Review of The Land Beneath Us

Under Our Feet begins a little slowly, and after a time, the gameplay may seem monotonous. It is an enjoyable game that can be played casually and offers a challenge for those who want to learn its tactical combat, even if it fails at everything.

The Combination Below Us

The Land Beneath Us's images aren't very creative, but they accomplish the job. The game has the same outline-free, minimalist pixel graphics style that has been popular in indie games recently, but it also features straightforward 3D platforms with a UI that looks contemporary. While other games successfully combined old and contemporary features, I think this one gives the impression that the game is still trying to figure out who it is. It doesn't seem horrible, but it also doesn't seem totally put together.

This is unfortunate since combining old and contemporary graphic aspects may produce games with really distinctive visual styles, but the issue may lie in how monotonous and uninteresting the levels you play are. Instead of just another red or blue chamber with random creatures, I wish the game had more different settings and made better use of this pixel art and 3D mix to give more distinct backdrops and contextual narrative.

In relation to the demons I was confronting, I felt a lack of coherence and a feeling of belonging. They appeared to be there more frequently than not just so I could murder them and be done with it. It contrasts with the game's early attempt to provide so much backstory and meaning to what you're doing, even if there's nothing wrong with it.

In general, the art serves its purpose and is not intrinsically flawed, but I was expecting a little bit more from a game that takes up a significant amount of your time with a lengthy narrative exposition dump before it allows you to play.

The Storyline Before Us

You take on the role of Sven in The Land Beneath Us, a strange AI in a strange science fiction lab summons Soul Harvesters. In order for the planet to resume gathering Soul Energy—the ultimate remedy for a very concerning energy crisis—you, as Sven, must save The Creator. You will meet more people as you go along, discover more about your history, and discover the AI's actual motivations.The narrative didn't really interest me, to be honest. Although Sven's design is fantastic, I couldn't help but feel that the peculiar AI is too amused by allusions and cliches that are now decades old. Although I get the concept of creating a character analogous to Claptrap that sometimes cracks jokes and I think it can work regardless of how many times it is done, I still think it should have been a little more subdued. The one pixel on Sven's helmet that, for some reason, gives it a crocked appearance also bothers me much. Having said that, I don't detest the game's narrative or its characters. This is a place full with admirable things. Regardless of your opinion of the message the game is attempting to convey or how it is finally presented, it is evident that the development team had a very clear idea of what the storyline of the game should be.The Land Beneath Us challenges the player's morality by posing ludicrous fantasy and science fiction questions about the implications of pushing too far, the worth of life, identity, and other related issues. As previously mentioned, the developers were attempting to convey a message. However, despite my strong distaste for preaching in video games, I believe The Land Beneath Us presents its themes in a way that encourages players to think critically rather than simply ramming home a point, and I applaud the writers for that.

Turn-Based Tactical Roguelite

The primary reason you should play The Land Beneath Us is its gameplay, which is by far its greatest and most inventive feature. The way FairPlay Studios Co. managed to create a unique experience that is reminiscent of Crown Trick left me very amazed.Not in the sense you may expect, this is a square-grid, turn-based tactical game. In this game, turns occur simultaneously, which makes them strange. All of the adversaries on the map take a turn every time you do. How then does it operate? On the grid, you may observe your movement capabilities, weapon range and reach, and the path taken by your adversaries' attacks.

While enemies may not always strike on your turn, they will always telegraph their moves, and if you move into or remain in one of those squares, you will receive damage. You may only have one weapon equipped in each of your four slots. A direction is represented by each slot: up, down, left, or right. Only that direction is attacked by these weapons. No weapon will ever hit foes to your right or above you if you have a pistol in your left slot and a spear in your down slot.It may seem strange and difficult, but this is the basis of The Land Beneath Us' tactical strategy. The lack of a timer in the game only serves to improve it. You will not be hurried, giving you the time to make the optimal choice. You will eventually get used to the opponents and their attack styles, which will allow you to quickly navigate the dungeon's first levels while always having the option to carefully contemplate your best course of action when things become trickier.A weapon may be able to strike two targets in a line that is two squares long, travel three squares in the distance, or heal you when an adversary is vanquished. There are many of weaponry, and some of them will probably catch your attention more than others. I have nothing but positive things to say about the game's tactical fighting system, which is incredibly inventive and distinctive, even if I'm not a fan of the way weapons are allocated.I was immediately engrossed in the fighting concept of the game, but as it progressed, I wished more thought had gone into the overall design. At first, enemies seem a little monotonous and basic. It's true that the game starts slowly and takes too long to unlock its more enjoyable features. While getting new weapons should be exciting, upgrading existing weapons becomes much more difficult since you have to get the identical weapon from a chest in order to improve it.Additionally, there is the issue of builds that are very exploitable or overpowering abilities. Don't get me wrong, I think The Land Beneath Us has a great fight system and is a game worth playing, but there were a few little adjustments that might have made the game much, much better.

The Decision

A decent narrative and likable characters are provided by The Land Beneath Us, even if I was never forced to pay attention to the obnoxious AI and comprehend Sven's genuine motivation. Regarding gameplay, I was taken aback by how much better this game is than the last title from FairPlay Studios that was made available on Steam, Fallen Knight.The Land Beneath Us is undoubtedly an entertaining game that is worth the money, but I can't get the idea that it is only a few patches away from becoming a masterpiece. Despite this, I still suggest it to gamers who like a slower, more strategic game and aficionados of roguelites. If you like both, you'll feel as if this game was built just for you.