Down Below

Procedural roguelikes are usually fantasy-themed, in the sense that you play as a hero trying to clear a dungeon and survive its perils for as long as possible. Obviously, there are exceptions as well, such as the brilliant Faster Than Light, but very few sci-fi options for roguelike fans out there. Hence, it’s always nice to see something different in the genre, even on a small scale.

Down Below is not a very complicated game, but it can keep you trying over and over again to get to the end. The game is difficult enough to require some good reflexes, but everything else is quite basic and unimpressive. Simple graphics, not much of a story, and a pretty poor selection of items make the experience difficult to go back to after you finish the game once.

As mentioned earlier, the story is barely noticeable, but it’s still there to remind you that your survival has a purpose. Hence, you are a ship pilot that needs to find out what happened to the rest of the crew, while exploring the depths of an alien planet. All sorts of monsters and traps await you, but you can easily avoid them if you either shoot really quickly, or just run away and hope for the best.

There's only a handful of levels to go through, but they are different every time, thanks to their procedural nature. On the other hand, the layout is quite simple every time, which means that they might not feel that different after all. Naturally, they get more difficult later on, with more enemies and traps added on a regular basis. However, you can also get stronger and gain some advantages.

To do so, you have to collect coins along the way, which can then be exchanged for various upgrades for your ship. Radar, better weapons and a few other interesting power-ups are available, and they all give you an advantage one way or another. The AI is not very clever, on the other hand, because you generally just have to move quickly enough to avoid their shots and leave them behind, since they are unable to follow.

In the end, there are certainly better alternatives out there, but Down Below can still provide you with a bit of fun when you need it. The difficulty level is challenging enough to pose a threat for anyone, it’s just that the end result might not be worth it.