Below

Below is an accomplished dungeon crawler with the very welcome addition of explorer mode. By no means perfect, but wonderfully atmospheric with a lovely Jim Guthrie soundtrack.

By listening to players and critics alike Capybara improved the game design on basically every level, with the result of Below finally being the good game it could have been the first time around.

There is such a thing as being too hard and the original version of Below proved that, but there’s also such a thing as second chances and Explore mode has managed to turn Below into a game everyone can enjoy, and without compromising its original vision.

There’s no denying that they’ve nailed the atmospheric feel of this game, and every second I spent playing it was appropriately spooky, but it also didn’t give me much of a reason to get to the end beyond the challenge itself. If you’re someone who can revel in the challenge, who can savor it and use it to fuel you towards the conclusion, then you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. If you can’t find that, then I think you’ll struggle.

Exploration Mode adds replayability and a much needed respite to players who didn't feel right with the strict timing of the original game. Now is a good time to give Below a second chance.

Below is an incredible and artistic journey, but not a great rogue-lite. The PS4 version brings the Explore mode: a good way to enjoy the game, but unable to correct its problems.