BELOW Reviews
I’ll be honest with you. I’m a bit of a PlayStation fanboy. I’ve never owned an Xbox and I occasionally find myself viewing their exclusive titles with covetous eyes: Below was one of those titles. Like a P.E teacher I used to have, this game has a reputation of being incredibly hard and unforgiving. I am by no means a glutton for punishment kind of player, but I itched to pit myself against the perilous and mysterious depths of Below.
There’s no denying that they’ve nailed the atmospheric feel of this game, and every second I spent playing it was appropriately spooky, but it also didn’t give me much of a reason to get to the end beyond the challenge itself. If you’re someone who can revel in the challenge, who can savour it and use it to fuel you towards the conclusion, then you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. If you can’t find that, then I think you’ll struggle.
Below is a niche title if there ever was one. Beautiful, haunting, and downright demanding of the player, it's a game of little victories. Explore mode is only moderately easier, but it does make this a bit easier to grasp for those who aren't particularly adept at dungeon crawlers. However, the price of death feels too steep, and it's hard to recommend Below to anyone who isn't a diehard fan of the genre. It's very good, but definitely not a good first dungeon crawler.
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.
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.
Exploration Mode adds replayability and a much needed respite to players who didn't feel right with the strict timing of the original game. Now is a good time to give Below a second chance.
Review in Italian | Read full review
After years as an Xbox exclusive, Capy latest game finally arrives to PS4. This new BELOW port brings a lot of improvements for the title, tweaking the difficulty and including an explore mode that makes the game more enjoyable.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
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.
I was very surprised and enjoyed playing BELOW. It has some mistakes, of course, no game is perfect, but if you put-aside those mistakes, you will get a game with very good graphics, great soundtrack, simple gameplay that can entertain you for long time.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Below is divisive. Few will argue about the bleak beauty of the game, but everything else sets it up as a title you'll either love or hate, with few reservations.
Below is a solid and well-designed game that will challenge every level of gamer. Steeped in mystery, fans of Roguelike dungeon exploring will feel right at home in this subterranean adventure.
Below is a quite convincing Rogue-lite with good visuals and great music, despites the lack of tutorial and narration, and a progression that can be very tough and frustrating.
Review in French | Read full review
The art style is so beautiful to enjoy, but the gameplay is too repetitive to bear.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
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 is a long-awaited game that for the most part delivers on what it set out to do 6 years ago. The biggest hurdle awaiting players besides the difficulty will be finding that sweet spot of discovery and wonder that keeps pulling you on and making you want to find out more.
Even though it doesn’t always feel cohesive, it’s certainly worth playing, especially if you’re a fan of roguelikes —just know that your mileage may vary in the enjoyment department.
It’s not cutting edge. I mean “Souls-like” is a genre of its own now, not just an interesting experiment. So we wind up with Below, which is like one of those weird evolutionary offshoots that is never quite successful.
Below's foreboding atmosphere and slow, purposeful pace works in its early stages, but numerous frustrating design choices make its back half a nightmare.