The Underground Man

About

In "The Underground Man," you emerge from a radioactive, post-apocalyptic Moscow with the mission of proving the existence of underground survivors to those on the surface. Scavenge for resources, adapt to harsh conditions, and ensure the survival of your fellow underground dwellers. Convincing the surface dwellers of your existence and capabilities is key to your success.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

39%

Audience ScoreBased on 236 reviews

humor48 positive mentions

gameplay7 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of text-based and adventure elements, creating a distinct gameplay experience.
Some players appreciate the humor and absurdity of the game, finding it entertaining despite its flaws.
The retro graphics and soundtrack evoke nostalgia for classic gaming, appealing to fans of old-school aesthetics.

The gameplay is punishing and often frustrating, with instant deaths for minor mistakes and a lack of save points.
The dialogue is slow and filled with grammatical errors, making it tedious to progress through the game.
Many players feel the game is poorly designed, with clunky mechanics and a lack of coherent story, leading to an overall unpleasant experience.

humor
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The humor in the game is polarizing, with many players finding it tedious and poorly executed, particularly in its English translation, while others appreciate its dark, meta, and Russian meme-inspired jokes. Some reviews highlight moments of genuine humor, but overall, the game is described as a frustrating experience that often fails to deliver consistent laughs. It seems to cater to a niche audience that enjoys a specific style of humor, particularly those familiar with Russian culture and memes.
- “If you like adventures, post-nuclear novels, corn dogs, black humor, and frustrating indie games, this game is for you.”
- “A game designed to torture you, but it's hilarious and fun in its own way.”
- “This game is really unique; it is witty and brilliant on so many levels and is absolutely hilarious.”
- “This game is not fun and not funny.”
- “It's not funny, it's tedious.”
- “I really don't understand the positive reviews; this looks like a bad joke or a bad attempt. It fails miserably at both: it's not funny or smart, it's not engaging, it's plain stupid.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
67%
21%
The gameplay is widely criticized for being clunky, frustrating, and overly punitive, with mechanics that feel outdated and poorly executed. Players face significant challenges due to minimal health, tough enemies, and unfair boss battles, leading to a tedious experience that many find uninteresting and not worth the effort. While some appreciate the retro art style, the overall consensus is that the gameplay suffers from design flaws and inconsistencies that detract from the enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is simple (not a con for some) & repetitive.”
- “10/10, gameplay at the end of your fingers.”
- “All - gameplay, story, music, graphics - 10/10.”
- “It combines text-based and adventure game elements in a way that makes gameplay obscenely difficult and obtuse.”
- “The gameplay is punitive: players navigate through numerous areas with minimal health, while enemies become progressively tougher, often exploiting player expectations to induce failure.”
- “Clumsy and repetitive gameplay.”
story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
67%
11%
The story aspect of the game is highly polarized among players, with some criticizing it for being nonsensical, poorly executed, and lacking character development, while others praise it for its unique and engaging narrative set in a post-apocalyptic world. Many reviews highlight the disjointed and illogical nature of the plot, particularly the absurd quest for corn dogs, while a few commend the immersive atmosphere and compelling dialogues. Overall, the storytelling experience varies significantly, with some players finding it a frustrating chore and others enjoying its quirky charm.
- “The plot revolves around the player character's mission to find food (specifically corn dogs) for their underground dwelling, which is running low on resources.”
- “The story may have a bump or two, but overall it is a wonderful experience – to become one of the underground men tribe and risk your life to save the future in a post-apocalyptic world.”
- “The world, atmosphere, and story of the underground man are all key parts of this hugely successful role-playing game.”
- “The story lacks character development, with most characters behaving in illogical or excessively cruel ways.”
- “Ultimately, the story is nonsensical, filled with improbable scenarios and characters that act irrationally.”
- “The language is very broken English, there is no immersion whatsoever, and the story is nearly unfollowable.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
The graphics of Tum are characterized by a retro 16-bit style that some players find charming and nostalgic, while others criticize it for being mediocre and lacking detail, particularly in combat scenarios. The art style is bright and stylized, but the overall execution suffers from poor readability and limited animation, leading to mixed feelings among players. While some appreciate the unique aesthetic and music, many express disappointment in the lack of modern graphical options and polish.
- “I'd almost be down with this game for the weird humor, the actually decent simplistic graphics and music (got a real nice depressing post-apocalypse hum going for the walking sections) and an abusive deconstruction of a popular title.”
- “There's some good retro graphics here, the thing loads and goes from start to finish just fine, the humor can actually land occasionally.”
- “I thought the premise looked interesting, reminding me of emerging from Fallout's 'vaults,' and I thought the retro graphical style could be charming.”
