Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ChairmanPoo]

I wanted to share some thoughts about this game



SOOO

It Lurks Below.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/697550/It_Lurks_Below/

It Lurks Below is a retro-styled, 2D, action-oriented, survival RPG by David Brevik. Create a custom character and choose from several different classes to delve deep into the mysteries of what evil lurks below. Dig down and explore the randomly generated levels, find random items, and combat deadly monsters to get the answers.

Though this game looks similar to other games in the genre, it plays very differently. It is a true RPG, with many stats and character classes. It is very reminiscent of other games made by David Brevik such as Diablo, Diablo II, Hellgate: London and Marvel Heroes. With eight character classes to choose from, randomly generated levels, random stats on items, secret areas, bosses, a survival talent tree and three different play modes, it delivers a very different and unique gaming experience.

TLDR: "NO! This is not Terraria! This is Diablo sideways!". In the makerīs own words, at least.

And yet.... to me it looks a whole frigging lot like Terraria. Or Starbound.


Uglier than Terraria or Starbound, if I may say. THough I understand that itīs a single manīs project.


The maker of the game says itīs Diablo, not terraria, because there are classes and stats. Whatever. It plays like Terraria, "class skills" are objects that work much like any other crafted item in Terraria-like games. There are mods that add classes and stats to Terraria too.
I get what he wanted to do, "minecraft meets diablo". And I get that the had to cut down a lot because heīs going solo. But... the final result is way too much like a simplified, less aesthetically pleasing Terraria Starbound, in my book. A bit more lightweight at 50mb, but Terraria is no heavy burden with 280 either.
Some of the mechanics are a bit more streamlined than in itīs inspirators, which is nice.

So, is it bad? Not really. IN a way you get into the action faster in ILB than in Terraria or Starbound. Easier, too, which makes it better for coffeebreaks. Thatīs sort of nice. It can keep you entertained for a bit.

But itīs pretty damning that this game is around 16€ when you can get Starbound for 14 and Terraria for 10. Itīs still in development so it might improve, but by the very nature of the project I expect changes to come in very slowly.

Thatīs the thing. As things are now, if I wanted to play a Diablolike Iīd play... I dunno, Torchlight 2, or Grim Dawn (not least because you have to stretch the definition A LOT to call this a Diablolike). If I wanted a 2D minecraft/rpg Iīd go with Starbound or Terraria. I have better options for everything it does :/


And yet... Iīm leaving it installed, and playing from time to time. At 50mb itīs not a big cost to my hard drive. And who knows. It might surprise me.  But I certainly cannot recommend this at full price right now.