The Land Beneath Us Review
The game of chess is hundreds of years old. Checkers goes back more than a thousand years. I bet it never occurred to you that you were playing a turn-based game this whole time (ok, you probably did - "your turn" is a dead giveaway). Think about it though: strip away the fancy graphics and lengthy dialogue in games like Baldur's Gate 3 or Divinity: Original Sin, and you just are moving pieces around on a board. Would you play a game that combines the strategies and nuances of chess with the traditional movements of grid-based RPGs?
Developed by FairPlay Studios Co. LTD, The Land Beneath Us is a turn-based, roguelite, dungeon crawler with a story straight out of Welsh mythology. You play as Sven and must save The Creator from Annwn (the Otherworld in Welsh - I started googling Welsh names that I came across in-game and needed spelunking gear to get out of that rabbit hole. One weapon in the game is called Pwyll’s Sword. Long story, short, Pwyll traded place with Arawn (lord of Annwn) for one year and at the end of that year, engaged in combat with Hafgan, Arawn’s rival, and mortally wounded him with one blow. Where the hell am I going with this?
It may not be an entire year that Pwyll waited but five turns in a turn-based game could be life or death. Anyway, enough with the history lesson (although it is incredibly fascinating if you look into it). Brush off those chess skills and prepare for battle. Patience is a virtue and also a turn-based game necessity so hopefully, you have it in spades.
Each floor of every dungeon you enter sits on a grid. Sven can only move one space at a time and only in the cardinal directions. When he moves, enemies will follow with a move of their own whether it be an actual movement or an attack. Enemies are not confined to the singular space movement as Sven is but unlike chess, you don’t have to memorize their movements as all enemy attacks are choreographed and displayed in real-time on the grid. Over time though, you will notice certain units move a certain way a la chess. You can even “skip” a turn allowing you to not move or attack and stand in place. This is especially useful when an enemy attack will cover each of your available move directions. Your goal is to defeat all the enemies while maneuvering all around the map. There is no time limit so you can take your team although sometimes you may just need to stand in the fire and trade hits. Hopefully, you have more health and a bigger weapon.
Speaking of weapons, Sven can equip up to four, one for each direction. You move right and you attack with the weapon in that slot. You move up and you attack with the weapon in that slot. Weapons are just not one hit one tile away in each direction though. You start with bare fists equipped for each direction. Your first weapon may be a Great Sword which also hits one tile away like the bare fists but for significantly more damage. Katanas hit one tile away AND move you directly behind the enemy, space provided. Some weapons can even hit multiple tiles or even for multiple hits. As you progress through the game, newer weapons have modifiers on them like Assault (an effect is triggered after striking three times) or Overkill (an effect is triggered upon killing an enemy). Being a roguelite, weapon availability is completely random (once unlocked, it becomes available but there are no guarantees it will spawn). It becomes imperative to learn how weapons function more than just which one will hit the hardest. When Sven attacks, he remains stationary. For example, if an enemy is to his right, he can attack right but will not move right as the enemy blocks the path. Sounds simple, right? Another example would be the pistol that shoots 3 tiles away. Sven will shoot any target that is 3 tiles away but he also will not move if there is a target within that range. If other enemies are bearing down you have to be mindful that you can attack but will still not move out of harm’s way. It all circles back to chess in that you must know your moves and anticipate some of the enemy moves.
Between the complex movements and strategic weapon use, you would have a hell of a game. Is there more? You bet your ass there is. Just as every run begins with a choice of a weapon, there is also the choice of a relic. Relics can provide a variety of support ranging from increased damage or critical strike chance to -50% cost to chests or gold and/or health when a floor is cleared. As new relics are unlocked for use, you will find that some of them synergize extremely well with certain weapons making you feel somewhat unstoppable. How does immunity to status effects sound? Maybe you want the ability to resurrect once in the event of your untimely death? Like any good roguelite, The Land Beneath Us can make you feel like a god and also like a lowly slug in a matter of seconds.
To round out his arsenal, Sven gains access to the Chip system. If you have played Helldivers, these work like stratagems. If you have not, disregard it. Chips are various abilities that are activated by triggered by a series of directional inputs. For example, First Aid might be activated by inputting Left, Left, Up, and Right. Therefore, you have to move Sven left, left, up, and right. You can also attack in those directions. As long as there are spaces on the grid to move to or enemies to attack, the input will be registered.
Sven also has a two-move leeway between each input to finish the pattern. Three chips can be equipped at a time and they vary from the aforementioned First Aid (which heals you), an AOE attack that stuns enemies within range, ranged attacks, or attacks that knockback enemies. Like weapon attacks, directional CHIP abilities are cast in the direction of the last input BUT you can hold them for later use within that floor. Many CHIPs also are affected by weapons and relics so add that to the pile of things that can lead you to victory.
What would a good roguelite be without procedurally generated dungeons? Sven starts all levels with a choice of a weapon and a relic. Upon reaching the 10th and 20th floors, you face off against a mini-boss. If you reach the 30th floor, you face the stage boss. Along the way, you can collect two currencies, gold and souls. Gold is used to open weapon and relic chests, or to purchase weapons and relics at the randomly spawning vendors found between floors. Most floors end with a choice of floors to head to next: gold, souls, relics, weapons, or vendors. The 9th and 19th floors are home to a vendor that will, at no charge, enhance one of your relics. Whether you defeat the boss or die, you are sent back to the hub. All gold is lost but any souls earned persist through death. These souls are used for permanent upgrades such as additional relic slots or cheaper upgrade costs and to upgrade the CHIPs power or re-roll the input pattern.
If you need a new roguelite to get lost in, look no further than The Land Beneath Us. As a turn-based, dungeon crawler, it excels in its complexity. As a roguelite, it becomes “one more run” in no time at all. You can easily put in 20+ hours before even tackling the custom runs with modifiers to increase the difficulty to sadistic levels. Gameplay aside, the game boasts an interesting story with super deep lore (go on - look into Welsh mythology; you know you want to). This is a game that will either fully engulf you or be that game you keep installed whenever you want to just enjoy a quick try at higher difficulties. The Land Beneath Us is available now on all platforms.
