Underworld Idle
- February 2, 2023
- Aleksandr Golovkin
- 155h median play time
Get on SteamWISHLIST MY NEW GAME! About the GameUnderworld Idle is an idle game about underworld management. The basic mechanics: higher-order units create lower-order units. If you've played games like Swarm Simulator or Antimatter Dimensions, you should be familiar with these mechanics. However, in Underworld Idle I present my own take on these mechanics.Game Features Factions (demons, undead, utopians, …
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique mechanic where higher-tier units require lower-tier units, adding depth to the gameplay.
- The art style is charming and visually appealing, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game offers a fun and straightforward gameplay loop, making it enjoyable to check in on periodically.
- Progression can be extremely slow, leading to frustration as players hit walls and feel compelled to spend money to advance.
- The user interface can be cumbersome, requiring excessive clicking and management across multiple screens.
- There is a lack of offline progression, which undermines the idle aspect of the game and necessitates keeping it running constantly.
- gameplay92 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a straightforward yet repetitive loop, often described as grindy and lacking in depth, with many players feeling that it relies heavily on microtransactions for progression. While some mechanics are engaging and the art style is praised, the overall experience can feel slow and disconnected, leading to frustration with the pacing and a lack of meaningful rewards. Despite its potential for interesting mechanics, many reviewers express disappointment in the execution, suggesting that the game may improve with future updates.
“Fun with a straightforward gameplay loop.”
“The game has a great number of cool mechanics, but the midgame progression gets incredibly confusing and the late-game progression is still being worked on.”
“The game's mechanics work perfectly in tandem with each other, to the point that I struggle to find another game that gives such a strong feeling of cohesion between its systems.”
“There is very little gameplay or mechanical innovation after 'use this unit to make other units'.”
“Sometimes you unlock a new mechanic and go over it in a few minutes, and it ends for you to never go back to it again, while the next new thing might take a month to unlock and not be useful at all.”
“The overall gameplay is far more active than an idle game suggests, and it feels like work for very little payoff.”
- graphics75 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and appealing art style, featuring cute and detailed visuals that enhance the overall aesthetic. Many players appreciate the retro pixel graphics and the thematic consistency, although some note that the visuals may not be as advanced as those in other contemporary games. Overall, the artwork is considered a standout feature, contributing positively to the game's charm despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
“Beautiful artwork; unique from other idlers in both format and style!”
“I love the graphics and the style.”
“The artwork is nice and the concept is appealing, but the lack of things to do / upgrade + the horrible monetization + inability to gain currency offline = gonna have to pass on this one.”
“Overall, I recommend Underworld Idle to... yeah... people who like idle games... there are no fancy graphics like in idle RPG games, for example.”
“Like most GameMaker Studio construction kit games, this features lazy 2D retro pixel art instead of professionally done, contemporary PC graphics.”
“Regardless, the poor quality of the visuals, with retro 2D pixel art being used instead of proper contemporary graphics, shallow, repetitive, pointless gameplay, and locked resolution all make this not worth downloading.”
- grinding36 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its excessive grinding, with many players finding the progression tedious and time-consuming, often requiring real-life hours or days to advance. While some appreciate the depth and mechanics, the overwhelming need for repetitive tasks and the high costs of upgrades lead to frustration, making it feel like a significant time sink. Overall, the grinding aspect detracts from the enjoyment, with many players feeling that it hampers the game's potential.
“Way too grindy to make any real progress.”
“There are multiple currencies tied to waiting real-life hours or days a la Clash of Clans or similar Facebook games, and you can pay money to get packs to skip this tedious step and progress the game marginally faster.”
“The game is also very grindy, which combined with the active nature of progression makes it a huge time sink.”
- monetization29 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 48 % negative mentions
The monetization model of this idle game has been widely criticized for being overly aggressive and predatory, with many players feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the game's art and mechanics, the reliance on expensive microtransactions for progression and upgrades has led to frustration, with many reviewers labeling it a cash grab. Overall, the balance between enjoyment and monetization is seen as heavily skewed, resulting in a grindy experience that discourages players from engaging fully without spending money.
