Going Under
(Context time: I was gonna talk about a different game this week, but I came to the conclusion that it's one of those projects that's easier to make a video explaining some of the finer details as opposed to just writing about them. So I'm re-uploading the first game I wrote about when I got back into writing full time, which has aged way better than I thought it would satire-wise. We'll be back to the regularly scheduled chicanery next week.)
So we all know that Capitalism sucks. But we all keep putting up with it because the lack of viable alternatives in a chunk of the world forces us to, like how we put up with Daylight Savings Time despite it being functionally worthless and only serves to mess with our perception of time unless you live in Arizona. The Lucky Bastards. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the new game release I wanted to talk about today. Today, we are going to be talking about a new game from Aggro Crab Games (An awesome studio name btw) called Going Under, a Roguelite with some very interesting ideas.
The first thing that sticks out to me was the way the visuals and writing tell their story. The game is essentially a satire of Late Stage Capitalism and particularly, the way it manifests in the tech industry. It paints the picture of a rather nightmarish dystopia that would come off as really fucking silly if it didn’t feel so real; were it not for an art style that’s got more in common with anything done by Keita Takahashi than anything grounded could cook up. It works to the game’s advantage. This kind of humor is old hat if you’ve been online or read the news in the last five to seven years, but a lot of it feels like the writers for this game and its characters were venting about their personal experiences in tech and it all came together for some really good satire. And all of this is framed as you playing an unpaid marketing intern named Jacqueline (Jackie for short) who is tasked by her boss to clear out the basement. And by clearing out the basement, I mean spelunking randomized dungeons full of monsters that are the remains of failed startups populated by their former employees. Yeah, I’d say this game is on the nose, but it’s more like it’s on the entire face.
Further examples include Job Search Sites run by Goblins, Dating Apps where you can only communicate in emojis that are run by incredibly horny demons, and a literal cryptocurrency mine populated by skeletons, complete with bad conversion rates to actual money. And just when you think the game is gonna let up on the writing, it proceeds to keep going. It’s gleefully and aggressively anti-capitalist in the best way. It also goes to some other places that I won’t get into because of spoilers, but it maintains that bent throughout.
But all of this would not mean much if it wasn’t a fun game to play and as it turns out, Going Under is a pretty fun video game to play. It’s a Roguelite with all of the bells and whistles associated with it (permanent upgrades bought with a secondary currency obtained at the end of runs, dying sets you back to the beginning, etc.), but it also plays a bit like a third-person action game that takes cues from what looks like Zelda and Dark Souls in terms of how you move around and interact with the world. You can lock on and strafe target enemies, which can allow for more precise dodges, and have a dodge roll with a specific set of I-frames associated with it. But the main thing that sets it apart from other games in the genre is the fact that you can use anything in the environment as a weapon.
And I genuinely mean that, if it isn’t bolted down, you can most likely use it. Going Under also takes a hint from Breath of the Wild in that its weapons are on the not-so-durable side, but the difference for me here is that it doesn’t leave me completely defenseless when I run dry on weapons. This means you can come up with ridiculous combat scenarios where you can pick up a keyboard, bash an enemy’s head in with it, throw it and pick up a monitor and do the same. But what happens when you eventually run into a scenario where you find yourself weaponless? Just punch things. Seriously, you can do that and it rules; this also does the unseen benefit of making me feel like I’m not screwed in the middle of a run if I run out of weapons.
There are also skills that you can purchase for builds in the three dungeons using the permanent currency gained between runs as was mentioned earlier. These are also contextualized as skills you put on your resume and you can even focus skills so that you can select the one you want to start a run with. And you can develop bonds with the other members of the company and complete tasks for them and gain special perks, ranging from getting extra money to being able to essentially get a free item from each shop. They’re your mentors. Yeah, this game is not subtle.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for either a new Roguelite that provides a new spin on the standard procedure or is startlingly prescient with bitingly funny writing; check out Going Under if you get the chance. And don’t forget to seize the means of production when you’re done.
Cover Image from https://aggrocrab.com/Press
All other Screenshots by Me
