UnderMine

About

UnderMine is a single-player Role Playing game with an intriguing story, spectacular gameplay, and amazing graphics. As you delve deep into the dungeon, discover its secrets and mine gold, while upgrading yourself with relics, potions, prayers, blessings, and curses. Rescue friendly characters for powerful upgrades and challenge dangerous bosses to unfold the mystery at the heart of the dungeon. The game is very replayable, with a hilarious tone and a lot of grinding.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+10

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,309 reviews

gameplay263 positive mentions

grinding222 negative mentions

Undermine offers a charming pixel art style and engaging gameplay that keeps players coming back for more.
The game features a solid progression system where players can upgrade their character and unlock new items, enhancing the overall experience.
The curse and blessing mechanics add an interesting layer of strategy, allowing players to take risks for potential rewards.

The game can feel grindy, especially in the early stages, as players need to collect gold to upgrade their character and items.
Combat mechanics can be clunky, with issues related to hitboxes and the jumping mechanic that may frustrate players.
Some players find the lack of variety in items and enemy encounters leads to repetitive gameplay over time.

gameplay
695 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The gameplay of "Undermine" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating elements, drawing comparisons to other roguelikes like "Binding of Isaac." While many players appreciate the addictive core loop and variety of relics, some criticize the repetitive nature of runs and the impact of certain mechanics, such as the gold loss on death and the clunky jumping mechanic. Overall, the game offers a solid experience with potential for improvement, particularly in enhancing item synergies and addressing gameplay frustrations.
- “The gameplay is fun and addictive, while maintaining a somewhat engaging story.”
- “The core gameplay loop of 'Undermine' is incredibly engaging.”
- “The mechanics are well thought out and easy (but not too easy) to use, and all the standard roguelike elements have been well polished and perfected upon.”
- “The gameplay is very repetitive and bland.”
- “The jumping mechanic feels extremely clunky and a huge problem being that it is your primary way of dodging attacks.”
- “The core gameplay mechanics create feelings of annoyance rather than fun for me, and because it's so grindy, I'm not prepared to tolerate it.”
graphics
270 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
1%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, which is described as beautiful, nostalgic, and well-polished. Many reviewers appreciate the smooth animations and vibrant colors that enhance the gameplay experience, although some note that the visuals can feel generic or repetitive at times. Overall, the art direction contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- “The game's art style and sound design further immerse players in its dark, underground world, creating a sense of tension and excitement as they explore its depths.”
- “Beautiful graphics, well balanced, interesting until the end.”
- “The graphics are phenomenal for the style it goes for (classic 2D 16-bit dungeon crawler).”
- “The graphics are also rather ugly.”
- “Extremely repetitive in terms of visuals.”
- “Graphics are stock and bland, even for being 16-bit retro style.”
grinding
226 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
98%
The game's grinding aspect has received mixed feedback, with many players noting that while it can be tedious and repetitive, it also offers a rewarding progression system for those who enjoy grinding for upgrades and achievements. Some players find the grind necessary for character development and enjoy the challenge, while others feel it detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration and monotony. Overall, the game is characterized as grindy, particularly in the later stages, but remains engaging for fans of the roguelike genre.
- “The progression feels very natural, and isn't too grindy nor too easy in my opinion.”
- “Great game, progress is fun and not tedious, even though it's also challenging :)”
- “The progression isn't grindy either, which is a bonus.”
- “Bosses have pretty massive health pools and pretty limited move sets, making boss fights a tedious grind.”
- “If you don't feel like spending dozens of hours grinding away in a series of generic dungeons, don't bother with this.”
- “The endless farming of perks just to build up enough strength for one's character is mind-numbingly more of an endurance contest than actual gameplay.”
story
183 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
62%
7%
The story in the game is generally regarded as simple and light, serving primarily as a backdrop to the engaging gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the humor and charm of the character interactions and quests, many feel that the narrative lacks depth and cohesion, with a desire for more substantial content post-main story. Overall, the game is enjoyable for its mechanics and atmosphere, but those seeking a rich narrative experience may find it lacking.
- “The story is charming, if not the most original in the bunch, and the gameplay is amazing.”
