Below (video game)

Below is an action-adventure game viewed from a top-down perspective with roguelike elements.[2] The player-character is a "tiny warrior exploring the depths of a remote island".[3] The game is about exploration, though that goal is contingent upon the character's survival.[3] Microsoft's Phil Spencer described the game at E3 2013 as a "creative take on roguelike gameplay" in a "mysterious world".[2] The environments are randomly generated.[3] The game is designed to be difficult, with "brutal but fair combat" and permanent death.[3]

Colin Weick of Capybara presents on the game's development at the 2017 Game Developers Conference

Below was announced at Microsoft's E3 2013 event.[2][3] The project had been in development for years.[3] The company had discussed ideas for the game, particularly the difficulty element with Capybara's Kris Piotrowski.[3]

Capybara compared the game to "roguelikes of yore", as a "roguelike-like" with design choices like permanent death and high difficulty.[3] The game punishes recklessness and is designed for fair, but rigorous combat.[3] Capybara president and co-founder Nathan Vella called the game the company's largest by number of features, artwork, and development time and difficulty.[4] He described the game as a "super video game-y video game" for its aesthetics, soundtrack, and game mechanics.[3] While the game is mostly single-player, the multiplayer aspects are important in some of the world's areas.[4] In March 2014, Vella said that the game's development progress was hard to gauge, but its foundation was laid.[4] Its first playable demo was scheduled for the April PAX East 2014.[5]

To create and emphasize scale, Capybara chose to make the player-character small and use a dramatic tilt-shift photography effect.[3]

Below was expected to release simultaneously on Microsoft Windows and Xbox One,[2][3] and would be a timed exclusive on Xbox One for a limited time.[6] The project was indefinitely delayed in mid-2016 while Capybara turned to finish OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes for Cartoon Network.[7] Below was released on Xbox One and Microsoft Windows on December 14, 2018.[8] A PlayStation 4 version and an easier difficulty setting was later released on April 7.[9]

Singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie composed the score.[2] His compositional work on a previous Capybara's release, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, led to their Below collaboration.[3] Capybara has described Sword & Sworcery as a game built upon Guthrie's music, and Below as Guthrie's music built upon Capybara's game.[3] The soundtrack for the game was released over three albums: Below (Original Soundtrack), Below OST - Volume II, and Below OST - Volume III.[10]

The game received mixed reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic with an overall score of 71.[11][12] It was nominated for "Game, Original Action" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards,[19] and for "Best Sound Design for an Indie Game" at the 2019 G.A.N.G. Awards.[20]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Alice Bell criticized the game's insta-death traps and slow progression, but praised the game's world and atmosphere.[21] Colin Campbell, writing for Polygon praised the mystery and visuals of the game, but disliked the repetition of the levels.[22] Destructoid's Jordan Devore praised the ambience of the game but criticized the pacing, saying "Below puts its best foot forward in its early hours and then never stops losing steam".[23]

• Official website