Below

It's not easy, but the satisfaction of discovery and hard-won progress makes all the adversity worthwhile in this adventure. Below is deeply alluring in its simple, dark aesthetic, which includes a haunting soundtrack that sets an ominous tone for your exploration. By providing players with almost no information -- not the identities of the travelers, the purpose of their mission, or even basic tutorials on how to play -- discovery becomes both a goal and a reward almost immediately. Figuring out that you can collect water in a bottle to drink later or that you can combine resources make a bomb is just as satisfying as the functions these items serve when used as tools. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment each step of the way, especially as you begin to discover secret paths that serve as fast travel routes from the beach to deeper dungeons.

Combat, while deceptively basic, eventually grows much more challenging thanks to evolving enemy tactics. Even when it feels easy, there's still a constant sense of unease, since one wrong move could result in death, forcing you to start over again. Indeed, the inclusion of permanent death brings an added sense of melancholy to the adventure. A graveyard of battered ships discovered early on provides sad testimony to the number of courageous adventurers who were drawn to the island only to meet their end. Admittedly, the designers have borrowed from other sources -- veteran players will quickly detect strong influences from everything from The Legend of Zelda to The Binding of Isaac to the Dark Souls games -- but there's more than enough new here to make the experience fresh and distinguished. Below is a small adventure with enormous ambition, and a strong sense of style to boot. An essential play for fans of indie role-playing games and adventures.