- “I really did not expect much of a story, but as I played through the game I actually really enjoyed the characters that you begin to find throughout playing.”
- “The story albeit incredibly simple is actually pretty funny and interesting, the game offers challenges through the othermine, more shop unlocks, and difficult achievements to pursue to keep you engaged once you clear the game.”
- “The story is non-existent, dialogues are bland, the controls are clunky, and the feel of attacking isn't fun at all.”
- “There's no story to speak of and the mechanics have simply been done better in other games, so there's little to keep me playing.”
- “The downside is that there's basically no story at all and only six real bosses, one of whom is only worth doing a single time.”
replayability
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
2%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, particularly due to its roguelike mechanics, diverse content, and frequent updates that introduce new challenges and strategies. Many players appreciate the variety of unlocks, power-ups, and game modes that keep each run fresh and engaging, although some note that replayability may diminish after extensive play. While most reviews highlight the game's charm and addictive nature, a few express concerns about potential repetitiveness and limited content in the long run.
- “Runs will range anywhere from 25-35 minutes after you get into the groove of things, but the game offers a lot of content and replayability as is typical of roguelite games.”
- “Great support and constant improvements from the devs, extreme levels of replayability and endless strategies to be employed.”
- “The replayability is incredible; I can sit and play 10 runs in a day if I want without ever getting bored.”
- “With the replayability being poor due to just a single weapon, no synergies, and useless items, the game just becomes a grind with absolutely no goal but to see what the next levels look like.”
- “From limited replayability, limited relics (after a certain point- you only get bread that increases your max hp for the run by 1), limited bosses, limited mechanical depth- the game is only good for one power playthrough if that at best.”
- “The game in its current state does not seem like it has much replayability once you 'finish' the content they have.”
music
123 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
29%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy and immersive quality, enhancing the overall experience with a fitting soundtrack and satisfying sound effects. While many players find the audio design charming and enjoyable, some note that it can become repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the combination of great music and appealing graphics contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature for many players.
- “The audio design complements the game perfectly, with a catchy soundtrack and satisfying sound effects that immerse you further into the experience.”
- “The music is fantastic, the graphics are cute, and it doesn't leave you feeling like you've failed at life when you die.”
- “The music, the characters, the different zones, the level of difficulty, basically everything this game has to offer is fantastic and very addicting.”
- “Music is boring.”
- “Soundtrack is boring.”
- “Again, at least for me, the music is not that good and it gets boring fast.”
humor
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
4%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, charming characters, and amusing interactions, making it a delightful experience for players. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to balance humor with engaging gameplay, featuring funny one-liners, quirky item descriptions, and a lighthearted storyline that enhances the overall enjoyment. While some mechanics may not resonate with everyone, the game's comedic elements contribute significantly to its appeal, often drawing players in through entertaining content showcased by popular streamers like dangerouslyfunny.
- “The game balances humor and a cute little storyline very well.”
- “I had so much fun in my mining adventures, was laughing as I read the one-liners after the different characters died, and just overall am having an absolutely amazing time playing this game.”
- “The story is good and there are several references to other games and some light humor in the dialogue and with some of the items in-game.”
- “And other annoying things, but it's not funny at all once you progress in the game.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced, making the humor feel more like a chore than a delight.”
- “What starts as a clever premise quickly devolves into repetitive gags that lose their charm.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
74%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some players reporting numerous glitches and bugs, such as loading issues and unexpected deaths, while others have experienced smooth gameplay with minimal or no issues. Many users acknowledge the presence of minor bugs, especially given the game's early access status, but some feel that the overall experience is enjoyable and well-optimized. Developer responsiveness to reported issues is noted positively, suggesting ongoing improvements.
- “A solid rogue-like pixel grinder, Undermine is often fun and pretty much bug-free for my complete playthrough of the game.”
