Going Under

it's real good holy moly
leaving a steam review cause it helps the algorithm and more people should play this game

I just wrapped up Going Under (as in, saw the credits, I still have a mode to investigate) and I might be inclined to say I enjoyed it more than Hades overall. Hmm. A few things I love about it:
The theme isn’t just a wrapper; it bleeds into pretty much every aspect of the game, from its structure and concepts, to its enemies, weapons and skills (even the ‘Working From Home’ update is a genius marriage of our current real-life predicament, an in-game scenario and the new mode itself). The writing is very sharp and witty, Aggro Crab-stabbing at capitalism, the tech industry, consumerism, corporate culture, automation, exploitative labour and various other related topics, all with some serious flare, creativity, humour and heart. How it balances all that tonally is very impressive. I thought Atomicrops’ puns and wordplay were good but Going Under’s is nuts.
The gameplay loop isn’t as immediate or addictive as Hades, but that’s fine because, damn, Hades was dangerous. The combat is loose and has more in common with Zelda’s L/Z-targeting and Power Stone’s room-wrecking chaos. Weapons break frequently so you’re constantly having to improvise and grab what you can, thrashing and throwing stuff as you go. It can be absolute carnage, but in the best way.
The big thing for me is the structure and length of Going Under. Each failed tech startup is its own distinctively themed dungeon, with unique enemies, weapons and bosses, and they each take around 30 minutes to complete. As you hit different milestones, the story develops and escalates, new skills get added to the pool, the dungeons and bosses change, all while you’ve got the different mentor objectives to juggle and complete. All these layers keep things interesting and the big finale/showdown is the cherry on top--it's so good!
It took me about 25 hours to do my first run on Hades and another 25 or so to roll the credits. I’d be lying if I said it maintained its momentum throughout that time. Your last run isn’t wildly different to your first run. Hades was one of my games of the year but I was honestly glad to finally wrap it up.
It’s taken me 25 hours to roll the credits on Going Under (your mileage may vary) and I’ve had such a great time from start to finish. There’s variety and plenty of surprises here so I didn’t burn out. I actually finished wanting more, which is the best feeling to end a game with. There’s an ‘Imposter Mode’ which is a gauntlet of sorts so I’m keen to try that out now. ‘Imposter’ as in ‘imposter syndrome’ and you access it via the mirror in your tiny company flat. It’s a very clever game.
The presentation is impeccable too, skewering the popular 'Corporate Memphis' aesthetic perfectly. It’s chunky, bright and bold and the graphic design pops and transitions beautifully. The soundtrack is also fantastic.
Edit: there's a generous demo for this that's well worth checking out if you're unsure.

mr yakko said good game
and i must say
good game :)

It's a damn shame 'Going Under' went under a lot of people's radar — to the point where the devs are pulling the plug on future development — because what's here is really, *really* good. It's a world I would be more than happy to pay and see more of.
Make no mistake, what is here is a fleshed out experience well worth the asking price. While combat is engaging and choices are plentiful, where 'Going Under' truly shines is in its sharp writing, unique aesthetic, and absolutely banging soundtrack. The game is really quite brilliant, and I'm bummed we won't be seeing more anytime soon.
Buy the game. Groove to the soundtrack. And maybe look at some of their merch if you become a fan. These devs certainly deserve the love.

Here in my garage, just bought this uh new video game here, fun to play up here on Steam, but you know what I like a lot more than regular materialistic things? 𝙍𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨

Going under is a good combo of rogue-like dungeoncrawling with fast paced action, great satire game with a lot of jokes, often these jokes are about tech companies or the way of life of millennials.
In the game you experience the role of a new employee in a fresh company. Only this company has a bizarre problem,
their basement is overrun with monsters,
but the useful thing about this is that many objects can be used as weapons.
Some weapons you can even take over from a monster after you defeat it, such as a car that you can use to drive into other monsters.
There is also a weapon inventory where you can store a limited number of weapons,
weapons also break after a lot of use, so it is useful to place them in the inventory.
Anyway, there are plenty of objects you can use to throw while waiting for a meelee weapon.
The game has other things to offer than just weapons, for example there is also a phone that you can use to temporarily use certain powers.
The fast paced action also provides a high challenge to pass levels. often you will have to retry a level a number of times to use the correct strategy to survive the level, often it is just pure bad luck that you have to try again, but anyway, the game has picked up, and you want the levels can just be completed.

sup beb