Heavens Below

Heavens Below is a prototype for a 2D game that blends a multitude of features and gameplay mechanics that will probably seem familiar. It’s an exploration game in which you will dive deep into the flooded ruins of what appears to be a long passed civilization that is full of greatness and wonder.

Heavens Below looks really good in terms of audio and visual design. The pixel art is detailed and wonderfully colored using a palette that complements the theme of the game and the world in it. Everything just seems to flow perfectly together.

A really nice mechanic of the game is that as you dive and maneuver the mini-sub, your energy depletes and with it, so does the distance at which you can see around you. With the idea that darkness slowly but surely will surround you, Heavens Below pushes a soundtrack that’s simply great. It’s soothing at first but as danger approaches, it somehow becomes dramatic without actually changing all that much.

In Heavens Below your goal is to dive as deep as you can through the gigantic maze until you reach that unknown thing you feel you have to find. As you dive, you will need to be careful when controlling the little sub because one small bump in the hull will cause it to disintegrate due to the high water pressure. Die and you start all over again from the beginning.

To make things a bit more complicated, some of the areas you have to navigate are really tight and require extreme precision handling if you want to survive. As mentioned before, the more you explore, energy levels become lower and lower and recharging stations are very rare which means that you will have to meticulously plan out every little propulsion jet.

On a closing note, Heavens Below is really nice. It’s simple, elegant in design and yet it’s a lot tougher than you would expect. The world around you is dark but inviting and the great soundtrack helps you push on towards discovering whatever you are looking for.