The latest and greatest build (So far) of Planet Rabbit is here, Version 1.0! We’ve been busy bunnies as usual, and have implemented a Daily Rewards system for each and every day players log in, up to 7 consecutive days. This rewards folk for coming back to practice their piloting and will help players accumulate SpaceBucks! In addition to this, we’ve squashed bugs, tightened bolts, and tweaked the User Interface.
Amongst all these changes, my personal favorite between version .9 and version 1.0 of Planet Rabbit has actually been a casting decision. We’ve changed our ‘i’ as in Planit to the more common ‘e’ as in Planet. The timing of this change is fortunate, since we had hoped to replace the Polyspice ‘i’ for a while.
The Planet Rabbit Story begins with two Heroic Twins raised on the Rabbit Home World, a place described as a Crowded Utopia. Wondrous technology ensures that nobody goes hungry or unsheltered, but even that can only stave off overpopulation issues for so long. To this end, the Rabbits have begun terraforming and colonizing other planets… Perhaps a bit too hastily. The first wave of colonists are already in need of rescue due to shoddily constructed Space Habitats. A talented Tactician known as Commander Cabbage has revived the “Rabbiteers” an organization of Volunteer Rescue Pilots. His first recruits? The Twins, his very own grandchildren!
This ever expanding Story will be told in bi-weekly 4Panel Comics illustrated by our very own Miss Alexandra.
We at Polyspice are a small and growing team of Developers intent on creating Fun and Simple Mobile Games for families. Planet Rabbit is by far our biggest game, and we are all very proud of it!
I don’t get excited for new games as much as I used to anymore. I’ve been disappointed or lied to too many times to summon the same level of hype I was able to just a few years ago. I’m not innocent in this issue. I’ve built up my expectations far too much for some games in the past. Only to have them dashed by what is often a perfectly good game. But still not something that could have ever lived up to my expectations.
This makes the rare occasion that a game I got excited for actually turns out not just to be good. But even BETTER than I expected, all the more special. This was the case with the recently released Going Under; a game that exceeded all my expectations for it, and then some.
Going Under is a 3D roguelike dungeon-crawler from indie developer Aggro Crab Games, which is now available for purchase on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4. It seeks to satirize and lampoon the ever-changing and consistently exhausting job market of the modern age through strong writing, clever game mechanics; and by depicting failed tech startups as literal rotting dungeons full of actual feral monsters. And it succeeds tremendously.
“A delicious alternative to home ownership.” If this joke hits a little too close to home, then you’ve come to the right place.
Internships Are Heck
In Going Under you play as one Jacqueline Fiasco. A recent graduate who has just started what she was told is a marketing internship for a company called Fizzle Beverages. A startup company recently funded by the delivery drone-manufacturing, machine learning integrated corporate titan that is Cubicle. On her very first day, Jackie swiftly learns how much a racket her new position is; as she is tasked with entering the crumbling remnants of other failed startup companies in the building; which all take the shape of randomly generated dungeons full of monsters which she must defeat.
Going Under nakedly and brutally satirizes the modern corporate landscape. It lampoons as many elements of the millennial experience and late-stage capitalism. It does so as often as it can. Everything from the dungeons, to the monsters, to the power-ups and loading screens are part of the joke; and the team at Aggro Crab really took the premise and ran with it.
This premise alone is what initially captured my interest in Going Under. But I stayed for everything else that it had to offer. While maybe not as lengthy and by extension not as deep as other roguelikes such as Hades or The Binding of Isaac. Going Under still offers an extremely fun; and unique experience that shouldn’t be missed.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Going Under is pretty straightforward. You enter one of several dungeons. Each themed around different types of tech startups. Then you make your way through three lengthy floors loaded with rooms full of monsters; equipable skills, and merchants scattered randomly about. Like other roguelikes. You then manage your health and resources as best you can in order to make to the boss at the end and defeat them.
Fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may find the combat system familiar. Combat relies on the basics of attacking; dodge rolling out of harm’s way, and carefully picking weapons all which break after enough use. There are also many different skills that you can unlock and equip in the dungeons, and which can often synergize well together. Take for example one skill that creates allies to fight on your side alongside another skill that increases your strength when surrounded by allies.
Skills
These skills can be leveled up the more they’re used. You can then decide to start a run with a specific skill that you prefer. This works in conjunction with the mentor system. A really enjoyable mechanic that skillfully weaves the side characters directly into the gameplay.
If you fulfill some specific goals for the individual characters while down in the dungeons. They will eventually provide special perks for having them equipped as your mentor. Such as additional item drops or access to new merchants. But even without their assistance, you’ll have plenty of weapons to work with.
Combat can get pretty hectic, but you just need to keep your distance and assess the situation.
One of the key features that differentiate the game from other roguelikes is the Deadrising-like quality that nearly everything at every level can be used as a weapon. Everything from swords and maces to pencils and t-shirt cannons are available for you to strike down the downsized masses. There’s a surprising amount of depth and strategy top which weapons you pick.
Some weapons have elemental properties, others have longer physical range or do more damage when thrown; there’s tons of variables to experiment with in a 3D playground of combat strategy. Again somewhat like Breath of the Wild.
There’s also spells in the form of apps to keep track of, as well as various different types of items. So there are plenty of variables to work with. The game can get tough at times too, especially during the intense boss fights. But the difficulty generally scales at a natural flowing pace, alleviating the issue somewhat. Just like the best roguelikes. Every failure in Going Under is truly an opportunity to grow and do better next time. I just found myself coming back for more.
Graphics
In terms of aesthetics, Going Under may be simple graphically, but it still sticks the landing stylistically. The game’s artstyle was inspired by the common noodle-like character design used in many corporate commercials. It is very easy on the eyes. Character and monster designs are all great as well as easy to make out from one another in the middle of pitched battle. The color palette is equal parts warm and cool, with lots of solid. It’s bright colors that make each dungeon pop and feel distinct from each other.
The main hub area is really vibrant and pleasant looking, which is good because you’ll always end up back here.
Music
The music is very enjoyable as well; providing a nice variety of tracks with varied tones and instruments that all suit their respective scenario; and end up being pretty catchy as well. There’s guitar riffs, drum beats, the sound of squeaking mattresses, and even a few lo-fi tracks to keep you vibing. It’s the kind of music that’s perfect for a roguelike. Because you’re meant to hear many of the tracks many times on repeated runs of dungeons; and they’re just so catchy and well-made that you won’t get tired of them. I’m listening to the soundtrack now as I write this; it really is that good.
Writing
Going Under does some truly exceptional things with its writing. I expected the game to be funny. After all, it is a satirical game. Though I cannot say I expected to become as emotionally invested as I did. All the characters have their own desires and arcs, and the narrative takes twists you might not expect.
The game skillfully weaves the theming of the story and setting into the mechanics. It creates a consistent world that lives and breathes with its own logic; not too far from our own. If you’ve ever worked a day in your life – especially if you’re a millennial. You will find something to relate to in Going Under.
Dang.
A Comedy Game With Serious Themes
Going Under may be a comedy game, and it is very funny. But it also managed to wring genuine emotion out of me several times. This game touches on very real topics, albeit lightly in some cases. But still with more conviction than most other games would dare to do. There’s discussion of debt. The ethics of data collection; and even workplace harassment, and all of it is handled with either genuine tact and respect; or comedic irreverence where appropriate.
There are very real themes affecting very relatable people in Going Under, and it doesn’t pull any punches. I found myself with my mouth hanging open more than once when reading through dialogue. Just completely taken aback at how real the subject matter suddenly got; or uncomfortably laughing with a familiar pang of existential dread at how familiar a lot of it felt.
I won’t lie to you. This game almost got me to cry at one point, and it came from a mundane dialogue exchange. There was just something truly touching to me about one of my co-workers who I’ve come to know and respect offering to send Jackie into the dangerous dungeon with a lovingly hand-crafted box lunch. Because she’s been so busy she’s barely been eating.
