BELOW Reviews
Below is a gorgeous, atmospheric dungeon crawler that is difficult to take in at the pace it deserves because of oppressive survival mechanics.
Capy's tough-love approach and well-worn survival systems makes it harder to appreciate Below's singular look and feel.
The insane difficulty of the original has been tempered by a new, more accessible mode that transforms Below into one of the best roguelikes of the generation.
A frustrating mix of survival game and roguelike, that has absolutely no respect for your time and yet still hides an enthralling and rewarding action adventure within its murky depths.
Below is a beautiful, immersive experience that comes with extensive caveats. Survival can be frustrating for even the most seasoned adventurer
Below's foreboding atmosphere and slow, purposeful pace works in its early stages, but numerous frustrating design choices make its back half a nightmare.
Tough games generally reward me by offering up small lessons, each time I die. In most games, I'll notice that the big Dark Souls-y boss I'm trying to kill has a particular movement or flaw, and I test that weak spot until I discover the answer.
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 ambience, but it comes with too many caveats.
Below is a unique experience that blends some of the most popular gameplay mechanics seen this generation into a hauntingly beautiful and ferocious journey of death, redemption and survival. Even with the new Explore Mode making the game more accessible, Below's obtuse nature won't be to everyone's tastes, but the process of discovering and mastering the game's numerous systems is a vastly enjoyable one.
There's a fun and challenging experience down in the depths of Below, especially in the very lowest levels. Unfortunately, the cumbersome design will turn players away and keep the game's treasures hidden forever.
Below hhas a precise idea but transmits it reluctantly. Finally, not everyone who understands it might want to indulge it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite its frustrating refusal to teach you even the basics, Below's sense of discovery is as good as anything already out there, and its gameplay is as deep as its name suggests.
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.
Below's moody gloom and atmosphere is spoiled by mechanics that really cramp its central quest.
When you reach a milestone you get a moment of pure, unadulterated glory, but it’s fleeting, like craving a cigarette and quickly realising that nicotine is a chemical lie and cigarettes are shit. Progress feels so gradual as to be nonexistent, and can be instantly wiped out — but not in a calculated way like the difficulty of Dark Souls. In a sort of hopeless way. Each warrior is a tiny Sisyphus.
Below is a dark, mysterious game that invites you to illuminate its secrets, then punishes you for trying. While it does a great job invoking a sense of wonder, thanks in part to its sparse, tense soundtrack, its genuinely great moments are spread far too thin. Below will certainly be a divisive game, but it offers a compelling experience for players willing to put up with a good amount of frustration and tedium.
BELOW's graphics and music are nothing short of spectacular, but the incredibly disappointing gameplay experience leaves a lot to be desired.
Below is a roguelike that excels at making players truly feel like they’re a lone adventurer on a dangerous island filled with secrets. I liked its simple, colorful art style, its music, and atmosphere, but the gameplay pushed me away.
We found ourselves constantly craving more information, only for Below to not provide it.
A maddening eschewing of basic exposition makes Below feel like something of an arrogant work - but ultimately it wields a tremendous audiovisual aesthetic and weaves an interesting, if not an always thrilling, take on the roguelike adventure template.