Beneath the Mountain

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 165 reviews
  • optimization
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Beneath the Mountain Game Cover
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"Beneath the Mountain" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game set in a mysterious abandoned mine. Players uncover the secrets of the mine by solving intricate puzzles and discovering hidden stories of its past. The game features a rich atmosphere, immersive soundtrack, and an intriguing narrative that will keep players engaged till the end.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 165 reviews
gameplay13 positive mentions
optimization11 negative mentions
  • The game has excellent replayability with various strategies and unit combinations to explore.
  • The artwork and theme are well-executed, providing a charming dwarven atmosphere.
  • The developer is responsive and actively working on improvements and updates based on community feedback.
  • The game suffers from significant performance issues, especially in late-game scenarios with many units on screen.
  • Pathfinding and unit AI are problematic, often causing units to get stuck or behave unpredictably during combat.
  • There is a lack of a tutorial and clear objectives, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and gameplay.
  • optimization34 mentions

    The game's optimization is a significant concern, particularly in the mid to late game, where players report severe frame rate drops and performance issues, even on high-end systems. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay, many others highlight the need for further optimization and bug fixes to enhance overall performance. Developers are actively addressing these issues with regular updates, but the current state remains inconsistent, impacting the gaming experience for many.

    • “The game runs smoothly in performance and gameplay.”
    • “It has a ton of potential, is a mostly complete game already, and the issues it has are simply quality of life and some optimization issues.”
    • “An enjoyable and thematic strategy game, now with much more improved performance!”
    • “So far the game only really needs optimization, as the later parts of the game can get a bit laggy.”
    • “There is a huge issue with the performance/frame rate drops.”
    • “Games performance is god-awful, I have a pretty beefy system and still dropped down to 2fps at times, game seems very repetitive.”
  • gameplay27 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fun mechanics and strategic depth reminiscent of classic titles like Dungeon Keeper and They Are Billions, while others criticize the pathing, camera issues, and a somewhat tedious gameplay loop. Many players appreciate the solid defensive mechanics and the potential for replayability, though concerns about content depth and confusing interfaces persist. Overall, the game shows promise, especially with its planned updates and improvements.

    • “The visuals are explosive, the gameplay is amazing with incredible replay value (as it should be for an RTS!).”
    • “The core gameplay loop is fun and the art style has a lot of warm and gold tones which contrast well against the darkness of the mountain.”
    • “To shed some more light on what I believe to be a neat game mechanic: there's research upgrades in true RTS style in most buildings that allow progression, but the developer has also included a runesmithing system which functions like a talent tree and allows you to personalize your playthrough each time by selecting certain runes.”
    • “Pathing, camera, and gameplay loop is boring.”
    • “That takes away a lot of strategic gameplay and dumbs it right down.”
    • “Game mechanics are confusing and the interface is byzantine.”
  • graphics17 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the art style, unit variety, and attention to detail, particularly in the depiction of dwarven aesthetics. However, issues such as lag at high creature counts and occasional graphical glitches detract from the overall experience. While the lighting and dark themes align well with the game's setting, some players feel that additional polish and customization options are needed for a smoother visual experience.

    • “The artwork, lore, and unit variety is staggering.”
    • “As a dwarf fan, I think the art style of the game is absolutely magnificent, and I get real mountain home dwarf civilization vibes from it.”
    • “The core gameplay loop is fun, and the art style has a lot of warm and gold tones which contrast well against the darkness of the mountain.”
    • “It could do with some fine cosmetic polish and customization, such as prettier graphics!”
    • “Combat is bad, and graphics are poor.”
    • “A few NVIDIA GPU users run into a strange but non-gamebreaking graphical glitch from time to time.”
  • replayability11 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players praise its diverse play styles, upgrade systems, and randomized elements that encourage experimentation, others find it lacking in variety after initial playthroughs. The presence of unique mechanics like the rune system and tech upgrades contributes positively to replay value, but some users feel that the game can become repetitive quickly.

