PC_Powerplay-Iss_275_2019

GAME REVIEW W

L

ike a reverse-world version of

Hideo Kojima’s solar-powered

dungeon-crawler Boktai, Capy’s

uncompromising roguelite demands to

be played in total darkness. Here, you’ll

find yourself instinctively leaning in

to better make out your minuscule

character and their surroundings. It

may not do much for your posture,

but you’ll feel a physical connection

to your brave adventurer, likewise

peering anxiously into the gloom.

An very slow opening sees the camera

descend towards a tiny speck that

becomes a sailboat, tossed around a

roiling sea. Eventually, it lands, and you

begin a long climb to the labyrinth you’re

here to explore.

In its early hours, Below is heady,

powerful stuff. Its aesthetic works

wonders with scale, leaving you feeling

vulnerable. Its gloomy environments

are shrouded in a mist that only clears

as you inch forward, sword and shield

at the ready. As your every action

echoes around the rocks, Jim Guthrie’s

score steels you for the perils to come.

It’s economical in other ways, too.

Below gives almost nothing away;

gratifyingly, you learn only by doing.

And though a few lessons are learned

the hard way, it’s generally a pretty good

teacher. Take the crystals dropped by the

creatures you encounter early on: These

power your lantern, which illuminates

the nearby area, but also activates

mechanisms and reveals secrets. But

the gems have a habit of bouncing

off ledges if you swing your sword at

everything. As such, you’re better off

using single, precise swipes, or jabbing

from behind your shield.

If you are hit, you’ll usually start

bleeding: you can either apply a

bandage you’ve found or crafted,

or cauterize the wound at a brazier.

Lighting it takes a few fraught seconds,

however, and enemies will mercilessly

target you when they know you’re

occupied. It’s this tension that means

surviving several rooms’ worth of red

lights unscathed leaves you feeling

thrillingly alive, and spotting a campfire

to rest at brings a warming feeling of

relief. Here you can sleep and visit a

dreamlike hub where you can leave

items for your successor — albeit at the

cost of leaving yourself short.

This calculated risk is part of what

makes Below so absorbing, but its

ruthlessness too often tilts over into

unfairness. Enemies can sometimes hit

through walls, while in a game where

split-second timing is crucial, the odd bit

of lag can mean the difference between

stemming a potentially fatal wound and

losing 20 minutes of progress.

DOWN AND OUT

Reaching your corpse lets you retrieve

its inventory, but as gaps between

campfires grow ever wider, and your

ability to create checkpoints gets steadily

more challenging, you’re forced to

go on suicide runs, purely to stock up

on supplies to leave at the hub. These

survival elements discourage the desire

to properly explore, since you haven’t

really got the time. And the procedural

WHY

SHOULD

I CARE?

+ You love

feeling small

+ Dungeon

bashing is in

your blood

+ You want to

keep going down

Below

There’s mystery but not enough magic.

DEVELOPERCAPYBARA GAMES • PUBLISHERIN-HOUSE

http://www.whatliesbelow.com

VERDICT:

Capy’s tough love and

well-worn survival

systems make it harder

to appreciate Below’s

singular look and feel. 7

elements that subtly change floor layouts

are both too much and not enough: you

can’t memorise and thus master your

domain, but the trek back rarely yields

any fresh and exciting discoveries.

During Below’s long journey to

the light, the survival genre has

flourished. Few of its peers can match

it for atmosphere, but from crafting to

combat to campfire checkpoints, Below

feels a little behind the times.

CHRIS SCHILLING

Gentle tip: You

might want to

prepare before

you enter here.

POCKET CAMPENJOYING THE RESPITE OF BELOW’S HUB

1 GEAR

Helmets and armor

let you soak up a few

hits. You can store

them here for the next

poor sap.

2 PROVISIONS

Combine water and

three foodstuffs—

vegetables, meat,

or fungus—for a

restorative brew or

stew.

3 COSMETICS

Marbles you find

on your travels

slot in here to add

decorations, like

chairs and lights.

4 STORAGE

It looks innocuous,

but under the large

stonehereyoucan

secrete your light

crystals.

2 4

(^13)