Underhell

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
I can't recommend this game highly enough. Officially, it's a Source mod, but it plays and feels like anything but a mod.

Just noticed as well that it was recently Greenlit on Steam, so big congrats to that little team.

The best way I could describe it would be F.E.A.R. mixed with some Half-Life2 with a bit of Amnesia thrown in the mix.

There are really 3 separate parts to this game. The home, which is the anchor of the story, and is a point you can return to at any point in your progress. The home is its own experience, and is reminiscent of a point-and-click style adventure game. Sleeping, and subsequently dreaming lead you into interactive games of your subconscious, filling you in on some of the background and past dialogs of the relationships of the main character. The whole experience of the house is so thoughtfully and well-done, and at times very creepy.

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Leaving the home takes you first through the Prologue (part 1 of the game) and then "Chapter 1," which is essentially part 2. I'm about 12 hours in and still have a ways to go.

These two sections are FPS (with a bit of basic squad commanding in a few parts). Weapon animations and handling are very well done, and yes, you can iron-sight! Very cool that the sniper optics only zoom in what is being viewed through them and not the entire screen (Really? An unfunded mod team can get this right but AAA game developers continue to ignore how this should work?)

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A few more images from the Prologue.

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Without spoiling any bits of the story, your life takes a 180 when you reach Chapter 1, and things get scary as hell. If you are the kind of person who likes to shut off the lights, put on some headphones, and immerse yourself in a game, you will not be disappointed.

What the game lacks in graphic fidelity, it makes up for with masterful level design and carefully crafted lighting and environments. The voice actors overall did a great job, and care is given to giving NPC's real personalities.

The original music can be at times a bit overbearing and over-dramatic, but overall it is excellent!

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Enough of my long windedness. I highly recommend downloading and playing this mod....it's free, of course. I can honestly say this is the among the best gaming experiences I've had in the past few years. With the polish no doubt being put on it for the Greenlight release, I think it's going to be even better.

http://underhell.wecreatestuff.com/
 
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Dankk

Diamond Member
Jul 7, 2008
5,558
25
91
Very, very interesting. Thanks for letting me know about this. I'll have to check it out.