Info about War for the Overworld - The Under Games Expansion:

Official game description:
The Under Games is a seven-level campaign tournament set across a variety of game modes. Choose from new Underlords with unique playstyles, then pit them against the rest in a knockout-style competition organised by the bloodthirsty Mendechaus (Richard Ridings). Can you win The Under Games and lead the charge into the War for the Overworld?  
Run the Gauntlet
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Participate in a deadly tournament across a series of scenarios that call back to classic Dungeon Management gameplay! Levels are designed to be highly-replayable, and will test you against challenging AI and a variety of game modes.
Choose Your Underlord
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Choose from three new and unique Underlords: The bestial and explosive Shale, the stoic and steam-powered Volta, and the rotting reaper Lamash. Also play as gold-digger Kasita if you own Heart of Gold! Each Underlord has a unique personality and playstyle, driven by powerful traits and exclusive minions and Aspects.
Tackle New Game Modes
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Race to capture and hold key positions in King of the Underhill, which will then blast your opponent’s Dungeon Core from distance. Or mount a multipronged attack against your opponent’s Core Shards, and watch as their dungeon crumbles.
Master New Aspects and Terrain
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Many new Aspects expand your Veins of Evil, with new minions, defences, constructs, potions and spells! These include the lightning in a bottle Thunderling, the mystical Moongate teleporter, and the fire-breathing Infernal Urn! You’ll also encounter the bloodbath that is the Sanguine terrain theme, deadly Banshee-launching Nether Shrines, and much more besides!
Tailor Your Challenge
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Customise your challenge to make The Under Games a cakewalk, a fire walk, or somewhere inbetween. With five difficulty levels and a multitude of AI personalities to battle, no playthrough will ever be the same. Will the AI push you to the brink?

Release date: Apr 20, 2018

Categories: Dungeon Management, Real-time Strategy, Base Building, Tower Defense, Single-player Campaign, Multiple Playable Characters, Capture-Based Strategy, High Difficulty


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: No review provides a quantified hour count for completing the DLC campaign or story. The only concrete time references are early-game pacing comments: chaos clearing after 15-30 minutes and unit spam within the first 10 minutes. These describe initial mission pacing rather than total completion time or average session length. The achievement-grinding comment and 'many hours of play' are qualitative and cannot be converted into specific hour values. Therefore all playtime metrics remain null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players report this DLC never becomes fun because it lacks progression and repeats the same missions, making it feel like busywork. No review identifies a point where enjoyment begins.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: No progression; every mission feels the same; Repetitive mission design; Forced replay of each mission at least four times; Busywork-like pacing; Poor victory cutscene or reward feedback
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Relaxed Difficulty-Seeking Casual (buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy the dungeon strategy content at a comfortable pace without competitive frustration.
    - Playstyle: Plays on lower or customizable difficulty, favoring relaxed campaign and skirmish runs over high-pressure competitive modes.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: casual players
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Competitive Underlord Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: To master competitive map-control scenarios and adapt Underlord strategies for challenging wins.
    - Playstyle: Plays tournament-style skirmish and crucible modes at high difficulty, optimizing each Underlord and fighting for map control.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: HoG
  - Dungeon-Building Traditionalist (no buy)
    - Motivation: To preserve the classic dungeon-building and campaign experience rather than play competitive or repetitive scenarios.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on base-building, previous DLC, and main-game content while avoiding competitive map-control modes.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - DLC Devotee (buy)
    - Motivation: To continue enjoying the franchise through new expansion content and alternate game modes.
    - Playstyle: Plays through the expansion, revisits the main game and DLC, and explores alternate modes like King of the UnderHill.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: WftO


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:
- Distinct Underlords with unique traits (weight 0.97): The DLC introduces four playable Underlords, each with unique traits, themes, and playstyles that significantly alter strategies. This diversity is praised for adding replayability and personality to the game.
- Expansion adds substantial content (weight 0.77): The DLC includes a wealth of new content: themes, traps, constructs, sins, minions, and mechanics. This expansion is seen as adding many hours of play and greatly expanding tactical options.
- Positive reception of DLC overall (weight 0.73): Many reviewers consider this the best DLC for the game, praising its additions and the continued support from developers. It is highly recommended for fans.
- Fun and enjoyable experience (weight 0.66): The DLC is described as fun, intense, and enjoyable, providing a breathless experience on higher difficulties. It adds new and exciting content that players love.
- Underlord-specific mechanics and units (weight 0.6): Each Underlord has unique mechanics, units, and buildings that cater to different playstyles, such as Shale's aggressive beasts or Volta's fortifications. This adds depth and variety.