- “Tum features mediocre visuals that scream retro 16-bit graphics, loosely reminiscent of Fallout 1.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “But it’s not true because in this game we have very bad (rather eye-damaging) graphics.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
16%
16%
The music in the game receives a generally positive reception, with many players appreciating its ability to enhance the atmosphere and evoke nostalgia. While some sound effects are criticized for being low quality, the soundtrack is often described as fitting and enjoyable, contributing to the overall experience. Overall, the music is seen as a strong point, complementing the game's visuals and humor effectively.
- “I liked the music and general aesthetic, and I guess it's nostalgic for me in a way I'm not entirely certain it was intended to be.”
- “Brought to tears by the dynamic soundtrack, landscapes, and character design, you will be transported to another realm with elves, witches, and gargoyles.”
- “To my surprise, there is rather good music in the game.”
- “Audio in the game is a mixed bag; while the music and ambient tracks are passable, sound effects are often out of place and low quality.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “+ somewhat decent music”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Reviews consistently highlight the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and non-engaging, with repetitive combat mechanics and frustrating dialogue choices leading to instant death. Players express that the grinding feels like a waste of time, often requiring excessive effort for minimal rewards, and criticize the overall experience as overly long and unenjoyable.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game forces you to endure a tedious routine just to get to the character creator, for no other reason than to waste your time.”
- “Overall, I don't think I'm the kind of guy that can handle all these tedious chores.”
- “A tedious, sadistic experience created by people that hate humanity.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Reviews indicate that character development is a weak point, with many characters exhibiting illogical or overly cruel behavior. While the game's visuals and soundtrack are praised for their immersive quality, the promised unique character development system seems unconvincing to some players.
- “Brought to tears by the dynamic soundtrack, landscapes, and character design, you will be transported to another realm with elves, witches, and gargoyles.”
- “The unique system of character development truly allows players to shape their heroes in ways that feel personal and impactful.”
- “Each character's journey is rich and layered, making their growth and evolution throughout the game incredibly rewarding.”
- “The story lacks character development, with most characters behaving in illogical or excessively cruel ways.”
- “Maybe you believe in the devs’ statement about a unique system of character development?”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with users noting its immersive wasteland setting that surpasses even Bethesda's Fallout series. The combination of the world design, atmospheric elements, and narrative contributes significantly to its success as a role-playing game.
- “I picked this up on sale for 85% off (74 cents), as I quite like atmospheric games.”
- “Has more wasteland atmosphere than any Bethesda Fallout.”
- “The world, atmosphere, and story of the underground man are all key parts of this hugely successful role-playing game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users questioning its artistic intent while acknowledging its solid technical performance. Overall, it appears that while the game runs well, its thematic choices may not resonate with all players.
- “+1 for technical performance.”
- “I mean, is this supposed to be performance art, with some sort of dialogue about modern people hating reading or something?”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization of "The Underground Man" is criticized as a cash grab, with users labeling it as insincere and a product of low-quality development typical of Russian shovelware.
- “The underground man is an insincere joke game that's been dumped on Steam as a cash grab, showcasing more minimum viable product stuff from Russian shovelware pushers.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with essential features locked behind paywalls that make the game frustrating to enjoy without spending extra money.”
- “It seems like the developers are more focused on squeezing money out of players than creating a balanced and enjoyable gaming experience.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy, which contributes to an overall sense of unfairness and boredom for players.
- “The game is not only unfair but also boring and buggy.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes that made it impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “The constant glitches and bugs ruined my overall experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players find the game highly replayable, enjoying the opportunity to explore different partner choices and answer variations, which encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “I keep starting it again to try different partners and explore various answer options. This game is incredibly replayable!”
- “The multiple story paths and character interactions make me want to play through it again and again.”
- “Every playthrough feels fresh with new choices and outcomes, ensuring I never get bored.”
- “I started it again to try different partners and explore other answer options, but the experience felt repetitive.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to replay it as the choices didn't significantly change the outcome.”
- “While the game offers multiple paths, the lack of meaningful differences in gameplay makes replaying it feel unnecessary.”