Under: Depths of Fear
- April 27, 2021
- Globiss Interactive
- 3h median play time
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Get on Apple Store"Under: Depths of Fear" is a survival horror game that immerses you in the traumatized mind of WWI veteran, Alexander Dockter. As the ocean liner you're aboard fills with water, you must evade vengeful entities while trying to escape. This tense experience challenges your ability to overcome both the elements and your fears.
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Reviews
- The game has a unique and immersive atmosphere, effectively capturing the tension of being trapped on a sinking ship.
- There are some genuinely scary moments and well-placed jump scares that enhance the horror experience.
- The story, while somewhat predictable, offers an interesting premise involving psychological horror and the horrors of war.
- The gameplay is often tedious and relies heavily on trial-and-error mechanics, leading to frustration.
- Many players experienced bugs and glitches that hindered their progress and enjoyment of the game.
- The game is relatively short, with some feeling that it doesn't justify its price due to its lack of content and polish.
- story110 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, praised for its intriguing premise and effective environmental storytelling that reveals a dark past. However, many players feel the narrative is short and at times predictable, with some execution flaws that detract from the overall experience. While the atmosphere enhances the storytelling, the game leaves players wanting more depth and clarity in its plot.
“The story unfolds through environmental storytelling and scattered documents, revealing glimpses of the dark past and the horrors that lurk within.”
“It did a great job expressing the horrors of war, as well as creating a unique story.”
“The premise and story of the game are actually quite good, something I haven't seen much before; it kind of reminds me of the film 'Below'.”
“I don't know, I don't get the story myself, really.”
“The story is weak; you must escape a sinking ship while being chased by a monster. Congrats.”
“But ultimately, the story seems uninspired and relatively obvious from the start.”
- gameplay100 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Under: Depths of Fear" is criticized for being repetitive and tedious, often relying on trial-and-error mechanics that lack clear explanations. While it combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth elements to create tension, many players find the mechanics derivative and frustrating, with issues such as buggy controls and nonsensical hints detracting from the overall experience. Despite its potential and atmospheric design, the unpolished gameplay and lack of innovation leave much to be desired.
“Under: Depths of Fear combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth mechanics to create tension-filled gameplay.”
“Not too difficult nor too easy to complete, good sound design and passable mechanics, and scares that were very well timed and not gratuitous - was peeking around corners for almost the entire game!”
“Still worth playing for the buildup and gameplay.”
“It sounds great, but is brought down by tedious, trial-and-error gameplay.”
“It's almost as if the developer rounded up all of the most hated horror game mechanics and decided to shoehorn them into one title; invulnerable one-hit kill enemies, stealth that doesn't quite work as intended, too few matchboxes that are never placed where you need them the most, a weapon that serves no purpose, notes that you don't fully get to absorb because the game doesn't pause as you're trying to read them, unforgiving checkpoints.”
“Gameplay was nothing new or exciting and I think removing some of the doors might make the game better; having to walk to or run into 30 doors before you can find the one that opens does tend to get old fast.”
- atmosphere60 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Under: Depths of Fear" is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, effectively capturing the essence of psychological horror through strong audio design and a foreboding environment. While the setting and art design are noted as exemplary, some reviews mention that character models and textures lack polish, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game successfully creates a unique and haunting atmosphere that resonates with players, making it a solid entry in the atmospheric horror genre.
“With its atmospheric setting and emphasis on psychological horror, Under: Depths of Fear aims to deliver a spine-chilling experience that tests the limits of courage and sanity.”
“The atmosphere both amazed and terrified me, whether it was sloshing through flooded hallways while being chased by a disfigured soldier, or watching a door you were sure protected you from imminent danger slowly open to reveal nothing.”
“The sound design on this game is phenomenal, and the music fits perfectly with the game's atmosphere.”
“I recently played Amnesia: Rebirth, and was personally very disappointed with its atmosphere and storytelling.”
“I definitely dig the whole underwater/sinking ship horror vibe, but this game just doesn't have much atmosphere and is very unpolished.”