    • “It's got tons of play styles to experiment with: different buffs and abilities to buildings, units, traps, etc., and I also think the game has pretty good replay value with the different settings available.”
    • “The rune system gives this game great replayability.”
    • “This system promotes replayability (alongside the randomized map), since each playthrough you can try out a new combination of runes and see how that goes.”
    • “It's fun for the first 3 hours but has really no replay value as there aren't any features that make any game different from the next.”
    • “Fun game but completed in two hours with no replayability.”
    • “The game itself has a lot of replayability due to the various techs you can upgrade and try to synergize.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by various bugs, including texture issues, pathing problems, and frequent unit glitches, particularly in the mid to late game. While the tutorial is bug-free, players report missing tooltips and a lack of game modes, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, there is optimism that ongoing development could enhance stability and quality of life features.

    • “The tutorial is finished and bug-free in terms of the quest area.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or major glitches.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the online multiplayer experience is; I rarely encounter connection issues.”
    • “Locked content (coming soon), bugs and glitches, loads of missing tooltips, only 1 game mode/map mode which gets old quickly.”
    • “This has so much potential, it's just fairly buggy and is missing some quality of life features, but hopefully if the development continues it becomes something great.”
    • “Be noted that frame rate is an issue at the time of writing, especially in the mid to late game, and NVIDIA cards will experience some visual glitches.”
  • story5 mentions

    The story aspect of the game is criticized for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, with users noting that it feels more like a tutorial than a compelling narrative. There are calls for a more engaging story-driven experience or progressive unlocks to enhance the gameplay, as the current content is seen as minimal and not particularly innovative. Overall, the game's narrative elements are viewed as needing significant improvement to match the expectations set by similar titles.

    • “The tutorial is finished and bug-free in terms of the quest area.”
    • “Except Dungeon Keeper was clean and innovative and had boatloads of atmosphere and a story.”
    • “End of story, the latter two are just wasting the little map space there is; the first is just for a little bit of XP grinding, not much though, and there is no further point to them.”
    • “Tutorial is good but needs to be fleshed out with either a story-driven narrative or progressive unlocks.”
    • “Except Dungeon Keeper was clean and innovative and had boatloads of atmosphere and a story, whereas this, at this point in its development, has bugs, runs slowly, has a less than stellar interface, and has a bad tutorial.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and disruptive, particularly due to the need for constant reassignment of warriors during combat and the presence of annoying bugs. While some grinding for experience points is present, it feels minimal and often unnecessary, leading to a frustrating overall experience. However, there is hope that future updates could alleviate these issues.

    • “End of story, the latter two are just wasting the little map space there is; the first is just for a little bit of XP grinding, not much though, and there is no further point to them.”
    • “Regarding the training grounds, the system that recalls warriors during combat disrupts the flow, requiring tedious reassignment to specific groups post-intervention.”
    • “Darkness is extremely annoying and tedious; it's still an issue.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is noted to be engaging and immersive, with a sense of fun and challenge, despite some minor technical issues and a less polished interface. While it shows potential, the current development stage is marred by bugs and a subpar tutorial, impacting the overall experience.

    • “The game has potential - minor jank but it's fun, challenging, and atmospheric.”
    • “Except Dungeon Keeper was clean and innovative and had boatloads of atmosphere and a story, whereas this, at this point in its development, has bugs, runs slowly, has a less than stellar interface, and features a bad tutorial.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music in the game has been criticized for being overwhelming and unpleasant, particularly during defeat, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, some players feel that poor game design choices overshadow the musical elements.

    • “The music is overwhelming and feels like an assault on the ears when you lose.”
    • “There are poor game design decisions, such as the music being excessively loud and distracting during critical moments.”
    • “The limited variety of music tracks makes the gameplay feel repetitive and dull.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from its ironic lack of a tutorial, which leaves players to figure out survival strategies on their own, leading to amusing and unexpected situations.

    • “It’s a game that requires you to figure out how to survive, but hilariously, it didn’t launch with a tutorial.”
    • “The humor in this game is top-notch, with witty dialogue and absurd situations that keep you laughing.”
    • “I love how the game pokes fun at classic tropes while still being engaging and entertaining.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

11hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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