Before its official release later this year, I had the opportunity to try out the upcoming project Beneath. Beneath is a new project from the developer Camel 101 and the publisher Wired Productions that puts the player in control of a deep-sea diver who is a part of a dive in search of a wreck, but instead finds themselves in a dark and horrifying situation.
Within Beneath, players will be able to explore all kinds of unique locations as they attempt to take on humans, zombies, and other creatures as they attempt to solve the mysteries lurking within, but unfortunately, there are entities that do not want to make this easy on the player.
During my time with Beneath, I was only able to play the first few hours of the game, but I will still avoid spoilers for the main story that I played during those first hours.
The Atmosphere of Beneath is very Eerie and Mysterious
Let’s start by talking about the general atmosphere of Beneath and what I experienced during my first few hours with the game. If you are a fan of games that are full of tight corners, dark locations, and alluring secrets, then Beneath is the perfect game for you.
Throughout my time with Beneath, I constantly found myself exploring a few different areas within the game that were included for flavor text and filling the world out, but they also served the additional purpose of building up suspense.
For a lot of gamers, this is the perfect atmosphere for a horror game, as it constantly keeps them on the edge of their seat, as every corner and every new room could be holding something that will scare the socks off them, and it is safe to say that Beneath has this atmosphere.
To add to the atmosphere, the inclusion of Cthulhu and the game’s mystical vibe significantly enhances the ambiance, particularly as the character begins to hallucinate within the story, making the player feel even more overwhelmed by the potential horror that awaits them.
The Gunplay in Beneath is Very Clean and Fun to Play With
No matter what kind of FPS game you are playing, it is always important to have good gunplay that feels both fun and rewarding as you play through the game, and for me, Beneath has done this incredibly well, as the gunplay is superb.
Even though I only played the first few hours of the game, I was able to acquire a few of the different weapons within Beneath, allowing me to try them out and see what they could do in different scenarios, and to say I wasn’t disappointed is an understatement.
No matter what weapon I was running out of the few I obtained in my playthrough, I found that each of these weapons was very clean in terms of control, ammo capacity, and overall damage on enemies. A big part of Beneath is being able to manage your ammo and use the different weapons you obtain in the correct situations, depending on what enemy you are facing and what ammo you have at the time.
Again, since I was in the first few hours, I did come across a lot of ammo, allowing me to take out the enemies relatively easily, but as the game went further, I did notice that ammo was getting scarcer and scarcer, forcing me to restrain myself, but the early hours felt relatively forgiving and provided plenty of ammunition for me to use and test out each weapon.
The Unique Setting of Beneath is Very Compact but has Plenty to Explore and Find
During my time with Beneath, I was able to explore a few different areas within the game that each had its own unique flair and draw. Although what I played through wasn’t overly expansive, as many doors were either locked or blocked, likely to be seen at a later part of the game, I was able to explore a large amount of the game’s early sections.
Although Beneath is set in a rather restrictive location, Camel 101 has done an amazing job at ensuring there are enough places for the player to explore that they do not feel trapped in a small loop, but instead are free to explore a lot of different locations as they search for the next step in their arduous journey.
As with most games like Beneath, a lot of the exploration involved does amount to nothing except for a bit of world-building, but it did surprise me to find that on a few occasions these world-building locations did in fact have a purpose within Beneath and assured me that no matter what, I should search every nook and cranny to ensure I saw all I could see.
The Story is Already Shaping up to be a Mysterious and Confusing Adventure
Sadly, during my time with Beneath, I was only really able to witness a few segments within the game’s story that gripped me to the point I wanted to continue playing. However, what I found during these segments was how it fully embodied the aspects of a horror game that involves our lovely friend Cthulhu.
As the adventure progressed, I constantly found myself unsure who to trust, making me second-guess every decision that I was making within Beneath, while also encouraging me to see it through, as I was curious as to whether or not it was real or just another illusion.
Along with the NPCs I met along the way, the overall tone of the game was constantly shifting and changing as I progressed through the story, as it was growing ever more clear that not everything was as it seemed and that there would be some form of mysterious twist later on in the game that would shock players. However, for now, I will have to survive on the small taste of Beneath that I have endured over the past few days while I wait for its release later this year.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of Silent Hill F, or check out this impressive achievement for Expedition 33 and the exciting news the developers have for the game.
I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.