- Base game remains excellent (weight 0.52): The base game is still highly regarded, and the expansion builds upon its strengths. It is described as a masterpiece due to continuous improvements.
- New game modes praised (weight 0.48): The expansion adds new modes like Core Shards and King of the Underhill, which are considered fresh, fun, and strategically engaging. These modes require capturing points or destroying multiple core fragments, adding variety.
- Level variety and mission design (weight 0.46): The expansion features a good variety of level types and well-paced missions, with altered objectives that keep the gameplay interesting. The revamped campaign is also well-received.
- High replay value with Underlords (weight 0.41): With multiple Underlords to choose from, each offering different strategies and difficulty levels, the campaign has high replay value. Players enjoy experimenting with various approaches.
- Challenging and competitive gameplay (weight 0.41): The DLC offers a competitive single-player experience with tournament-style scenarios and high difficulty settings. It is considered a 'hard mode' expansion that provides intense challenges.
- Underlord personalities and voice acting (weight 0.41): The Underlords have distinct personalities, enhanced by voice acting and story dialogues, which adds charm and immersion. The voice work by Richard Ridings is particularly loved.
- Varied and interesting scenarios (weight 0.31): Most missions are skirmishes with twists, providing a decent prequel experience. The tournament-style scenarios and map control objectives add variety.
- Worth the price and recommended (weight 0.28): Despite being slightly more expensive, the DLC is considered worth it due to the substantial content and fun factor. It is recommended along with all other DLC.
- Developer support and updates (weight 0.28): The developers continue to support the game with updates and improvements, surprising players with great additions that enhance the game.
- New structures and defenses (weight 0.27): The DLC introduces new structures like the Moon Gate and additional defenses such as Storm Vortex, which significantly impact gameplay and strategy.
- New themes and customization (weight 0.26): The expansion includes new unlockable themes for core, walls, and floors, as well as new workers, which are always nice additions for customization.
- Under Games mode adds variety (weight 0.2): The Under Games mode allows playing against AI with different strategies and locked tech trees, teaching players to adapt and widening their skills.
- New traps and constructs (weight 0.2): New traps, constructs, and 'Sins' are added, providing more tactical options and excitement in gameplay.
- Expansion requires strategic adaptation (weight 0.19): Players must adapt their strategies due to limited choices or new mechanics, which encourages using unfamiliar tactics and enhances the overall experience.
- Story and dialogue elements (weight 0.19): The DLC includes story dialogues and narration, such as spirit orbs taunting each other, which adds narrative depth and personality.

Common complaints:
- Underlord strategies are crippled (weight 0.64): Game mechanics are split among four Overlords, each with severely limited viable strategies. Static defense Overlords are useless against beast-focused Overlords, and unique strengths are often disabled.
- Banshee shrines are overpowered (weight 0.55): Banshee shrines continuously spawn Banshees that cannot be destroyed, only captured, leading to overwhelming waves. Floating Banshees add constant pressure and can wipe out units, especially when playing as Shale.
- Game feels like work (weight 0.46): The repetitive and frustrating gameplay makes it feel like a chore rather than fun. Fun value is almost zero, and it's not recommended for purchase.
- AI cheats with insane speed (weight 0.43): AI opponents amass troops rapidly, replace losses instantly, and have high APM that feels like cheating. This makes missions a grind or speed run and ruins the fun.
- Campaign and story lacking (weight 0.41): There is no campaign or conclusion to any campaign, and no new campaign. The story is minimal, with no follow-up to the betrayal by Mendechaus, and missions lack narrative depth.
- Underworld expansion disappoints (weight 0.35): The third expansion, focused on undergames, is a dumbed-down version of the base game with fewer features. It disables key skills and is considered garbage by many.
- Stalemates due to map design (weight 0.28): Map designs, especially in later levels, force stalemates and rushing to capture points. This leads to inevitable deadlocks and frustrating gameplay.
- Little focus on dungeon building (weight 0.27): The game emphasizes rushing and holding capture points rather than dungeon building, which is not in the spirit of Dungeon Keeper. Many maps lack build rooms.
- Progression and achievements tedious (weight 0.27): Seeking 100% achievements requires excessive retries and grinding, with many time-consuming bloody/urine level achievements. The DLC is repetitive, requiring each mission at least four times.
- Unable to start campaign (weight 0.27): A bug prevents clicking the first mission on the select mission board, making the campaign unplayable even after restarts. This is a critical blocker.
