The Underground Man
Moscow: somewhere in the near future. The city and perhaps the Earth’s surface has turned into a radioactive ash. Survivors are living a savage lifestyle: they kill each other, they rob each other, they eat and rape each other (sometimes both at the same time). Those who decided that they could not exist in such conditions began to live under the ground. “The underground people” is how they referred to themselves and you are one of them. The times have changed and it is time for you to make your own journey into the big world. The biggest problem is that the people on the surface do not know about your existence. They have heard about “underground people”, but they consider those rumors to be fiction. Your objective is to prove to them that you do indeed exist and that you also possess the ability to adapt to the extreme conditions of the wild radioactive desert. Moreover, you will be responsible for provisioning your fellow brothers and sisters, who are staying underground.
Features of the game include:
-Enjoyable retro-graphics
-A post-apocalyptic theme
-Extremely detailed characters
-A cozy bar as a location
-A unique system of character development; you write it yourself and it is applied to your adventures.
-Mercenary-girls that will help you during your journey
And a lot more.
Game Discussion
Steam User 151
A tedious, sadistic experience created by people that hate humanity.
That being said, I was proven uneducable twice after being told to pick up a bunch of cans, and the game ended.
This game is an example of the weird world of indie Russian games. It's not meant to be played, but endured, like a Siberian death camp. Enjoy.
Steam User 21
I don't know, exactly, what The Underground Man is. See, with something like-- for instance-- LISA: The Painful, I can identify a common theme running straight through the center of the game: come face-to-face with ugly realities, truths and facts of life and humanity we prefer to ignore.
The Underground Man, then, confuses me entirely. It's... something, about something. It's one of those games that's more about the experience, the inference a player makes as an individual. It's about the way the game influences you, the player, and how that makes you play and understand it. That's the best way I can come up with to describe this; I should certainly invest more time but I feel like that requires... preparation. Steeling. It needs me to approach it with steadied breath and a clear mind, lest it get inside and twenty days later, I fall to my knees, shouting about how I am NOT ineducable, I am NOT! NO!
I AM! NOT! INEDUCABLE!!!!!!!
I'm going to tag this with a recommendation strictly because it's not really trying to be something it's not. It is what it is, you get what you get. It's time for us to realize that video games have evolved and become something new; the interactivity has opened new avenues of thought and approach.
This 'game', as it were, is the product of such avenues.
Steam User 54
Although many foreign gamers may not understand every single meme reference in the game, everyone will definitely enjoy it. It was assumed to be a parody of the many indie-games that are made without any significant effort but, nevetheless, are sold in the Steam. Evetually, "The Underground Man" appeared to be a decent, positive-emotion-bringing game that makes you smile from the depth of your heart. Allusions to the old-fashioned nostalgic moments, such as racing and a Helicopter-Boss of Dandy and Sega times will definitely make you feel that this game is MUCH more than just a simple experiment on a parody.
Moreover, the author of the game, Ilya "Maddyson", is a very influential figure in Russian gaming industry. He was the first Russian "Angry Video Game Nerd" and many people do call him a founder of the whole Russian video-blogging. Being fed up by the adsurdity of many trash games of old times, Ilya has developed "The Underground Man", which is a galant bow to the era of hardcore, fully-involving video games. This is the voice of people. If you are ill-informed about some of the local memes, don't worry, you will NEVER regret your purchase. MUST HAVE, 10/10, GAME OF THE CENTURY.
Steam User 10
I think this game is hilarious and very creative, but it is totally unplayable unless you have a will made of sheer fucking steel. You will instantly die all the time with no warning, just for making a dialogue mistake, and thus be forced to start the game over again. However, all that adds to the inexplicable charm of the game. The creators were right to make it so cheap and I'm glad I picked it up on sale for 49 cents. 11/10.
Steam User 32
The world, atmosphere, and story of The Underground Man are all key parts of this hugely successful role-playing game. Strong characters, and sympathetic villains driving tough decisions make it an adventure I’ll definitely replay and revisit. Even the technical shakiness that crops up here and there can’t even begin to slow down its momentum. А+
Steam User 14
This game is Freaking HARD!!!! Has anyone beat this yet? I liked the game when I first played it, but after going through the long introduction without any save game ability & dying for the 8th time without evening passing the first building I had to give up. Any answer you give can get you killed while meeting somoene, & getting hit more than 2 times will result in death, where you'll have to start all over again to create a character & write out a bio.
I have to admit though, I still think about this game alot, since my curiosity lingers towards what I could find if I can pass the first Bar & continue on through the unpredictable world....but then I think about getting far & dying over something silly & not wanting to attempt it again.....still if you enjoy challenging games, maybe it might be worth the price to you. If there are save points or check points, I'm all in again.
6.5/10.
Steam User 3
Is it just me, or do the bizarre characters in this game resemble today’s politicians? If you choose to play this game, you will likely go frustratingly “ape stool” (slightly rewriting a known expression due to Steam policy). Consider yourself warned, it’s meant to be a joke.