Below's pulled-back, polygonal art style and aesthetic couldn't save it from criticisms about difficulty and its lack of respect for a player's time. That was the critical consensus back during its December 2018 launch on PC and Xbox.
But now Below is coming to the PlayStation 4 and developer Capybara is changing some things with Explore Mode. Explore Mode will remove the hunger and thirst survival mechanics, remove instant kills from traps, and bonfires will now be permanent checkpoints allowing players to continue going down below without being thrown all the way back onto the starting shoreline.
Don't worry, Survive Mode—which preserves Below's original mechanics—will still be available to choose. Explore Mode simply gives players the choice to focus on, well, exploration more than straight-up survival.
I sure do think Below deserves another shot. And since Explore Mode will also come to Xbox One and Steam, I won't have to buy the game again on PS4 to check it out. Nothing in my short playtime got as weird as it does in this game trailer. I hope I can come across more of that stuff, rather than me just swiping at bats in the dark the whole time.
Below isn't listed in the PlayStation Store yet, and this trailer doesn't have a date for when Explore Mode is happening.
