Underkeep: The Old-School Dungeon Crawler You Should Be Playing Instead

If you have been hunting for a deep, challenging RPG experience that captures the essence of 90s classics like Eye of the Beholder and Dungeon Master, look no further than Underkeep. Released on Steam on November 5, this title has proven that the grid-based dungeon crawler genre is not just alive—it is thriving. While other titles currently dominate the conversation, Underkeep offers a more polished, rewarding, and mechanically sound journey for veteran fans of the genre.

Why Underkeep is the Ultimate Throwback

Underkeep feels like a love letter to the early 90s RPG era. The game channels the spirit of The Bard’s Tale and Wizardry with its tight, grid-based navigation and atmospheric exploration. Rather than feeling like a low-effort clone, it wears its inspirations on its sleeve, featuring visual and audio cues that will trigger a massive wave of nostalgia for anyone who spent their youth mapping out digital labyrinths.

The scale of the game is immediately impressive. Even after four hours of play, it feels like only the surface has been scratched. The world consists of intricate, interconnected dungeons that span both horizontal and vertical planes, paired with an unexpectedly massive overworld map that begs to be explored.

Modern Convenience Meets Classic Design

The brilliance of Underkeep lies in how it respects the player’s time by trimming away the frustrating relics of the past. It keeps the challenging combat and atmospheric tension but introduces essential quality-of-life updates:

• Shared Inventory Management: Categorized slots make swapping equipment between party members a breeze.
• Intelligent Automapping: You get a detailed map automatically, but the game still allows you to drop your own custom notes on the grid.
• Automated Tool Usage: No more fiddling with menus; essential items are used intuitively without needing to be manually equipped.

The Tactical Advantage of Turn-Based Combat

Perhaps the most significant change in Underkeep is its commitment to a strictly turn-based combat system. This design choice fundamentally shifts the way you approach encounters. By removing the ability to exploit movement speed—the classic ‘hit-and-run’ cheese strategy that allowed players to kite enemies in real-time crawlers—every fight requires deliberate strategy and careful resource management.

The transition to turn-based mechanics ensures that every encounter in Underkeep feels like a meaningful tactical puzzle rather than a frantic click-fest.

If you are looking for a game that bridges the gap between the punishing difficulty of the 90s and the accessible design of modern gaming, Underkeep is a must-play title that deserves a spot in your Steam library.

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