental. I do feel hopeful though - I think that game is coming, and it will be Unexplored 2.

Is this an example of the “atmospheric roguelike” genre?

I would put it in the “warning against blind loyalty to a trusted developer” genre.

I think you can in some very rare cases (more than trusting a developer, trusting an individual developer), but to me Below screamed “game that should have been gutted but nobody had the gut to do it” right from the early gameplay previews they posted.

Edit: hey, that’s actually what I typed. Either I’m really me, or I’m just too stupid to change over the years anymore.

I agree if you refer to the standard gameplay, but when it comes to bosses, it is dfferent. Some of them are really hard (O&S), lucky there is multiplayer.

I am interested in Below, how hard can it be? What happens on death? Do you lose all your stuff? Can you regain it or do you start from scratch every time?

I would like to play this on the switch

April 7th for new mode and PS4 release.

Also Discourse search sucks badly.

No kidding, took me ages to find this thread. Yikes.

Anyway, just a reminder this update drops tomorrow (and it hits PS4 tomorrow, too!) and I just saw on Steam the beta for this was available last week so you can opt in right now if you want (at this point I can’t imagine the beta and final release version would be much different). Sounds like Explore mode is a lot more casual (actually, reading one guys take, it sounds like the game before was infuriating and super un-fun, but that’s just my impression reading about the changes).

You guys aren’t fair. I would blame Capybara for picking such a terrible name (for the internet age, at least).

Agreed

I want a game where you assume the role of a capybara, just chilling in water with other animals standing on your head.

Discourse search still sucks (I had to find this thread on Google using site:forum.quartertothree.com “below”), but this hit $10 just now I guess. I’m a little astonished it’s taken this long. This game can’t have been a great seller for them, but they are being very stubborn about the price. I am pretty tempted, but I’ll probably still wait for $5…if that point ever comes.

I got pretty far in this. Once you get to a certain point it just becomes unfun. There’s a series of levels where you have to power through the room as fast as possible to not die to a persistent AoE, which runs contrary to everything you learned in the game up to that point, which is caution and careful exploration.

And if you die, you lose your lantern and have no hope of getting it back because it stays on your corpse. So, clear that section in 1 run or restart, I guess?

I don’t even think this game is worth trying for free, unfortunately. I bought into the “Dark Souls-like” hype, and that the lead dev was a poster on this forum. Or that other one. In reality it’s just obtuse and annoying, and like deliberately smug in its design decisions.

I was really enjoying myself in this game. Made it past the AoE stuff and didn’t let it ruin my fun. Unfortunately I got soft-locked into a place where I was forced to die and lose a bunch of progress, right after making significant new progress. I can’t be bothered to go back and make that progress again, so I haven’t launched it again.

When this game is working - it is very, very good. But it is a highly specific taste, for people who like the oppressive (and tiresome) atmosphere it presents.

Are either of your concerns ameliorated by Explore mode?

I am expecting this game in a humble monthly soon.

I feel like I am one of those people but at this point I am almost afraid to find out. It is now down to $6.24, which is probably cheap enough for me to see. It is such a divisive game, but the good reviews on steam are very good, though everyone acknowledges it can be a frustrating experience. Still hasn’t made it into a Humble Bundle!