Taking a look at Beneath, a new Steam horror game from developer Camel 101, it feels like a checklist of some of the best shooters and survival experiences from the last 20 years. Amnesia’s Lovecraftian monsters and depleting sanity bar, check. Tricky resource management and gratifying head shots from Resident Evil, check. There are even nods to Cold Fear, the under-loved Ubisoft cult classic from 2005. And do I spy a touch of Monolith’s classic FPS FEAR? I think I do. If you’re looking forward to Amnesia The Bunker, or perhaps Resident Evil 4 Remake, Beneath – to borrow a somewhat meme-y phrase – may well be ‘your jam.’
Set aboard a system of underwater science stations somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Beneath casts you as experienced deep-sea diver Noah Quinn. With depleting resources, a dwindling sense of sanity, and hordes of grotesque, tentacled monsters out for your blood, you’ve got to shoot, sneak, hide, and survive as you try to find out what on Earth – or rather, what on sea – is going on.
Weapons are customisable, the environment is highly destructible, and enemies will gradually adapt to your tactics and play style. As well as shooting and killing, you’ll also need to keep an eye on your mental state – confronted by unspeakable oceanic horrors, if you aren’t careful, Noah might lose it completely. Check out the first trailer, shared exclusively with PCGamesN, below:
You’re also equipped with a deep-sea diving suit, meaning you can exit the station to explore the ocean floor, and access areas that are otherwise off-limits due to flooding.
With lashing rain, broken, emergency lighting, and an overwhelming sense of isolation, I’m personally reminded of Cold Fear, the neatly designed Ubisoft shooter that sadly went under the radar (or should that be sonar?) when it launched in 2005. The fast and gruesome gunplay definitely resembles FEAR, while the overall setting and focus on sanity seem to borrow from Resident Evil and Amnesia.
In summary, Beneath feels like a combination of some of the best horror and FPS PC classics. If you can wishlist it now over on Steam, with a release date provisionally set for 2024. If you like good horror, and even better action, Beneath is definitely one to watch.
Check out some of the other best upcoming games so you know everything to bookmark for the near future. If reading about FEAR and classic Resident Evil has you feeling all nostalgic, you might also want to try out some great old games, or maybe the best survival games on PC.