“I would much rather agree to a reasonable entry price or in-game purchases being realistically tailored to what the total enjoyment value of the product would be worth.”
“Over a hundred hours with no badgering for microtransactions or attempts at ad revenue and a reasonable pace for getting the in-game currency without paying, which already makes it better than 90% of games in the genre.”
“There is a page for microtransactions, but I haven't felt that as obtrusive or necessary.”
“An initially promising idle game ruined by glacially slow progress and essentially the whole mid-late game being balanced around stupidly expensive microtransactions.”
“It's a shame too because the art style is pretty nice and the mechanics are there, but the focus on adding microtransactions instead of polishing the game ruins it.”
“When you see all the microtransactions that can give you triple boosts to all productions, and the ability to spend $500 to boost them a further 32-40x (if not more), it makes me think the developer wants people to spend to avoid playing their game as intended and just get to the end of the content.”
- music19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The consensus among users is that the game lacks any form of music or sound effects, which many find disappointing and believe detracts from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the ability to play their own music in the background, there is a strong desire for the inclusion of thematic music and sound effects to enhance the atmosphere and engagement of the game. Overall, the absence of music is seen as a significant drawback, despite the game's other appealing features.
“Perhaps a bit of musical enhancement could add an extra layer of intrigue to the experience.”
“I think possibly introducing a dialog within the factions as well as adding some thematic music would improve the overall atmosphere/feel of the game.”
“Yes, the game could do with a few tweaks here and there, what with a tutorial or some background music, but the main game is totally solid.”
“It's a bummer there's no music.”
“Nope, it turns out there's no music or sounds.”
“Holy crap this game is bare bones boring crap, there's no music or sounds or anything, just some generic profile pictures and numbers going up... that's it.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is frequently praised for its devilish wit, hilarious character descriptions, and clever flavor text, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. While many players appreciate the unique and funny elements, some find the humor hit-or-miss, with a few noting that the graphics do not enhance the comedic aspects. Overall, the blend of dark humor and amusing gameplay mechanics adds a distinctive charm to the game.
“A fun, addictive grind-fest with a devilish sense of humor.”
“The little character descriptions are funny and cute.”
“Hilarious text and great graphics.”
- story9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game lacks a significant story, with many users noting the absence of narrative elements and audio, leading to a gameplay experience that feels mindless and focused solely on numerical progression. While some players express a desire for more descriptive content and a basic storyline, the overall consensus is that the game does not prioritize storytelling.
“It's finished, unlike Guild Quest and many more these days.”
“Could use a little more description on some of the units; a little story would be nice.”
“There's no story or sound, but that's not a problem for me.”
“I haven't seen anything that really tells a story here, so I might be missing something.”
“This is not a game to play if you primarily enjoy graphics (which are limited, but serviceable), music (absent) or story (which is essentially absent).”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by outstanding and cutesy demon designs that many players appreciate; however, some critics find the overall character designs to be uninspired and lacking depth.
“A fun idle game, with the character design for the demons being absolutely outstanding!”
“Love the character designs for every one of the demons.”
“The artist they chose for this project is clearly more adept at drawing 'cutesy' things, and the character designs are very uninspired.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game presents an intriguing concept; however, it suffers from significant bugs and pacing issues that affect overall stability.
“Interesting idea, but currently pretty buggy with pacing issues.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the overall experience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers suggest that enhancing the game's atmosphere could be achieved by incorporating dialogue among factions and adding thematic music, which would contribute to a more immersive experience.
“The atmospheric design of the game truly immerses you in its world, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
“The haunting soundtrack combined with the stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere that draws you in.”
“The attention to detail in the environment really enhances the atmosphere, making it feel like a living, breathing world.”
“I think possibly introducing dialogue within the factions, as well as adding some thematic music, would improve the overall atmosphere and feel of the game.”
