Info about Going Under: Official game description: Going Under is a satirical dungeon crawler about exploring the cursed ruins of failed tech startups. As an unpaid intern in the dystopian city of Neo-Cascadia, you’ll wield office junk as weaponry as you make your way through the offbeat procedural dungeons beneath your company campus. The Future is Wack ------------------ Failed businesses no longer just cease to exist--they sink beneath the earth, and their employees are cursed to wander the halls for eternity as monsters. It’s your duty to put these monsters out of their misery and repossess their assets--so that your boss can afford a new car, or something. Not All Heroes Get Paychecks ---------------------------- Battle through the remains of failed startups themed off of gig workers, dating sites, and cryptocurrency. Uncover the true motives of your employer, a carbonated drink startup known as Fizzle, and their parent company, a subscription box manufacturer with an army of helpful shipping drones. Make friends with your co-workers! Hire a freelance goblin! Date a slime! Invest in crypto! Set a rideshare on fire! Fight Flexibly -------------- In the dungeons of Going Under, almost everything can be used as a weapon, from laptops to brooms to body pillows. Proper weapons can be found as well, but even they can break at a moment’s notice if you aren’t careful. Playing cautiously and picking the right weapon for the situation are musts if you intend on surviving your internship. Horrible Bosses --------------- And you thought your boss was a monster. At the bottom of the dungeons lurk the founders of the cursed startups, getting rich off of investments while their employees fight amongst themselves. Defeat them and return to the surface with their enchanted relics to empower the company you work for. Get Paid in Experience ---------------------- As you explore, you’ll encounter powerful Skills that change the way you play. Learn them at the Cafe and they’ll show up in future runs. Use a Skill often enough, and you’ll get it “endorsed” and available to start your expeditions with. Combine multiple Skills for crazy synergies, and you’ll be cleaning house in no time. A World of Characters --------------------- Complete Tasks for your co-workers to gain Clout with them and unlock their unique bonuses. Learn more about Neo-Cascadia, the origins of Fizzle, and how the drone shipping empire known as Cubicle came to dominate the city. Can you save your company and yourself from going under for good? Release date: Sep 24, 2020 Categories: Dungeon Crawler, Roguelike, Character Progression, Satire, Corporate Simulation, Action Combat, Procedural Generation - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00 - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that while the game is enjoyable, many users feel that the full price of $20 is too high. Multiple reviews mention that the game is worth buying on sale, with specific mentions of $5 and $20 as reference points. The general sentiment is that the game is better valued at a lower price, indicating that the community considers a fair price range to be below the current base price of $19.99. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 25.0h - Story completion: 10.0h - Session length: 8.0h - Endgame: 10.0h - Reasoning: The evidence provides several data points regarding the total playtime to finish the game, with mentions of 8-20 hours, 25 hours, and up to 30 hours for all content. This suggests a range of playtimes depending on the player's engagement with the game's content. The typical session length is inferred from a player mentioning they played in 8-hour sessions, indicating that sessions can be quite long. The endgame content is hinted at with mentions of post-game challenges and additional dungeons, suggesting significant extra playtime for completionists. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game starts off challenging and repetitive but becomes more enjoyable as players progress and unlock new upgrades and tools. - Stance: Fun then drops - Anchor: Unlocking new upgrades and tools - Time to anchor: 1h 0m - Friction: challenging initial stages; repetitive gameplay; RNG-dependent progression - Unlock drivers: character progression; new upgrades and tools; sense of progression - Conditions: solo play; progression-centric methodology; experimentation with different builds - Player Archetypes: - Challenge-Seeking Strategist (buy) - Motivation: Overcoming difficult challenges and mastering gameplay mechanics. - Playstyle: Strategic and cautious, focusing on meta-gaming and avoiding hits. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: tryhard; veteran gamer - Reference games: Dark Souls; Hades - Humor-Appreciating Storyteller (sale) - Motivation: Enjoying the narrative, humor, and relatable themes. - Playstyle: Casual, focusing on the story and dialogue rather than gameplay mechanics. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: story lover; humor enthusiast - Reference games: Dark Souls; Hades - Casual Gamer (sale) - Motivation: Having a fun, short gaming experience with relatable themes. - Playstyle: Casual and relaxed, not focusing on long-term gameplay or mastery. - Experience: newcomer - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: casual player; newcomer - Reference games: Hades; Dark Souls Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Unique Art Style (weight 0.73): The game's art style is praised for its uniqueness, charm, and visual appeal. Players enjoy the vibrant and eye-catching visuals, which contribute to the game's overall aesthetic. - Enjoyable Story and Characters (weight 0.46): The story is described as enjoyable, interesting, and relatable. Players find the main plot and characters delightful and likable, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the game. - Humor and Satire Praised (weight 0.4): The game's writing is widely appreciated for its humor, satire, and engaging dialogue. Players find the story and characters funny, with sharp and playful satire that makes the game enjoyable and unique. - Engaging Gameplay Loop (weight 0.4): The gameplay is described as fun, engaging, and addictive. It features a variety of skills and items that keep the experience interesting, with a good balance of challenge and enjoyment. - Roguelike Elements Enjoyed (weight 0.38): Players appreciate the roguelike elements, finding the dungeon crawling and roguelite mechanics fun and engaging. The game is seen as a good entry point for beginners to the genre. - Fast-Paced Combat (weight 0.19): The combat system is praised for being fast-paced, dynamic, and action-oriented. Players enjoy the chaotic and rewarding nature of the combat. - Corporate Culture Satire (weight 0.18): The game's satire of modern corporate culture and capitalism is well-received. Players find the critique sharp and amusing, adding depth to the game's humor. - Variety in Gameplay (weight 0.18): The game offers a variety of enemies, weapons, skills, and dungeons, which keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the diversity in tasks and challenges. Common complaints: - Clunky and imprecise combat (weight 0.3): Players frequently report that the combat feels janky, clunky, and imprecise. The controls are described as awkward and unrefined, leading to a frustrating experience. - Repetitive and tedious gameplay (weight 0.27): Players find the gameplay repetitive and tedious, which can lead to a lack of motivation. The repetitive nature of dungeons and runs contributes to this issue. - High and frustrating difficulty (weight 0.2): The game is often described as frustratingly difficult, with chaotic and unforgiving combat. This high difficulty can deter players and make the game less enjoyable. - Game plagued by bugs (weight 0.18): Numerous players have encountered various bugs, ranging from minor issues to game-breaking problems. These bugs significantly impact the gameplay experience. - Lack of content depth (weight 0.14): The game is criticized for having too little content and lacking depth. Players find the game too short and simple, leading to a lack of engagement. - No control remapping (weight 0.14): Players are frustrated by the inability to remap controls. This lack of customization limits accessibility and comfort for many users. - Enemies with annoying shields (weight 0.1): Enemies with shields are particularly frustrating as they ignore hits and eat up weapon durability. This mechanic is seen as cheap and annoying. - Weapons break too easily (weight 0.1): Weapons have low durability and break too easily, which can be frustrating for players. This issue affects the overall gameplay experience. - Ineffective dodging mechanics (weight 0.1): Dodging is described as ineffective and inconsistent. Players find it difficult to dodge mid-attack, leading to frustration. - Useless skills (weight 0.07): Many skills in the game are considered useless or pointless. This lack of useful skills can make the game feel unbalanced. - Unclear skill descriptions (weight 0.07): Skill descriptions are often unclear or missing, which can confuse players and make the game more difficult to understand. - Limited replayability (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for having limited replayability. Players feel that it lacks variety for long-term play. - Over-reliance on RNG (weight 0.07): The game relies too much on RNG (Random Number Generation), which can make successful runs feel unpredictable and frustrating. Gameplay feedback: - Roguelike dungeon crawler gameplay (weight 0.5): The game features roguelike gameplay with procedurally generated dungeons and character progression. Players enjoy the dungeon crawling action with randomized elements and a variety of challenges. - Adjustable difficulty and assist mode (weight 0.33): The game includes difficulty options and an assist mode for players who struggle with action games. This feature allows players to adjust the difficulty to their preference, making the game more accessible. - Combat mechanics and dodging (weight 0.3): The combat system includes mechanics like dodge rolling and charge attacks. Players find the combat dynamic and situational, adding depth to the gameplay. - Variety in skills and weapons (weight 0.23): The game offers a wide range of skills, weapons, and tasks, keeping the gameplay interesting and engaging. Players appreciate the variety in combat mechanics and character progression. - Unique dungeon themes and designs (weight 0.15): The game features multiple dungeons with unique themes and level designs. Players enjoy exploring different dungeons with distinct challenges and bosses. - Mentor and skill system (weight 0.12): The game features a mentorship system and character progression with skill development. Players appreciate the depth added by the mentor system and skill tree. - Weapon durability