Into the Pit

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 182 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Into the Pit Game Cover
Although it shows promise early on, Into the Pit runs out of new tricks astoundingly quickly, leading to endless repetition and a total lack of challenge.
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"Into the Pit" is a single-player fantasy shooter game with delightful mechanics and sensational graphics. As a lore-hungry mystic, you investigate a demonic pit in a village where your cousin went silent. Fight with chaotic magic, navigate shifting treacherous dungeons, and grow your powers to uncover the village's occult secrets.

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 182 reviews
gameplay17 positive mentions
replayability5 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique visual style that combines retro aesthetics with modern design elements, creating an engaging atmosphere.
  • Gameplay is fast-paced and satisfying, with a variety of spells and upgrades that allow for different playstyles and strategies.
  • The short, bite-sized levels make it easy to pick up and play, making it a great option for quick gaming sessions.
  • The gameplay becomes repetitive quickly, with limited enemy variety and level design that lacks depth, leading to a feeling of monotony.
  • Many players have reported bugs, such as getting stuck on walls or experiencing issues with the door system, which can disrupt the flow of the game.
  • The game lacks a compelling narrative and meaningful progression, with many upgrades feeling uninspired and not significantly impacting gameplay.
  • gameplay53 mentions

    The gameplay of "Into the Pit" is characterized by fast-paced, roguelike mechanics that initially engage players with its colorful retro visuals and satisfying combat. However, many reviewers note a lack of variety in weapon types and gameplay mechanics, leading to a repetitive experience that diminishes enjoyment over time. While some find the core loop addictive and fun, others criticize it for being shallow and lacking depth, ultimately affecting its replayability.

    • “I love the art style, love the roguelike FPS mechanics, and the boomer-shooter movement gives the game a very strong start.”
    • “Into the Pit instantly draws attention with its unique and colorful retro visuals, but it's the gameplay that kept me playing for almost 8 hours straight.”
    • “I think what makes Into the Pit so addicting is its core gameplay loop of 1-3 minutes of combat, short downtime to choose rewards, decide which room to do next, more combat, rinse and repeat.”
    • “My biggest complaint is the lack of shot types, which makes the gameplay feel more monotonous than it is, due to the little upfront variety in firing types.”
    • “What we have here in the package is the repetitive gameplay loop, samey level layouts, and a non-existent story.”
    • “The gameplay never evolves or even changes from the start.”
  • graphics51 mentions

    The graphics of the game are a polarizing aspect, with many players appreciating the unique pixelated art style and dark, moody aesthetic, which evokes nostalgia and enhances the fast-paced gameplay. However, some critics argue that the visuals can be overly simplistic or poorly optimized, leading to issues like eye strain and difficulty distinguishing between enemies and backgrounds. Overall, while the graphics are visually appealing to some, they may not meet the expectations of players seeking more refined or varied visual experiences.

    • “I love the art style, love the roguelike FPS mechanics, and boomer-shooter movement gives the game a very strong start.”
    • “Into the Pit instantly draws attention with its unique and colorful retro visuals, but it's the gameplay that kept me playing for almost 8 hours straight.”
    • “The graphics and palette choices just work; for such a colorful game, it feels dark, adding to the overall immersion.”
    • “This very poor quality visual style is a method that lazy devs often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art', or 'we made it look bad on purpose', which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
    • “The graphics did not look as smooth and refined while actually playing the game as they do in screenshots and footage.”
    • “The game graphics style also makes it hard to differentiate between them.”
  • story24 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered underdeveloped and forgettable, with many players noting a lack of engaging NPCs and a repetitive narrative structure. While there are elements of lore presented through dialogue and notes, the overall plot fails to provide a compelling backdrop for the gameplay, leaving players craving a more immersive experience. The simplistic and derivative storyline, combined with uninspired level design, results in a lackluster narrative that does not significantly enhance the gameplay.

    • “There was enough lore and story through dialogue and notes to keep me interested.”
    • “As a roguelike, it's quite straightforward: the story is that you're an outlander who arrives at a village in quite the precarious situation; the villagers have gone missing and it's now up to you to go into the pit and save them.”
    • “The setting and story are fairly interesting, but you can ignore them completely and just play.”
    • “The NPCs are boring and offer nothing of substance to the story that is present.”
    • “Levels can feel repetitive, and the story remains underdeveloped, leaving players craving a more immersive backdrop for their demonic encounters.”
    • “The ending was underwhelming as they teased a sequel, and the game just ends with no conclusion to the story.”
  • music16 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging atmosphere and comparing it favorably to the soundtrack of Doom 2016, while others find it repetitive and poorly mixed, detracting from the overall experience. Many recommend using personal music to enhance gameplay, as the in-game sound effects can feel weak and unremarkable. Overall, the soundtrack has its moments but lacks the depth and variation expected in a fast-paced FPS.

