[PAX East 14] Below Preview: Nothing is Safe

Capy is well-known for Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery and Super Time Force and at PAX East, we got to play Below, their latest game. Its minimalistic design is appealing, and as pretty as it is, it’s also a driving force behind the game’s survival mechanic.

Players take on the role of an adventurer who is about to start their journey into a large cave. Unknown dangers lie within each area of the cave and the player must scavenge for weapons and resources to stay alive and go deeper and deeper into the cave. It’s enough for the player to go on as they begin to explore the caves.

The minimalist design for the environment is a mix of 2D and 3D, giving it an almost construction paper-like look, but it still looks great. But this design is not only carried out in the environment, but also in gameplay. With the brief exception of showing the equipped weapon on the upper right corner of the screen, there is no information on the screen. It seems daunting at first, but as the game goes on, it becomes almost relaxing. It reinforces the game’s idea of exploration and that feeling of not knowing anything at the beginning of the game.

Resources are subtly marked throughout the caves as glinting items and they provide their own set of challenges. The item menu only holds about nine items and they all have an image of the items but there are no descriptions for each one. Crafting is also available, but there are no description for that either. The only way to find out what each item does is through trial and error, but sometimes the consequences are dire.

Dying is inevitable in Below. Sylvain Coutouly, a graphics artist at Capy, compared the idea to Dark Souls, but fortunately Below is not that unforgiving. All the major changes that the player made in the world before dying is still there. When they start again, the journey is a little easier, but the caves are randomly generated after each playthrough, providing a little challenge every time.

Enemies range from large cave creatures to stray dogs. Some of them have unique drops that can be used for items. Some have tiny golden orbs that can be collected, otherwise the orbs respawn the creatures. The enemies encountered were not that hard, but that doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly. Some are deceptive and have more bite than expected. Again, this is all part of the game’s trial and error experience.

It can’t be helped that the entire experience is reminiscent of Klei Entertainment’s Don’t Starve, but Below offers something more with less. The emptiness of the environment and information really puts the player in a state of uncertainty and fear that is really unique. The music, once again made by Jim Guthrie, further provides to the lonely yet curious tone of the game. Below is headed for PC and Xbox One, with no clear release date yet, but what Capy has shown at PAX East should excite fans for the game’s final build.