“Ok, despite the fact that it does atmosphere well and it's scary, I don't know where to go most of the time and could not progress past the point on G deck where it floods the lower level and drowned a few too many times to put up with it anymore.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in 'under' receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the moody environments and decent visuals, while others criticize issues like choppy frame rates, repetitive textures, and lack of detail in certain objects. Overall, the graphics are considered acceptable for an indie game, but not particularly impressive, with a few standout moments that contribute to the game's eerie atmosphere.
“Graphics are beautiful.”
“It has good graphics and the storytelling is great.”
“Even the graphics (while questionable on a few items, like the Webley revolver) looked fantastic!”
“The graphics were pretty bad with the choppy frame rate in some places, especially if the textures were repetitive.”
“Some graphics of objects that can be rotated 360 degrees lack a matching backside texture and is just a blank white (while the front could for example be a rough piece of paper.)”
“The visuals are blurry when you turn too quickly and crouching and standing up is jarring.”
- stability24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, leading to a frustrating experience for many players. Issues such as softlocks, unresponsive mechanics, and unclear objectives significantly detract from gameplay, with some users advising against purchasing it in its current state. While a few players found it entertaining despite the bugs, the overall consensus highlights a need for substantial stability improvements.
“It has so many fantastic ideas but executes them so poorly that you end up first frustrated with the buggy, glitchy, and nonsensical gameplay mechanics, then doubly so when you realize just how incredible this game could have been.”
“Played on Linux using Proton and it did load and run, not sure if this game is very buggy or Proton is the problem. First bug found: once you put out a match, you cannot light another one. Second bug, a game breaker, has to do with not being able to pick up an object I need to continue the game. I can only view the object and put it back down, no way to take the object and use it. I tried reloading a save and also resetting my save on the options screen to start all over again; these bugs still happen, so yeah, do not buy this game in its present state.”
“Unclear objectives, constant key collecting, frustrating level design, and a host of bugs and glitches made for one of the most irritating game experiences I can recall in recent memory.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with haunting oldies complementing the horror elements effectively. Reviewers highlight the phenomenal sound design and fitting musical choices, although some express a desire for more ambient sounds to enrich the experience further. Overall, the combination of music and sound contributes significantly to the game's immersive environment.
“The sound design on this game is phenomenal, and the music fits perfectly with the game's atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere wise, this game does it pretty well, the music, the ambiance, the sounds of the water rushing in, the voice acting, it's not bad at all.”
“As an avid horror fan, I did like the scares and the haunting oldies music in that we discover Alexander's crimes in WWI and his outcome.”
“Atmosphere-wise, this game does it pretty well, the music, the ambiance, the sounds of the water rushing in, the voice acting, it's not bad at all.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of 'under' is criticized for being tedious and reliant on trial-and-error gameplay, which detracts from its otherwise strong premise and atmospheric design. Players find the maze-like levels frustrating, leading to a repetitive experience that undermines the game's potential for horror. Overall, the grinding mechanics are seen as a significant drawback, making the game less enjoyable.
“It sounds great, but is brought down by tedious, trial-and-error gameplay.”
“When all of this is coupled with the cramped, maze-like levels (the in-universe architect who designed this ship was clearly high on cocaine), 'under' quickly becomes a tedious experience, rather than a horrifying one.”
“'under' has a fantastic premise, good graphics, some very moody environments, and a few effective jump scares, but its tedious trial-and-error gameplay, lack of direction, and frustrating gameplay mechanics just aren't worth it.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its bugs and awkward animations, which often elicit laughter rather than fear, disrupting the intended scary atmosphere. Players find the voice acting amusingly bizarre, contributing to a unique blend of horror and comedy, though some wish for a more immersive ambiance. Overall, the humor is seen as unintentional, stemming from the game's cheap feel and technical issues.
“The game feels cheap and plays cheap; the amount of bugs in this game are honestly funny, not fun but funny.”
“This breaks the scary vibe for me as I just start laughing when a monster morphs out of a wall in a very odd manner.”
“The voice acting is kinda hilarious but also scary; it's very odd, but the music is pretty good. I just wish the game had more ambience.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with users finding it lacking in engagement due to a boring story, janky execution, and a lack of clear objectives, which detracts from any potential emotional impact.
“Not scary, janky, boring story, and never any clear objective.”
