Criticised for its extreme difficulty and time requirements, Capy’s Below returns with a new play mode that’s considerably more forgiving.
Much has been said about how Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been released at the perfect moment. It was a complete accident, but it’s proven to be the ideal game to play during lockdown, with its gentle gameplay, idyllic setting, and complete lack of pressure. Below is very much the opposite on all counts but this revised PlayStation 4 version may also have arrived at the right time, since the one thing it needs to be fully appreciated is time and patience, and for better or worse most people currently have plenty of the former.
Below was originally released in late 2018 and despite having been years in the making was promptly ignored by everyone. Coming out just a few days before Christmas didn’t help but the main problem was that it was viciously difficult, or rather its punishment for failure was. We’ve rarely played any modern game that had so little respect for your time and while it was a well-crafted roguelike, with exceptional visuals and sound, it was a very difficult game to like.
We feared that developer Capy might go under as a result of its failure, but luckily they bounced back with mobile hit Grindstone and have now returned to Below, bringing it to the PlayStation 4 for the first time and introducing a whole new game mode that is considerably less demanding than the original one. Although, if you’re a masochist, you also get that too.
Below is a rougelike and, in its original form, also a survival game. As you start no explanation is given for what is going on or how you should play, with the game grudgingly offering only the most basic of control instructions. The visuals and music, the latter by regular Capy contributor Jim Guthrie, are superb, with an unusual top-down view that is zoomed out much further than normal and leaves your tiny on-screen character looking especially vulnerable and helpless.
For the first few hours though it’s all very engrossing, as you learn to compensate for the odd, forced perspective camera angle and deal with the thick fog and constant darkness that makes spotting enemies and traps ahead of time extra difficult. Even the crafting system isn’t quite as impenetrable as it first seems. And then you die and lose everything. Then it happens again, this time because you just died of hunger…
It is possible to enjoy Below the way it was originally designed but it’s a momentous task that offers too little reward for far too much effort. The satisfaction at progressing despite all the odds is great but it’s the sort of challenge that makes Dark Souls look like Cookie Clicker.
We said at the time of the original release that the survival elements were a step too far, adding nothing to the game but frustration and irritation. And the main difference between the original ‘Survive’ mode and the new ‘Explore’ mode is that almost all those parts have been taken out.
Hunger and thirst is no longer an issue, fires don’t die until you do, there are no more one-hit deaths, and there’s generally less busywork to worry about and get in the way. The game still doesn’t explain itself properly though, and the combat is largely the same – although it was one of the aspect of the ‘harsh but fair’ approach that didn’t feel completely over the top last time.
The end result is a game that’s considerably more accessible than the first time round and while many will still find it too difficult and esoteric that’s now more a matter of taste than the game just being poorly balanced. Explore mode will apparently be added to the Xbox One and PC versions for free shortly, but whichever format you play it on we’re thankful that Below is now a game that we can recommend with relatively few caveats.
There is such a thing as being too hard and the original version of Below proved that, but there’s also such a thing as second chances and Explore mode has managed to turn Below into a game everyone can enjoy, and without compromising its original vision.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL FULL REVIEW OF BELOW
Below PS4 review summary
In Short: The insane difficulty of the original has been tempered by a new, more accessible mode that transforms Below into one of the best roguelikes of the generation.
Pros: Amazing art design and music. Clever mix of procedurally-generated maps and hand-made set pieces. Explore is much more forgiving and enjoyable but Survival is still there for those who want it.
Cons: The game’s lack of hand-holding still feels perverse at times and the peculiar camera angle and obscured visuals can make it difficult to read map layouts in a hurry.
Score: 8/10
Formats: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, and PC
Price: £19.99
Publisher: Capy
Developer: Capy
Release Date: 7th April 2020
Age Rating: 12
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