Underhell
2011
- shooter
- adventure
- horror
- single player
The story
Underhell is a Source Engine game developed by the Underhell Team in collaboration with We Create Stuff. Underhell Chapter 1 requires ONLY Source SDK Base 2007 installed. No Source game is required. Underhell is split in 3 different zones. The first is "The House". Each new chapter will have its own version of The House with different puzzles, mysteries to discover, and diary pages of Jake's late wife to be found. The second is "The Dreams". With each new version of The House will come a set of dreams. They can be accessed by sleeping in the bed during the night. Dreams will give you bits of information about the story. They are very different from the rest of the game in both their narrative and gameplay, and focus mostly on exploration and solving puzzles. The Dreams are not bound by earthly rules and have a few twists to them that will challenge the player. The third is "The Chapters" where the main storyline of Underhell takes place. You can access a chapter from The House, and when it is completed, you are sent back to The House.
What it’s like
Dim, lamplit interiors and grainy, low-poly Source Engine textures give this game a worn, claustrophobic look, with the house's rooms, hallways and cluttered corners feeling more lived-in than polished. The sound leans on creaks, distant thuds and unsettling silence, with the dream sequences shifting into stranger, dreamlike territory where the rules loosen. Its vibe is quiet unease that tips into dread, best suited to a late night alone with the lights off. Pacing alternates between slow exploration, puzzle-solving and sudden tense moments, and the emotional core is grief, as a widower pieces together his late wife's story through found diary pages and fragmented memories. Expect frightening encounters and creepy atmosphere more than sustained gore. It suits players who enjoy atmospheric horror, environmental puzzles and slowly uncovering a mystery, and it is less suited to anyone wanting something gentle or light.
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