The Land Beneath Us begins a bit sluggish and the gameplay can really feel repetitive after some time. Nonetheless, though it doesn’t succeed at every little thing, it’s an entertaining sport that may be skilled casually whereas additionally offering a problem for individuals who wish to grasp its tactical fight.
The Mix Beneath Us
The visuals of The Land Beneath Us usually are not essentially authentic, however they get the job carried out. The sport has that very same minimalist pixel artwork type with out outlines that we’ve seen in lots of indie video games recently, however mixed with easy 3D platforms and a modern-looking UI. Different video games pulled out the mix of retro and fashionable parts, however right here I really feel prefer it makes the sport appear to be it’s struggling to seek out an identification. It doesn’t look unhealthy, nevertheless it doesn’t look completely cohesive both.
That is unhappy as a result of mixing retro and fashionable visible parts typically result in very distinctive trying video games, however the issue could be the dearth of variation and persona within the flooring you discover. I want the sport had extra distinct eventualities and made extra use of this pixel artwork and 3D mix to supply extra distinct backgrounds and environmental storytelling as a substitute of one other crimson or blue room with random monsters.
Talking of monsters, I didn’t actually really feel any sense of coherence or belonging to the creatures I used to be dealing with. Most of the time, they appeared to be there solely so I may kill them and transfer on. Though there’s nothing incorrect with it, it does distinction with the sport’s preliminary effort to supply a lot lore and context to what you’re doing.
Usually talking, the artwork is purposeful, and there’s nothing inherently incorrect with it, however for a sport that spends a lot of your time with a protracted lore exposition dump earlier than it allows you to play, I used to be anticipating a bit extra.
The Plot In Entrance of Us
In The Land Beneath Us, you play as Sven, a Soul Harvester summoned by an odd AI in a bizarre sci-fi lab. As Sven, you will need to rescue The Creator so the world can return to harvesting Soul Vitality, the final word answer to a really troubling vitality disaster. As you advance, you’ll meet new characters, be taught extra about your previous, and the AI’s true intentions.
Frankly, I didn’t care a lot concerning the plot. Sven is cool, and I like his design, however I felt just like the quirky AI is attempting too laborious to be humorous with references and tropes which might be many years previous by now. I get the concept of constructing a Claptrap-like character who can ship some jokes sometimes, and I do imagine it may well work irrespective of what number of instances it has been carried out, however I nonetheless really feel prefer it may have been toned down a bit. I additionally really feel very disturbed by the one pixel in Sven’s helmet that makes it look crocked for some cause.
That mentioned, it’s not like I hate the writing or the characters on this sport. There’s lots to be admired right here. Whether or not you agree or not with the message that the sport is attempting to cross, or how it’s in the end delivered, it’s very clear that the crew had a transparent imaginative and prescient of what the sport’s plot was meant to be.
The Land Beneath Us makes use of absurd fantasy and sci-fi ideas to make the participant take into consideration the implications of going too far, the worth of life, the sense of self, and different moral dilemmas. As I mentioned, there’s a message that the builders have been attempting to cross, however though I severely dislike preaching in video games, I really feel like The Land Beneath Us presents its themes in a manner that makes the gamers assume critically about it greater than hammering down a message into their heads, and I commend the writers for it.
Tactical Flip-Based mostly Roguelite
The gameplay is by far the perfect and most authentic a part of The Land Beneath Us and the principle cause you’ll play this sport. I used to be very impressed by the way in which that FairPlay Studios Co. was in a position to present an expertise that jogs my memory of Crown Trick whereas being its personal factor.
This sport is a turn-based tactical sport on a sq. grid, however not in the way in which you assume. The bizarre factor about turns on this sport is that all of them occur on the similar time. Each time you’re taking your flip, all of the enemies on the map do too. So, how does it work? You possibly can see the place you’ll be able to transfer, the vary and attain of your weapons, and the enemies’ assault trajectory on the grid.
Enemies don’t essentially assault each flip, however they’ll all the time telegraph their assaults, and for those who transfer into a type of squares or keep there, you’ll take harm. Every weapon you discover should be outfitted in one among your 4 slots. Every slot represents a route: up, down, left, or proper. These weapons solely assault in that route. When you have a spear in your down slot and a gun in your left slot, neither weapon will ever assault enemies above you or to your proper.
I do know it sounds odd and complex, however it’s the core of the tactical facet of The Land Beneath Us. To make it even higher, the sport doesn’t have any kind of timer. It received’t rush you, so you have got on a regular basis on this planet to make the perfect resolution. After some time, you’ll get used to the enemies and their assault patterns, making you pace by way of the primary flooring of the dungeon whereas all the time having the choice of fastidiously contemplating the perfect subsequent transfer when issues get extra difficult.
Weapons might need particular properties, like reaching 3 squares afar, attacking two enemies in a 2-squares lengthy line, or therapeutic you when an enemy is defeated. There are numerous weapons, and also you’ll most definitely discover some extra attention-grabbing than others. Though I’m not a fan of the weapon allocation system, I received’t maintain it towards the sport as a result of it’s a very artistic, very distinctive tactical battle system, and I’ve nothing however good issues to say about it.
As quickly as the sport began, I used to be hooked by the battle system, however the remainder of the sport made me want that extra care was put into the remainder of it. Enemies really feel a bit bland and over-simplistic at first. The sport does have a sluggish begin and waits too lengthy earlier than letting you utilize its extra enjoyable mechanics. Unlocking new weapons ought to be attention-grabbing, nevertheless it solely makes upgrading them a lot tougher since you’ll want to get the identical weapon from a chest to improve those you have got.
There’s additionally the issue of overpowered skills or builds which might be considerably abusable. Don’t get me incorrect, the sport is sweet and price attempting, and I do love the battle system of The Land Beneath Us, however I imagine that some minor tweaks may have made this sport so, so significantly better.
The Verdict
Though I used to be by no means compelled to hearken to the annoying AI and perceive Sven’s true goal, The Land Beneath Us does put good effort into offering a superb plot and charismatic characters. As for the gameplay, I used to be shocked by how significantly better this sport is than Fallen Knight, FairPlay Studios’s earlier sport launched on Steam.
I discover it simple that The Land Beneath Us is a enjoyable sport worthy of its price ticket, however I can’t eliminate that feeling that this title is just a few stability patches away from greatness. That mentioned, I nonetheless suggest it to Roguelite followers and gamers who take pleasure in a slower, tactical sport. If you happen to like each, this sport will really feel prefer it was tailored for you.
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The Land Beneath Us
I discover it simple that The Land Beneath Us is a enjoyable sport worthy of its price ticket, however I can not eliminate that feeling that this title is just a few stability patches away from greatness.
Reviewed on PC