    • “If you like those older games and if you're in for a bit of magical boom-boom with nice music and interesting skills, this might be for you.”
    • “It doesn't hurt that the music fits the mood perfectly, especially combined with the juicy sound design.”
    • “The music and atmosphere are so engaging, and the combat is really tight and satisfying.”
    • “Worth pointing out you can't hear enemies if you don't turn off the music, and still you will have a hard time hearing enemies coming towards you. You might be shooting at an enemy and look around only to find the enemy is 2 or 3 meters away from you, and you almost take damage.”
    • “The soundtrack is very mellow for a fast-paced FPS; it sounds like it wants to emulate the Doom 2016 soundtrack but falls short in every way.”
    • “Music is pretty bad and gets repetitive fast, while sound effects often sound weak and make some of your powerful spells sound like you just hit a ghoul with a wet sock.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game suffers from limited replayability, with many players noting that the level layouts become repetitive and the gameplay lacks depth after a few runs. While the initial experience can be enjoyable, it quickly feels stale and predictable, making it less appealing for long-term play. Many reviewers suggest that it may be worth trying at a discounted price, especially for newcomers to the genre.

    • “Love FPS action games with RPG depth and long-term replayability.”
    • “If you are new to roguelike games, then you might enjoy this as an easy introduction, but there are games with far more depth, content, and replayability.”
    • “Not even two hours in and I had already seen repeats in the level layouts, talk about replayability...”
    • “Not even two hours in and I had already seen repeats in the level layouts; talk about replayability...”
    • “There's remarkably little replayability for a roguelite.”
    • “Everything you experience in the first hour is pretty much how the game plays out, leaving little replayability or more goodies to mess with.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a significant drawback, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive after a few hours. While some enjoy the slow grind, others feel it lacks creativity and variety, leading to a bloated experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. Improvements in gameplay mechanics and more engaging content could enhance the grinding experience and make it more rewarding.

    • “I'm afraid I have to agree with the other negative reviews here: it's fun for a couple of hours max, and then it's just grindy and boring.”
    • “Got boring and tedious in no time, which is unfortunate considering the graphical style and what there was of the world design was interesting, but it was the same thing over and over as if ninety percent of the game had not been added yet.”
    • “- Rescuing villagers felt bloated and grindy rather than rewarding - unlocking anything required an obnoxious number of villagers rescued and I didn't care long enough to actually do it.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is characterized by engaging music and a dark, immersive setting, particularly in the town and dungeons. Players find the atmosphere enhances the overall experience, complementing the tight and satisfying combat mechanics.

    • “The music and atmosphere are so engaging, and the combat is really tight and satisfying.”
    • “Neat atmosphere and fairly satisfying gameplay in terms of control and killing enemies.”
    • “The atmosphere is pretty dark in the town and throughout the dungeon.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game runs well on the Steam Deck, but players report issues with buggy movement near objects that can abruptly end gameplay. There is also a call for more content across various aspects of the game.

    • “Runs great on the Steam Deck, too!”
    • “The game maintains a smooth frame rate even during intense action sequences.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a seamless gaming experience.”
    • “The game is plagued by bugs that cause movement issues near objects, often resulting in an unexpected end to a run.”
    • “Overall, the game lacks stability, with frequent crashes and glitches that disrupt gameplay.”
    • “There are numerous stability issues that make it frustrating to play, as the game often freezes or crashes at critical moments.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of "Into the Pit" has been criticized as a cash grab, with a price point of $15 USD that many users feel is unjustified given the availability of older AAA games for the same cost.

    • “Into the Pit has a cash grab price of $15 USD, for which you could easily get any number of older AAA games.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems more focused on extracting money than providing value to players.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization for integrated graphics has been criticized as subpar, with users expressing disappointment and suggesting it should have been improved.

    • “The optimization for integrated graphics was terrible; it should have been much better.”
    • “The game runs poorly on lower-end systems, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
    • “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which suggests that the optimization is lacking.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
3-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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