Doorways: The Underworld

About

"Doorways: The Underworld" is a first-person horror adventure game, where you play as special agent Thomas Foster, tasked with tracking down a missing psychopath in a terrifying and atmospheric underworld. The game features fast-paced gameplay, challenging puzzles, and high-quality visuals and sounds. It is the third chapter in the Doorways series, but can be played independently, with the option to explore many secret places and full controller support.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 218 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

The last sequence of the game is highly entertaining and intense.
The flashback system with the watch offers a unique gameplay mechanic that enhances the experience.
The atmosphere and sound design effectively create a creepy and immersive horror experience.

The majority of the game consists of repetitive tasks, such as finding keys and valves, which can become tedious.
The game is often too dark, making it difficult to navigate and see where to hide from enemies.
Some chase sequences are overly punishing, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.

story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it unoriginal and confusing, often describing it as anti-climactic or lacking depth. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and the potential of the narrative, others criticize its execution, noting a reliance on familiar tropes and a lack of engaging plot development. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point, with some players enjoying it for its simplicity, while others feel it detracts from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay, graphics, atmosphere, and story make the saga one of the best PC gaming experiences currently available.”
- “It's a nice, new take on the detective story, a bright detective with an unknown past facing off against a twisted genius inside the killer's mind.”
- “Moreover, the gradual reveal of the story was very well paced, and even though the story is a little generic, it suits the environments well.”
- “The story is unoriginal, but for a game released in 2014, it's acceptable.”
- “The story never really took off; we were stuck finding random notes in random places.”
- “Weak story, mediocre environment, terrible music, no 'thrill' of being chased, and no original ideas make this game a waste of time and money.”
gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
73%
11%
The gameplay in the "Doorways" series has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of originality and repetitiveness, particularly in the later chapters. While some mechanics, like the flashback feature and various puzzles, are praised for their creativity, they are often overshadowed by frustrating enemy encounters and poorly implemented mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as enjoyable but marred by inconsistencies and a reliance on familiar horror tropes.
- “The gameplay is enjoyable and the difficulty is just right.”
- “The graphics are impressive, the gameplay is enjoyable, and the difficulty is just right.”
- “The gameplay consists of avoiding the lurking dangers and solving small puzzles.”
- “Most of the monsters (except the fatso) have ridiculous unfair mechanics and appear in the most random and frustrating locations.”
- “The problem is that the gameplay is relatively dull.”
- “The real failing of the underworld is its tedious gameplay, as the lack of diversity left me with a familiar sense of strict linearity.”
atmosphere
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
32%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its intensity and creepiness, with strong sound design and a bleak soundtrack that enhances the horror experience. However, some players feel that the shift towards more action-oriented gameplay detracts from the atmospheric tension established in earlier chapters, leading to frustration and a sense of repetitiveness. Overall, while the game maintains a solid atmospheric foundation, its execution varies, with some players finding it less effective than its predecessors.
- “Great atmosphere and a cold, bleak soundtrack.”
- “The claustrophobic atmosphere and the excellent sound work really do give a sense of building dread and terror.”
- “The game's sound design and atmosphere make for a truly eerie experience.”
- “I think the creepiness was better, but I believe the atmosphere from the first game is gone.”
- “There's nothing worth seeing here in the underworld, just some cheap scares and decent atmosphere propping up empty halls and lacking gameplay.”
- “The atmosphere that Doorways relies on was ruined.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the improved visuals and atmospheric design, while others criticize them as outdated or average, likening them to older console graphics. Many players appreciate the creative 3D art and the overall aesthetic, noting that the graphics contribute positively to the game's creepy atmosphere, despite some performance issues. Overall, while not groundbreaking, the graphics are deemed sufficient for an indie title, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are much improved and fixed a lot of prelude's issues with being unable to see where you're going.”
- “The gameplay, graphics, atmosphere, and story make the saga one of the best PC gaming experiences currently available.”
- “Very good game, I loved the graphics and the story!”
- “Graphically average like something out of a PlayStation 2 console.”
- “The graphics are still as bad as it was in Doorways: Chapter 1 & 2.”
- “The graphics look like Penumbra.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious, repetitive, and frustrating, with many players expressing that it detracts from the overall experience. Key segments, particularly the final levels and certain mazes, are described as infuriatingly monotonous, leading to a loss of engagement and enjoyment. While some areas show potential, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay suffers from a lack of diversity and creativity, making it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable challenge.
- “They were incredibly tedious and frustrating.”
- “The real failing of the underworld is its tedious gameplay, as the lack of diversity left me with a familiar sense of strict linearity.”
- “It's so tedious that it stops being scary 5 minutes into this section.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the bleak and intense environments. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack evokes strong feelings reminiscent of classic titles like Doom 64, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some critiques mention the need for longer looping tracks and highlight that while the music is excellent, it may not compensate for other shortcomings in gameplay and story.
- “The music, the environments, the designs, everything.”
- “Music was still excellent and suited the environment well.”
- “Atmospheric music / sounds”
- “These games have a lot of potential if they worked a bit more on the looping soundtrack by making it longer.”
- “Very dark corridors (a lot of people complained about this, but it just makes the experience more intense in my opinion) and very creepy music.”
- “Weak story, mediocre environment, terrible music, no 'thrill' of being chased, and no original ideas make this game a waste of time and money.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization is notably poor, with players experiencing significant frame rate drops, particularly in demanding sections like the final maze, leading to frustrating gameplay. Despite maintaining good graphics, the performance issues hinder the overall experience, especially for those using gamepads.
- “On the graphics side, things remain as good as the original, but performance took a huge nosedive.”
- “As I mentioned in my review for the beginning of the series, these games are not properly optimized. This time, I had to play at a maximum of 13 FPS, which is not feasible, especially in the last part (maze with map) where you have to be fast - that's also the part where I rage quit.”
- “The last level was annoying and at least not optimized for gameplay with a gamepad.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with few bugs or major glitches reported. However, some users experienced issues with achievements not unlocking, particularly on Linux, and occasional control slow-downs. Despite these minor setbacks, the game received a favorable score of 7.5.
- “Achievements did not unlock - buggy on Linux :(”
- “Overall, this gets a solid 7.5, since the music and voice acting were brilliant, the environments were well made, and there were few bugs or breaking glitches (apart from the odd control slow-down issue).”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted through its clever puzzles and unexpected moments, such as players misinterpreting the game's tone and facing comical consequences, like dying in amusing ways. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience.
- “The game features funny puzzles that keep you entertained.”
- “I foolishly believed that this meant the game was devoid of enemies entirely, leading me to charge headfirst into the first enemy I saw and die rather hilariously.”