Is Undermine Worth Playing in 2023?

Is this subterranean indie roguelite fool’s gold or the real deal? Is Undermine worth playing in 2023?

Background

Back to the pixelized salt mines! We’re at it with yet another procedurally generated indie dungeon crawler. Yes, we’re late to the party on this one, but don’t blame me, blame Limited Run Games.

In all fairness, Undermine doesn’t break the mold. It’s the expected loop of delving into a dungeon, gathering resources, dying, rinse, repeat. You’ve seen the format a hundred times, but Undermine is a solid, polished take on it.

Personally, I prioritized the upgrade that allows you to keep more gold when you die, because RNG can and will screw you over.

What does Undermine do well?

The game has a wealth of upgrade systems, and none of them feel like trap options.

However, the single best part is the seed system. Keep an eye out for runs that were extra fun or went particularly well, because you can duplicate them. My personal favorite seeds were 1 and 6 (set the last numbers to blanks), but you’ll definitely find some runs that just click in terms of relics and rooms.

What could Undermine do better?

You’ll find yourself in rooms that are immediately perilous, and jumping to dodge projectiles often got me into more trouble than simply tanking the damage. This is even more common in rooms with holes in the floor. It’s not a dealbreaker, but I would have preferred a dash/dodge movement option.

Is Undermine fun?

I recently received my physical copy in the middle of a flood of other releases, and Undermine stood out as the game I was most willing to sink some time into. It’s the kind of game that you play to take a break from other games – do a few runs to defrag and revisit it later.

Is Undermine good value?

There’s a lot to unlock in this game, so standard disclosure: if you enjoy the gameplay loop, you’ll get your money’s worth. At $20, the price of entry is fair, but we’ve also seen it go as low as $6.99 on the eShop.

Is Undermine worth playing in 2023?

I’m not going to do a listicle showcasing every similar game; there are way too many. However, Undermine is a high point in the format, and it’s clear that it had a lot of love and polish put into it. It lends itself well to short sessions and it’s an easy recommendation.

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