Strike all square-round in The Land Beneath Us.
The Land Beneath Us is a narrative-driven turn-based roguelite action dungeon-crawler set in a future where artificial intelligence has decimated life as we see it and The Creator has vanished. They were abducted when an opposing group assaulted them. You and an android unit are tasked with retrieving them after they leave a video message explaining what is unfolding.
While The Land Beneath Us may not have an exceptionally complex plot, I thoroughly enjoyed how, as the story progresses, you encounter different individuals, each of whom contributes meaningfully to this universe. This underappreciated Nintendo Switch game, The Land Beneath Us, developed and published by FairPlay Studios Co. Ltd., is well worth your time and attention.
The engaging gameplay is what will have you coming back. The game’s framework is a novel mix of fighting, strategy, and dungeon crawling. You simply navigate from room to room, defeat foes, and collect items; it’s straightforward. The rooms are compact, often jam-packed with activities, and organized according to a grid pattern. As you advance, your adversaries will follow suit, positioning themselves to attack you in the next square.
The weapon configuration in The Land Beneath Us is when things start to get enticing. In essence, we have four distinct weapons, each of which is bound to a certain direction. Assume that the left hand represents a firearm and the right a sword.
Slashing the block next to you is the result of a rightward movement. To fire a gun, which has a far greater effective range, just go to the left. Considering how easy it is to implement, the amount of experimentation it inspires is generous.
As you swiftly find preferable weaponry that you certainly want to use, The Land Beneath Us drastically alters your path. It is to be assumed in a roguelite that, upon clearing a room, you will be rewarded with a variety of objects. One example is the acquisition of said weapons. You have the ability to stack these weapons, making them formidable. Upon finishing a run, all of these things are reset.
I have to assert that the boss battles proved to be the most entertaining portion of The Land Beneath Us. Unlike the bulk of the early opponents, these beings have a variety of destructive techniques that span a wide spectrum of patterns.
Unlike before, you are unable to dive headfirst into them, with the addition of pattern recognition. Be wary of the components and hurdles surrounding them and remember that you have to knock them down before your strikes can do any serious harm in clashes.
The Land Beneath Us being a roguelite naturally incorporates the system of repeating the game from the beginning multiple times. The way it works, however, is that each location is a separate dungeon, thus clearing it lets you go to the following one. Yes, it will require you to start again until you defeat the boss it summons, but you need not start from the beginning each time.
Furthermore, one may enhance their character in several ways. Despite his enigmatic motivations, there is a mystery person who bestows charms and materials that boost your character. You could also focus on improving your health meter, polishing the specialized attacks you had obtained, and refining the charms I outlined earlier to your advantage.
As you make your way through, you will come across shops as well. Not only do they cost money, but they may also deplete your health. A risk-versus-reward situation, quite a fascinating mechanism.
My experience with The Land Beneath Us’ performance on the Nintendo Switch has been exceedingly positive. It seems like the hardware is tailor-made for it, what with the small-scale battlefields and the intuitive grid structure. I did not experience any problems with the frame rate or much else, and the controls were easy to grasp.
With its 3D isometric architecture and pixel-style characters and environments, The Land Beneath Us offers a distinctive viewing experience. I deem it essential that you can identify foes and recognize trends, and the developers were triumphant in this regard. There was not a single instance in which I tripped up due to my inability to see an onscreen object or an oncoming attacker. The art style is admirable.
A variety of pleasing sound effects, like the slash of a sword, complement the varied themes found throughout the game’s locations. The game’s sound design is minimal, but I can see why it would be intentional given that the setting is an alien realm where only evil dwells. In this respect, minimalism does mirror its environment.
Though I could go on and on applauding The Land Beneath Us, I believe that the combination of all of these characteristics makes for a great time that encourages repeat visits. The gameplay yields rewards fast, but it is also the customization options and the abundance of weapons and accessories that piqued my interest in trying unfamiliar things. The plot really lacks once the game gets rolling, but it intrigued me enough to keep reading and find out more about this universe.
For those who like rogue-lite games with rapid action and well-considered choices, The Land Beneath Us is a great choice. While it is unable to innovate in many areas, its mechanical execution is still top-notch. The plot and presentation are adequate, but not particularly noteworthy when contrasted with other games in the genre.