- Chinese translation bugs (weight 0.26): The Chinese translation has bugs like incorrect character names in subtitles and inconsistent Underlord name translations. It needs proofreading.
- AI blocks claiming tiles (weight 0.2): Enemy AI has permanent Spirit Workers that sit on tiles you try to claim, unclaiming blocks instantly. This micromanagement makes it frustrating to expand.
- Stalemates cause money loss (weight 0.19): When stalemating with AI, players lose due to lack of money, as no gold mine is provided on some maps. This creates an unfair disadvantage.
- Maps and AI should be free (weight 0.19): Several new maps and AI improvements should have been provided for free, not as paid DLC. Combining maps into a campaign hinders playing specific maps with specific characters.
- Tournament is repetitive (weight 0.19): The tournament is always the same maps and order, with only minor adjustments. It feels like a skirmish match with a nice introduction.
- Bugs break game balance (weight 0.19): A bug allows selling Construct blueprints for double gold, trivializing challenge. Another glitch prevents recruiting unique beast-types, hobbling Shale's strength.
- Lords get stuck early (weight 0.12): Except for Kasita, the other three lords get stuck on the first level, preventing progression. This is a severe balance issue.
- Technology is locked (weight 0.11): Technology progression is locked, limiting strategic options. This adds to the frustration.
- Forced 50/50 drags time (weight 0.11): Gameplay is dragged out by forced 50/50 situations, making matches longer and more tedious.
- AI summons force reactions (weight 0.11): Dealing with multiple big summons like Archons forces players out of their big play, disrupting strategies.

Gameplay feedback:
- Multiple Underlords with unique playstyles (weight 0.92): The campaign offers four different Underlords, each with distinct abilities, perks, strengths, and weaknesses. Players can choose from themed Underlords that provide varied strategic options.
- Maps and level variety (weight 0.55): The DLC adds several new maps with varied objectives, some linear and others open-ended. Map designs can lead to stalemates, and some levels focus on defense or stealth.
- New defenses and structures (weight 0.55): The DLC introduces new defenses, structures, traps, and constructs. Moongates allow teleportation, and Nether Shrines spawn Banshees that attack enemy cores.
- Campaign structure and progression (weight 0.52): The campaign features a tournament-style progression with elimination rounds against AI Underlords. It includes story dialogues, an intro video, and a mission select board.
- New game modes introduced (weight 0.48): The DLC adds modes like King of the Underhill (capture and hold points) and Core Shards (destroy separate core fragments). These modes alter objectives and force multi-directional combat.
- Tech tree restrictions and unlocks (weight 0.42): The DLC features locked tech trees and restrictions that provide thematic advantages. Not all rooms are available for each Underlord, and some skills are disabled.
- AI behavior and difficulty (weight 0.34): AI opponents can be challenging, with high APM on Master difficulty, constant unit spam, and resource cheating. AI can unclaim blocks instantly and replace losses quickly.
- New units and mechanics (weight 0.31): The DLC adds new minions like Archons and Banshees, as well as long-range artillery and bombing mechanics. Each Underlord has unique minions.
- Volta specializes in fortifications (weight 0.27): Volta's style revolves around fortifications, slow advancement, and defensive play, with Iron Curtain making defenses cheaper and faster. Volta also has unique defensive tools like Storm Vortex and cannot build a Beast Den.
- Lamash uses undead hordes (weight 0.27): Lamash's style centers on Crypt, Necromancers, Ghouls, Banshees, and using corpses as a resource. Undead Horde raises undead quickly, and Hazard Pay makes living creatures more expensive.
- Gameplay emphasizes rushing (weight 0.25): Many missions focus on rushing and capturing points rather than traditional dungeon building. Fast thinking and racing are often necessary.
- Underlord traits and abilities (weight 0.25): Each Underlord has unique traits, such as Kasita's passive money or the inability to tame beasts. Traits influence campaign strategies.
- Capture point objectives (weight 0.25): Some modes require capturing and holding strongholds that attack enemies. Players must also defend these strongholds from being taken.
- Repetitive gameplay and retries (weight 0.24): Some missions must be played multiple times, and achievements require retries due to difficulty or design. Gameplay can feel repetitive.
- Skirmish mode against AI (weight 0.24): The base game includes skirmish mode against AI, and the DLC expands this with tournament-style scenarios.
- Shale focuses on beasts (weight 0.2): Shale emphasizes beasts, mutations, and fast pressure, with the Swarm trait gathering Beasts quickly. Reckless limits basic defenses and increases their cost.
