Below, the fantasy rougelike game by Canadian developers Capybara Games, finally has an official release date. The game, which was first announced at Microsoft’s E3 2013 press conference, will be releasing Friday, December 14 for Xbox One and PC via Steam.
Below has weathered a long and uncertain development cycle. It was first announced five years ago at E3, but it’s been through multiple delays, including one that was deemed indefinite in 2016. Below resurfaced again at this year’s GDC, promising a 2018 release date. With this official announcement, it looks like they’ll make their projected date just in time.
The description from their press release says:
Survive the perils of The Depths and unearth what lies below… or die trying. BELOW embraces exploration and discovery – illuminate the path ahead, find hidden passages and unravel the deepest mysteries hidden in the darkness your own way.
The gameplay shown so far involves your character exploring dark and moody environments below a place known as The Isle, which is filled with procedural labyrinths. Players will engage in brutal and punishing combat with a myriad of hostile creatures, and dying sends you back to the beginning of the game. There are also puzzles to solve, traps to avoid, and a survival system that incorporates elements such as hunger and temperature.
Capybara Studios has released other games during Below’s development, including Super Time Force Ultra and OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes (based off of the Cartoon Network show.) Despite the studio’s relatively small size, it’s separated into various teams, with the Below team led by creative director Kris Piotrowski. The team originally had two or three people on it, but that number has slowly risen over the year, with that number reaching fifteen in the past six months.
Below will surface on Steam and Xbox One on December 14 after five long years.