Below

Below is an uncompromising trek through some seriously dangerous dungeons.

Worth the wait, Below is a Rouge lite that doesn't hold your hand and asks you figure out the rules of this world on your own.  It makes for a fulfilling, albeit difficult journey.

There’s mystery but not enough magic in this brutal descent.

Below is an interesting game to dissect. My first few hours were enthralling. The gorgeous art style, hauntingly beautiful music, and Zelda-esque hack-and-slash combat were exactly what I wanted when I first laid eyes on it all the way back in 2013 when the Xbox One was first announced. Now, having spent more than 30 hours with it, there’s still only one word I feel compelled to say when talking about Below: interesting. You see, the further I trekked down Below’s procedurally-generated dungeons, the more I came to the realization that I enjoy the game’s concept and ideas more than actually pl...

Some players will relish the challenge, but I just couldn’t. Not in this game. Below puts its best foot forward in its early hours and then never stops losing steam. If the experience were somehow compressed into a tighter six- to eight-hour adventure, I’d confidently recommend it to a wide audience. As it stands, the game has a masterful command of ambiance, but it comes with too many caveats.

As it is above.

Uncompromising to a fault, Below is a unique and often hauntingly beautiful game but its punishing design eventually becomes a tedious slog, sucking out any intrigue or enjoyment of its initial hours.

If you like to unravel a mysterious world that doesn't hold your hand, then you might find something in BELOW. If you're looking for an action-packed roguelite, BELOW is not it.

So what’s the point? Well, to look at it. To run around in the grass. To examine the strange ruins and wonder about them. To see the crystal crab monsters advancing when you fall over a tripwire, because somehow they know. To hear the clack-clatter-clack as they die, and fall into pieces. To say you did it, perhaps. But not me. “The caves are… beautiful... but so treacherous that only one warrior in a generation is drawn to them. And… the truth is that… we do not know… why because… nobody can be bothered to find out.”

BELOW will inevitably fuel heated debates over its quality. The monumental challenge it posed frustrated me nearly as much as its world enticed.

Below is a beautiful roguelike that nails its minimalist aesthetic, but fails in terms of gameplay. Here's our review...

Below’s moody gloom and atmosphere is spoiled by mechanics that really cramp its central quest.