Going under, at it's core, is an isometric, roguelike, dungeon crawler.
As is now standard fare with the latest iterations of this genre; runs in the procedurally generated dungeons are interspersed with more narrative driven intermissions of plot and character development in the "outside world".
This setting and narrative is what sets going under apart from the slew of recent roguelike releases.
You play the part of Jackie, who has just been accepted into beverage company "Fizzle" on a marketing internship.
Things immediately take a turn for the worse however, when you are asked to enter the realms beneath the company to rid it of monsters.
The realms beneath fizzle contain the employees, bosses and remnants of failed start-up companies.
To combat these denizens, as well as the basic attack, power attack and the obligatory dodge roll, you can use almost everything in the environment as a weapon. From a cactus to a keyboard, nothing is off limits and all have unique characteristics.
You can hold and swap between several weapons at once allowing for a little more utility on the go.
In addition, abilities and buffs can be found along the way or purchased in stores found within the dungeons.
The game is incredibly tongue-in-cheek and it's easy to draw some obvious similarities to real world corporate heavy hitters.
It's a well-written satirical work that will be at least somewhat relatable to anyone who has worked this kind of corporate culture before.
The dungeon environments comprise of three failed startups. A cryptocurrency company, a recruitment company and a dating app company.
The environment, creatures and final boss are each themed around their respective company.
You need to clear three levels before facing the final and quite literal boss.
In-between clearing the dungeon areas, you will speak to your new colleagues around the workplace. As well as driving forward the narrative, this also serves to give side quests that can be completed during your next run.
The games graphical vibrancy and color palette reflect the light-hearted nature of the game and it's an overall cohesive theme running through "Going Under".
While the combat and general game mechanics are quite good, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were ancillary to the satire, which seemed to be the focal point driving the game.
Going Under is relatively short, coming in at between 8 to 10 hours to finish, but genuinely funny and well-written. However, I personally didn't find much replayability value after completion.
The market seems to be oversaturated with roguelike dungeon crawlers at the moment.
Going Under definitely does enough to set itself apart from the majority of recent roguelike releases.
Unfortunately it was released the same week as Hades, which for the same genre, at the same price point, is just a much better option.
Due to this overshadow, it probably won't get the recognition that it fully deserves, but it's definitely one to keep on the radar for any fans looking for a fresh and light hearted take on the genre.
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