- Campaign forces defensive strategies (weight 0.19): The campaign often requires defending multiple strategic points rather than a single core. Players must manage minions and protect distant Dungeon Shards.
- Underlord balance and difficulty (weight 0.19): Campaign Underlords are not balanced; different characters represent varying difficulty levels. Players can select individual difficulty settings.
- Teleportation via Moongates (weight 0.18): Moon Gate structures allow free teleportation between shrines or placed gates. This removes room layout concerns and enables rapid deployment.
- Map symmetry and reuse (weight 0.16): Maps are often symmetric and reused for each Underlord. Symmetry can lead to predictable engagements.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- DLC Mixed Recommendations (weight 0.43): Opinions on the DLC are highly polarized, with some strongly recommending it and others advising against it. Many reviews condition their recommendation on player preferences and prior experience with the game.
- Appeals to WFTO Fans (weight 0.28): Dedicated fans of War for the Overworld and Dungeon Keeper are encouraged to buy the DLC to complete their collection. It is seen as essential for avid players.
- Best DLC Available (weight 0.28): Some players consider this the best DLC for the game, praising its content and value. It is highly recommended for those who enjoy the base game.
- Combat-Focused Expansion (weight 0.27): The expansion is described as more combat-focused, dense, and replayable, appealing to players who already understand the game's mechanics. It offers intense scenarios for those seeking a challenge.
- Recommend Other DLCs (weight 0.26): Less avid consumers are advised to start with Heart of Gold and Pet Dungeon before trying The Under Games. These DLCs are praised for being amazing and funny.
- Worth It for Enthusiasts (weight 0.26): Players who are deeply into the game will find the DLC worth it to round out their experience. It is seen as a worthy addition to the game.
- Positive Base Game, Poor Expansion (weight 0.2): While the base game is enjoyable, the Under Games expansion is often criticized as garbage. Some reviewers recommend sticking with other expansions instead.
- Not for Dungeon-Building Lovers (weight 0.19): Players who enjoy traditional dungeon-building may want to avoid this expansion, as it removes fun aspects of the genre. The focus on combat over building can be a drawback.
- Overlord Balance Issues (weight 0.19): The static defenses overlord is considered useless, while the undead overlord is overpowered and easy to play. This imbalance affects gameplay experience.
- Recommended for Genre Fans (weight 0.12): If you enjoy this kind of game, you should get this DLC, as it caters well to fans of the genre. It is a natural fit for those who like similar games.
- Alternate Game Modes Recommended (weight 0.11): The expansion is recommended for those who enjoy alternate game modes like King of the Underhill, even if some personally dislike them. It adds variety for certain players.
- Avoid This DLC (weight 0.11): A minority strongly advises against buying this DLC, calling it not recommended. This view is held by those disappointed with its content.
- Complete DLC Collection (weight 0.11): Some recommend getting all DLC content for a complete experience. It is seen as a way to fully enjoy everything the game offers.
- Banshee Issue in Under Games (weight 0.1): Some players prefer Pet Dungeon over Under Games due to a Banshee issue that detracts from the experience. This specific problem influences their recommendation.
- Discounted or Time-Rich Buy (weight 0.1): Some suggest only buying the DLC if it is on discount or if you have plenty of time to invest. It may not be worth full price for everyone.
- Dev and Franchise Praised (weight 0.1): The developer and the franchise are highly regarded, which adds to the recommendation for the DLC. Support for the game is a key factor.
- Multiplayer Focused Players (weight 0.1): Those into multiplayer or UvU likely already own this DLC, as it is essential for that aspect. It is a must-have for competitive players.

Other player notes:
- DLC adds four Underlords (weight 0.41): The DLC introduces a campaign where players control four distinct Underlords, each with unique traits and abilities. This adds variety and replayability to the expansion.
- Challenging design and achievements (weight 0.25): The game is designed to be challenging, with main campaign and level achievements that test player skill. This appeals to players seeking a demanding experience.
- New modes and maps (weight 0.2): Expansions include competitive scenarios, new game modes, and additional maps with improved AI. This broadens the gameplay experience beyond the base campaign.
- Spiritual successor to Dungeon Keeper (weight 0.19): It feels like the game the original creators of Dungeon Keeper would have made if they had time, appealing to fans of that classic.
- Tournament mode is scripted (weight 0.19): The campaign is presented as a tournament but is scripted and not a true tournament mode. It features elimination rounds against AI Underlords.
- New unlockable themes and traps (weight 0.19): The DLC includes 4 new unlockable themes and new traps, constructs, and 'Sins', adding customization options.