system (weight 0.09): Weapons in the game have a durability system, which adds a layer of strategy to combat. Players need to manage their weapons carefully as they lose durability over time. - Corporate theme and narrative (weight 0.09): The game explores corporate themes and includes a narrative structure. Players enjoy the story-driven gameplay and the unique setting. - Unclear descriptions and controls (weight 0.09): Players have noted that skill and item descriptions can be unclear or missing. Additionally, weapon switching controls are reported to be poor, affecting the gameplay experience. - Engaging boss fights (weight 0.05): The game features engaging boss fights that challenge players and add excitement to the gameplay. Players enjoy the unique boss battles and the strategies required to defeat them. Performance notes: - Performance issues reported (weight 0.17): Several players have reported various performance issues, including FPS drops, stuttering, and crashes. These issues seem to affect both high-end and lower-end PCs. - Graphical bugs and issues (weight 0.13): Players have encountered several graphical bugs, such as the screen going black, V-sync issues, and the screen being too busy with effects. These issues can significantly impact the gameplay experience. - Gameplay and mechanics issues (weight 0.09): Some players have reported issues with gameplay mechanics, including incorrect skill descriptions and camera angle issues that affect gameplay. These issues can make the game less enjoyable and more difficult to play. - Limited graphical options (weight 0.06): The game has been criticized for its limited framerate options and lack of modern DPI support. This can make it difficult for players to optimize the game for their specific hardware. - Hardware requirements (weight 0.03): A few players have mentioned that the game may need an adept graphics chip to run properly. This suggests that the game might have higher hardware requirements. - Regular updates and bugs (weight 0.03): Some players have noted that the game receives occasional updates, but it still has some bugs that need to be addressed. - Noteworthy bugs (weight 0.03): A player has mentioned a noteworthy bug without providing specific details. This indicates that there are significant bugs affecting the gameplay experience. Recommendations: - Recommended for fans of specific genres (weight 0.13): The game is highly recommended for fans of challenging games, hack and slash, roguelites, and action genres. It is also compared favorably to games like Hades and Another Crab's Treasure. - Worth buying on sale (weight 0.13): Many players suggest that the game is worth purchasing, especially at a discounted price. This indicates that while the game is valued, it might not be seen as a full-price purchase by all players. - Recommended despite some issues (weight 0.13): Players recommend the game even though it has some issues and a shorter length. This suggests that the game's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. - Unique indie gem (weight 0.09): The game is described as a unique indie gem, indicating that it stands out in the indie game market. Players appreciate its distinct qualities and recommend trying it out. - Play for story and characters (weight 0.04): The game is recommended for its story and characters rather than extensive gameplay. This suggests that the narrative and character development are strong points of the game. - Try the demo first (weight 0.03): Some players suggest trying the demo before purchasing the full game. This indicates that the game might not appeal to everyone and that a trial run is advisable. - Use assist mode for better experience (weight 0.03): Players recommend using assist mode to adjust invincibility frames, indicating that the game can be challenging and that assist mode can enhance the gaming experience. - Complete missions to level up (weight 0.03): Players mention completing missions to level up mentors and increase recovery methods, indicating a progression system that involves mission completion and character development. - Potential for animated series (weight 0.03): There is a suggestion to make an animated TV series out of the game, indicating that the game's story and characters are compelling enough to warrant further exploration in another medium. - Anti-capitalist themes (weight 0.03): The game is worth checking out for anyone with an anti-capitalist perspective, suggesting that it contains themes or commentary that resonate with such viewpoints. Other player notes: - Pricing concerns mentioned (weight 0.03): Some players discussed the pricing of the game, though specific details or sentiments were not provided. - Playtime varies by platform (weight 0.03): Players noted differences in playtime depending on the platform used, though specific details were not provided. - Game gifted by friends (weight 0.03): Several players mentioned that they received the game as a gift from friends. Emotions: - Frustration (weight 0.24): Players are frustrated by a variety of gameplay mechanics and technical issues. The combat system is frequently cited as clunky, imprecise, and difficult, with weapons breaking too easily and controls feeling sticky or unresponsive. Additionally, the game's difficulty spikes, repetitive gameplay, and lack of content contribute to a sense of frustration. Bugs, glitches, and lack of polish, such as game crashes and softlock