- “The overall quality is pretty good; it's not buggy and runs smoothly.”
- “It's not too buggy; I've only found like 2 minor bugs that don't matter at all.”
- “The game has plenty of glitches and bugs, such as failing to load things properly, getting killed by nothing, falling down holes despite standing firmly on the ground next to a hole, and some items not working properly, among many others.”
- “I say broken, not in a buggy or poorly thought out way, but the systems just don't work in many situations.”
- “Fun, but currently too buggy to recommend.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and minimal bugs, others highlight significant issues, particularly during longer play sessions and on lower hardware. Some users express that improved optimization could greatly enhance the experience, with a few even comparing it unfavorably to much cheaper titles. Despite these concerns, recent updates have reportedly improved performance, reducing stuttering and lag.
- “Performance and performance fixes were exceptional.”
- “Whole lot of fun, very well optimized.”
- “The overall quality is pretty good, it's not buggy, runs smoothly.”
- “This is one of the worst optimized games I've ever played.”
- “But here's the problem, I've played $0.49 games that had better optimization, better combat, and a better story.”
- “Only issue I have is the game seems to be having some stuttering issues and the longer you play, the worse it gets.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The atmosphere in "Undermine" is widely praised for its charm and immersive quality, drawing comparisons to other popular titles like Hollow Knight and Hades. Players appreciate the game's attention to detail, light-hearted tone, and engaging art style, which together create an inviting environment filled with exploration and excitement. Overall, the atmosphere enhances the gameplay experience, making it both entertaining and addictive.
- “The atmosphere in the game is charming.”
- “Atmosphere: very polished, very immersive environment and story.”
- “Here you have to pause and soak up the atmosphere before the sack of gold implodes and the player realizes that this is just a PC game.”
- “All of the pieces of this game create an atmosphere of exploration and mystery that provided a ton of excitement.”
- “Very light-hearted atmosphere in contrast to Isaac's more darker themes.”
character development
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
Character development in the game is noted for its variability and interesting choices, contributing to a replayable experience, particularly for fans of action rogue-likes with meta progression. However, some reviews highlight a lack of depth in character development, especially regarding gear diversity and combat improvements, despite the appealing character design and animations. Overall, while the character design is memorable and visually striking, the depth of character progression may leave some players wanting more.
- “The unique mobs, combined with interesting choices in itemization and character development, make for a very replayable experience.”
- “If you are looking for an action rogue-like with meta progression, a plethora of interesting decisions to make (both real-time and turn-based), great variability in character development, and slow enough for middle-aged gamers to keep up, then I highly recommend this title.”
- “Nothing too flashy here, but the character design is quirky and memorable.”
- “It just lacks in character development, especially because your gear always looks the same (which is a bit lazy), despite gear level, relics you hold, etc.”
- “Variety of axe attacks/improvements (and character development in general in terms of combat) is quite poor.”
- “NPC character development.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a complex emotional response to the game, feeling both frustration and affection. While some find it heart-wrenchingly unfair and frustrating, they still appreciate its charm and uniqueness, indicating a deep connection despite the challenges. Overall, the emotional experience is marked by a mix of love and disappointment.
- “Wholesome indie game!”
- “Tldr: in its current state, I can't say I would recommend this game, which is very heartbreaking because despite what I've said, I absolutely love this game.”
- “Although this game is heart-wrenchingly unfair—and I do not play bullet hells or such like this normally, I do love this game.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
17%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game is perceived as exploitative, resembling a cash grab, particularly due to its grindy nature and lack of engaging content. Players note that while the game is free-to-play on mobile, the Steam version removes microtransactions but retains the tedious gameplay, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, it seems to cater to those who enjoy grind-heavy games without the financial commitment, but at the cost of enjoyment.
- “If you're looking for a grindy mobile game with none of the microtransactions, but all of the boredom, this game will satisfy you.”
- “Feels a bit cash grabby for my liking.”
- “A mobile free-to-play grindy chore, which for some reason appeared on Steam with monetization cut off.”
- “If you're looking for a grindy-as-hell mobile game with none of the microtransactions, but all of the boredom, this game will satisfy you though.”