- Enemy AI affects Workshop items (weight 0.18): The enemy AI translates to Workshop items, affecting custom maps. Some players would like an option to select the older AI for casual play.
- Heart of Gold playable Kasita (weight 0.12): The Heart of Gold expansion allows players to take on the role of Kasita, providing a fresh perspective and new challenges.
- Pet Dungeons add personality (weight 0.11): Pet Dungeons allow players to give their dungeon a unique personality, enhancing customization and immersion.
- Thematic tech tree restrictions (weight 0.11): Tech tree restrictions offer thematic advantages, encouraging strategic choices that align with different playstyles.
- Well-paced Heart of Gold missions (weight 0.11): The second expansion, Heart of Gold, received praise for its well-paced missions, offering a satisfying campaign experience.
- Slightly higher price point (weight 0.1): This DLC is marginally more expensive than the other two paid DLCs, which may affect value perception for some players.
- Undergame RTS comparison (weight 0.1): The Undergame expansion is an RTS without witch doctors, comparable to StarCraft, which the reviewer considers a better RTS. This suggests a different focus than the base game.
- Base game rushed at times (weight 0.1): The base game was good but felt rushed at times, indicating some areas could have used more development.
- Third expansion focuses CTF (weight 0.1): The third expansion mostly features capture the flag or 3 vs 3 hold the hill missions, with dungeon vs dungeon type gameplay. This shift in mission design may appeal to competitive players.
- Compared unfavorably to predecessors (weight 0.1): Compared to the first games, this installment is seen as a lame duck by some, suggesting it falls short of expectations.
- DLC mode limits choices (weight 0.1): The DLC mode teaches players by limiting choices to widen skills and enhance the game, providing a guided learning experience.
- Victory animations included (weight 0.1): The game features victory animations that add polish and satisfaction when completing objectives.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players are frustrated by forced stalemates, locked technology, and an AI that cheats with high APM and unfair micromanagement. Bugs such as the double gold glitch, inability to recruit unique beasts, and progress-blocking issues like being unable to start the campaign further compound the frustration. Repetitive missions, inconsistent Chinese translations, and banshee chaos also contribute to the negative experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.21): Disappointment stems from maps that emphasize rushing and capture points instead of classic dungeon keeper gameplay, and from DLC that disables key skills, feels repetitive, and requires each mission multiple times. The tournament is scripted and lacks polish, while splitting mechanics across four overlords weakens strategies. A lack of story and no follow-up to the Mendechaus betrayal also let players down.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.14): Players enjoy the new aspects, level variety, and game modes such as Core Shards and King of the Underhill. The revamped original campaign, new defenses, structures, potions, and Richard Ridings' voice add to the fun. Themed Underlords and different strategies keep the experience fresh and engaging.
- Boredom (weight 0.07): Boredom arises because the expansion feels like the most tedious of the DLCs and often resembles work rather than play. The repetitive victory point capture mode with no story further diminishes engagement.
- Love (weight 0.07): Players love the game and the developers' continued support and improvements. They appreciate the series and all expansions, especially Pet Dungeons, and the flavor from the unique aspects of all four Underlords.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Excitement comes from looking forward to playing as the next three Underlords and the prospect of creating MOBA-like maps using shrines and shards in the Workshop. The expansion adds a ton of new content, and the DLC mode is interesting with high difficulty providing a breathless experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.02): Satisfaction is derived from endless mobs and hard-to-kill Underlords, making their defeat feel rewarding.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance is caused by floating banshees that add constant pressure.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration is expressed for this being by far the best DLC for the game, teaching new skills and enhancing the entire experience.
- Fun (weight 0.02): Fun is found in tournament gameplay with different game modes and unique dungeon keeper play styles.
- Intensity (weight 0.02): Intensity results from fast-paced race-like gameplay that requires players to be constantly alert.
- Amazement (weight 0.02): Amazement is triggered by the Moon Gate teleportation mechanic, which enables rapid deployment and flexible room layout.
- Regret (weight 0.02): Regret includes wishing they had bought it sooner and the limitation that EA holds the Dungeon Keeper IP, preventing characters like the Mistress and Horny from appearing.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Interest is sparked by different dungeon lords having unique traits rather than just a skin change.
- Happiness (weight 0.02): Happiness comes from having backed the game since Kickstarter.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is felt for the developers trying their best to help with the problem.
- Hatred (weight 0.02): Hatred is directed at banshee shrines that spam Banshees and cannot be stopped or destroyed.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm is driven by the DLC adding many contents and guaranteeing many hours of play.}