Beneath the Mountain
- March 5, 2024
- Omnis Rector Studios
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
Reviews
- The game has excellent replayability with various play styles and upgrade paths for units and buildings.
- The art style and thematic elements are well-executed, providing a charming dwarven atmosphere.
- The developer is responsive to community feedback and shows a commitment to improving the game with regular updates.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues, especially in late-game scenarios with many units on screen, leading to lag and low frame rates.
- Pathfinding and unit control are problematic, with units often getting stuck or failing to respond correctly during combat.
- There is a lack of a tutorial and clear objectives, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and progress effectively.
- optimization29 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a significant concern among users, with many reporting severe performance issues, particularly in the late game, including lag, frame rate drops, and stuttering, even on high-end systems. While some players have experienced no major issues, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to enhance overall performance and gameplay experience. Despite these challenges, there is optimism about the game's potential with future updates.
“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.”
“A few optimization updates and I can see myself sinking dozens if not hundreds of hours into this game.”
“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.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with some players enjoying the solid mechanics and fun defensive strategies reminiscent of tower defense games, while others find the gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth. Despite its early access status, many appreciate the potential for improvement and the engaging mix of RTS and tactical elements, though concerns about limited content and strategic depth persist. Overall, the game shows promise, particularly for fans of dungeon keeper-style gameplay, but may require further development to enhance the experience.
“This has some pretty solid vibes of There Are Billions with some good solid tower defense mechanics.”
“Really fun defensive mechanics with gates, walls; yes, you can put your crossbowmen on the walls.”
“I like the concept, I like the gameplay; in fact, I like nearly everything about it.”
“Pathing, camera, and gameplay loop are boring.”
“That takes away a lot of strategic gameplay and dumbs it right down.”
“Yes, it's early access, but I'm wondering what they are going to do to change the mechanics of the game.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the art style and aesthetic, particularly for its representation of a dwarf civilization. However, issues such as lag at high creature counts and a need for cosmetic polish are frequently mentioned, leading to a less enjoyable experience for some users. Overall, while the lighting and unit designs are appreciated, performance problems detract from the visual experience.
“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 overall aesthetic is pretty neat.”
“Love the graphics and style.”
“The lighting is an ongoing topic, but the dark look is core to the cave dwelling theme, so not a graphic issue, but some different solutions could be useful.”
“Laggy at high creature counts like 200+ creatures (I found lowering graphics and setting the game priority in task manager really helped).”
“Combat is bad, and graphics are poor.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is highly variable, with some players praising its diverse play styles, upgrade systems, and challenging mechanics that encourage experimentation and learning from mistakes. However, others feel that it lacks significant replay value due to limited features that differentiate playthroughs, leading to mixed opinions on its long-term engagement. Overall, while some aspects enhance replayability, others detract from it, resulting in a divided player experience.
“It's got tons of play styles to experiment with: different buffs and abilities to buildings, units, traps, etc. I also think the game has pretty good replay value with the different settings available.”
“The rune system gives this game great replayability.”
“This is a challenging game, but that makes it a very replayable experience as you learn from your mistakes.”
“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.”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, with users noting that the tutorial is functional but needs a more engaging narrative or progressive elements. Comparisons to other games highlight a desire for a richer atmosphere and storytelling, which are currently missing or poorly executed. Overall, the narrative feels sparse and fails to captivate players.
“The tutorial is finished and bug-free in terms of the quest area.”
“Story or uniqueness.”
“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.”
- stability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is marred by various bugs and glitches, including problematic textures, pathing issues, and missing tooltips. While the tutorial is reportedly bug-free, players experience frequent unit entrapment and a lack of control groups, which detracts from the gameplay experience. Additionally, the limited game mode can lead to a sense of repetitiveness.
“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; no lag or disconnections.”
“Cons: some buggy textures and pathing can be a bit tricky late game; nightmare mode can be really hard in the first 20 minutes.”
“Locked content (coming soon), bugs and glitches, loads of missing tooltips; only 1 game mode/map mode which gets old quickly.”
“Units getting stuck frequently, no control groups, and a few glitches, but nothing really game-breaking.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative 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
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is noted to be engaging and immersive, with some reviewers highlighting its potential despite minor bugs and performance issues. While it lacks the polish of similar titles like Dungeon Keeper, it still offers a fun and challenging experience that contributes to its overall ambiance.
“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
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been criticized for being overwhelming and unpleasant, particularly during defeat, which some players describe as "ear rape." Additionally, the overall game design choices, including limited building and unit options, detract from the overall experience.
“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
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative 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 chaotic experiences.
“It’s a game that you need to know what to do 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 balances its serious moments with ridiculous humor that catches you off guard.”
