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Doorways: The Underworld (Video Game Review)

Doorways: The Underworld is the third and final chapter in the Doorways series from developer and publisher Saibot Studios. The game is based in the survival horror genre and forces players to solve puzzles while avoiding all sorts of frightening abominations. Players have access to psychic abilities that will help along the way, but the game supports the flight over fight mechanic, so players will often need to run through dark corridors narrowly avoiding death in order to survive long enough to progress through the game. Deaths in the game can come frequently and lessen the impact of horror elements while making playing through the game more of a chore than fun, but there are still enough scares in this horror title to make it worth checking out for fans of the genre.

Doorways: The Underworld casts players as a special agent named Thomas Foster, who is sent to track down dangerous killer that has been performing all types of grotesque experiments in the name of science. Players will traverse all sorts of dark and creepy locations from caves and sewers to hospitals and laboratories. The game has a fairly strong storyline, and players don't need to play the first two games in the series in order to enjoy the new title thanks to a brief recap available at the start of the new game.

Gameplay in Doorways: The Underworld is pretty basic. Players will travel to new locations looking for clues on the game's main antagonist, and plenty of dangerous creatures will pop up to scare the crap out of players and offer impassable barriers for players. The game's main puzzles are a bit repetitious and requires players to typically search out an important item in a location that is locked behind a door requiring a key. Once the door has been opened and the special item obtained, players are free to move to the next area. The main catch is that demons, ghouls and other monsters will be chasing the player around levels the entire time they are reading maps or using a special psychic power to learn where to travel to next. Even when using the psychic ability, players are vulnerable to enemy attacks, and it can be frustrating to be forced to restart the game while killed in such a vulnerable position.



Doorways: The Underworld is a scary game to be sure, but constant deaths during certain areas of the game tends to desensitize players to the current situation. Frustration can mount from deaths in the game, and players soon become more angry at being forced to repeat sections of the game than they will be scared of the monsters that are chasing them through levels. There are some creative horrors used throughout the game, and even the most experienced horror fan is sure to have the crap scared out of them a few times throughout the whole campaign though.

Despite having some stereotypical themes and levels, Doorways: The Underworld does a good job of presenting scary situations thanks to strong level designs. Horror fans would expect to see an abandoned hospital or sewer in just about any game from the genre, but Doorways: The Underworld does a good job of decorating environments with various objects that makes each room, hallway and cave feel different from another. The game is also littered with many secrets for players to find, so there are reasons to play through the entire game more than once, even if the horrific situations the game presents aren't nearly as scary the second time around.

Doorways: The Underworld has good sound design that begins with plenty of creepy atmospheric sounds such as dripping water and creaky floorboards. Players will find themselves scared to progress at certain points during the campaign thanks to some really excellently designed groans, shrieks and other sounds put off by the monsters in the game. The main protagonist is voiced by Sam A. Mowry, who is most recently known for his work in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Some really immersive theme songs round out an excellent sound design for Doorways: The Underworld.



Doorways: The Underworld has strong graphics, but the real genius comes from the game's character designs. Some of the monsters in the game seem clearly inspired by films and games in the horror genre such as The Ring or Hellraiser, but there are some truly grotesque creations that are truly unique in the new game as well. Players won't want to stay face to face with some of these abominations for longer than need be after they appear, and that's a good thing, since there is typically no way to fight back against the monsters in the game. It's also worth noting that Doorways: The Underworld supports Oculus Rift technology, and though we couldn't test the virtual reality portions of the game, it's safe to say that the game can only be even scarier when you feel as though you're actually in the game.

As with any horror work, some fans will find the scares offered by Doorways: The Underworld more frightening than others. The gameplay in the title feels a bit repetitive at times, but there were more than enough scares throughout the game to make us recommend the title. Doorways: The Underworld is a game for horror fans that is sure to frighten off gamers with weaker stomachs. The game is both scary and atmospheric, and while the puzzles aren't the best we've seen from the genre, they're good enough to give players several hours of gameplay from the new title. Despite being the third release in the series, newcomers can easily pick up Doorways: The Underworld and enjoy all the title has to offer. Turn down the lights and download a copy of Doorways: The Underworld on Steam tonight!

Doorways: The Underworld is now available for PC, Mac and Linux and can be purchased exclusively on Steam for $9.99. For more information on the game, check out the official Doorways: The Underworld website.

Game Features:
  • Single Player
  • Survival Horror Gameplay
  • Oculus Rift Support
  • Steam Trading Card Support
  • Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: Saibot Studios
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac & Linux
Release Date: September 17, 2014

Score: 7 out of 10

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