issues, further exacerbate these feelings. - Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Players enjoy the game's unique visuals, engaging characters, and humorous story. The chaotic and fun combat, along with the game's charming writing and excellent soundtrack, contribute to an enjoyable experience. The game's art style, themes, and overall quality are also frequently praised. - Joy (weight 0.09): Players find joy in the game's entertaining story, fun gameplay, and great mechanics. The charming and colorful art style, along with the humorous and creative narrative, contribute to a delightful experience. The game's overall quality, engaging characters, and enjoyable progression are also sources of joy. - Disappointment (weight 0.07): Players express disappointment with the game's repetitive elements and lack of content. The second half of the game is frequently cited as needing improvement, with a quality nosedive and unenjoyable experience. Technical issues, bugs, and the game not meeting initial expectations also contribute to feelings of disappointment. - Excitement (weight 0.06): Players are excited by the game's fun atmosphere, unique weapons, and enjoyable combat style. The game's overall coolness, epicness, and high interactivity contribute to a sense of excitement. The unique visual style, themes, and presentation are also frequently praised. - Amusement (weight 0.06): Players are amused by the game's witty humor, satirical dialogues, and humorous setting. The game's sharp and funny writing, along with its lampooning of corporate culture, contribute to a sense of amusement. The game's unique and humorous situations, as well as its accuracy in depicting work life, are also sources of amusement. - Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Players feel satisfied with the game's positive aspects, such as its OST and character design. Clearing the game, beating bosses, and solving challenging tasks contribute to a sense of accomplishment. The game's engaging gameplay loop, aesthetic, and overall positive ratings also contribute to feelings of satisfaction. - Frustrated (weight 0.04): Players are frustrated by the game's late-game difficulty spike, limited content, and clunky combat mechanics. Weapons breaking too easily, lack of control remap options, and high difficulty contribute to feelings of frustration. Poor combat systems, controls, and quest task bugs further exacerbate these feelings. - Excited (weight 0.03): Players are excited by the game's enjoyable mechanics and progression. The game's unique corporate art style, excellent combat system, and silly yet well-written narrative contribute to a sense of excitement. The game's great soundtrack, satisfying gameplay, and cool vibes are also sources of excitement. - Amused (weight 0.03): Players are amused by the game's relatable corporate satire and humor. The game's great humor, on-point writing, and exciting combat contribute to a sense of amusement. The game's bittersweet comedy with heart and relatable dark humor are also sources of amusement. - Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's creative monster design, cute character design, and satisfying plot. The game's sharp social commentary, unique art style, and well-thought-out theming and satire contribute to feelings of appreciation. The game's cool art style, funny concept, and satirical language art are also appreciated. - Love (weight 0.02): Players love the game's gameplay, character charisma, and art style. The game's character designs, humor, soundtrack, and graphics contribute to feelings of love. The game's stylized art and drama, as well as its ability to speak directly to players' hearts, are also sources of love. - Admiration (weight 0.02): Players admire the game's perfection, philosophical depth, and overall quality. The game's visual appeal, originality, and creative themes contribute to feelings of admiration. The game's humorous themes and superb designs are also admired. - Surprise (weight 0.02): Players are surprised by the game's uniqueness, low popularity, and how it exceeded expectations. The discovery of another game by the same studio and the game's impactful content and unique design contribute to feelings of surprise. - Engagement (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the game's original story, humor, and narrative. The game's humorous capitalism parody and engaging gameplay contribute to feelings of engagement. Players are hooked by the game's narrative and gameplay. - Boredom (weight 0.01): Players feel bored due to the game's lack of content and repetitive gameplay. The repetitiveness of the gameplay and humor, as well as the lack of enemy variety, contribute to feelings of boredom. - Sadness (weight 0.01): Players feel sadness due to the sequel being canceled and the devs pulling the plug on future development. Swomp's tragic backstory also contributes to feelings of sadness. - Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgia due to the game's comparison to Enter the Gungeon and its reminder of Dark Souls. - Enthusiastic (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about discovering the depth and continuous content of the game. The game's unique corporate twist and recommendation contribute to feelings of enthusiasm. - Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of content and usefulness of skills. The lack of fun in gameplay also contributes to feelings of disappointment.}