Dark Souls has the bleak, eldritch-horror, gothic aesthetic. Spelunky has the charming, chipper, underground exploration. On the surface, these are two games that could never mix. Or so we thought, until we met Fear Underground. A new Steam horror game, it blends the grimy, mournful, and monstrosity-filled world design of FromSoftware’s Souls and Soulslikes, and the cramped, subterranean setting of Spelunky, to form claustrophobic terror the likes of which we’ve never seen – and can hardly bear to experience. You can hardly move. You’re surrounded by bugs. There’s a bit where the water starts to rise, and you’re stuck on your hands and knees in the darkest depths of a cave. Deep breath. It’s just a game…it’s just a game.
Developed by PlayGenix, Fear Underground has one of the most deliciously evil horror game setups that we’ve seen since Five Nights at Freddy’s, or perhaps The Mortuary Assistant.
As a seriously unlucky medieval knight, you find yourself lost in an underground labyrinth filled with giant insects, killer booby traps, and a litany of Lovecraftian terrors. The kicker? It’s also underground – deep, deep underground – and you spend the entire game either prone or on all fours, slowly crawling through tiny gaps and keyhole passages.
In effect, this is a side-scroller, but as well as the immensely sinister claustrophobic twist, you also have choices on where to turn next and need to solve increasingly tricky environmental puzzles.
Scheduled for a full release in Q1 2024, a brand-new demo for Fear Underground has just been uploaded to Steam. If you’re feeling brave and don’t mind small spaces – or you just want to see how much you can tolerate – you can get the Fear Underground demo right here.
Alternatively, check out some of the other best games like Dark Souls. You might also want to test your mettle with the best survival games on PC.