Honestly, this was so sweet I actually almost teared up. I had become invested in the lives and stories of the Fizzle employees, and the game was using that to strong effect.
If a piece of media is going to make me cry, it really has to work hard to earn it, and I feel that Going Under absolutely earned it. By combining a gameplay mechanic and a narrative element seamlessly together, Aggro Crab managed to illicit real empathy and sadness from me over what is basically a bunch of colorful shapes arranged in a specific order. That takes serious skill.
There are moments like the one I just described sprinkled throughout the experience; on top of the continuous plot, the game has – a rarity for roguelikes at least that I’ve seen – and it elevates the setting and characters to a higher level than mere set- dressing or background elements that you might expect from a similar game.
This turned the Fizzle main area into more than just a hub-world for me. Every time I came back from a dungeon run. Even if I had died before the boss and failed. I was still excited to return and see what new developments were happening in the office among my favorite (and least favorite) co-workers. Whether I was listening to the office financial advisor explain cryptocurrency; feeling a pang in my chest as someone got yelled at by the higher-ups even though they were right; or petting the office wiener dog I always had something interesting come back to.
Small But Polished
Going Under is not a perfect game. I did encounter some minor but noticeable bugs throughout my time with the game. But Aggro Crab has been working diligently to improve any issues brought to their attention since launch. I can mostly excuse minor issues like these for an independent studio’s first title.
I managed to get 15 plus hours out of my first playthrough of the game; and still with some additional content I’ve yet to complete. Priced at only $20, I would say that Going Under is priced quite reasonably. I’d even say it has a great deal of replay value inherent in it’s roguelike structure. Even if there is less overall content than, say, The Binding of Isaac or Hades.
Not to mention, the game is planned to have to have content updates in the future. Including any entirely new dungeon, new skills, and new items. So any concerns I may have about the length at present won’t be applicable for very long. I suppose I’d like more dialogue in general, because I enjoyed every bit of it that I got. But really, I have no other serious complaints. Going Under is a game that does practically everything well.
It’s hard not to love a game that solves the camera clipping into the main character like this. Peekaboo!
Conclusion
However, you choose to describe it at the end of the day. Going Under is a seriously quality video game with loads of love and personality injected into it. The jokes and hyper-millennial attitude might not be for everyone. But I feel that the quality gameplay. Sincere dialogue and great characters will provide something that may appeal to just about anybody.
It’sa game with great gameplay, great comedy, and great writing, among everything else. I loved my time with it, and with additional content planned for it in the near future. I’ll absolutely be coming back to it. I personally think it’s one of the best games of 2020. I can only hope that it ends up getting the attention it deserves for being as good as it is. And for what it has to say.
Going Under is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
Greyson is an aspiring author and YouTuber with dozens of consoles and hundreds of gaming hours under his belt. He’s always looking for something new to play, and is always happy to share it with other people. He also likes the Shantae games, like, a lot.
Void Terrarium is a story about fragility and the tragic beauty of life. It tells this story by way of a somewhat niche mode of gameplay, that of a Mystery Dungeon Roguelite.
You begin the game as this cute little Mouse.
Trailer here!
Frustrations abound for first time players, particularly when they go into the experience blind.
When the movement first becomes Grid based, players unfamiliar with Mystery Dungeon styled gameplay tend to feel disoriented. This is where my Article comes into play.
Void Terrarium hit a chord with me, and so I want to see people enjoy it as much as possible.
Get in the Robot, It’s time to start the show.
Mechanics
Your protagonist will move along a Grid. Both on the screen proper, and along a Minimap visible on the right side of the screen. You can use either the D Pad or the Left Analog Stick to move.
You have one Normal Attack executed with the X button, and you can stand still and face any direction by holding Square and pressing in that direction. The Triangle button will open your Inventory, what you carry is very important in this game. The Circle button will let you Dash when it is held, as well as to Cancel and Back out of Menus. Dashing towards a small enemy like a Bit will let you Swap places with them, but it won’t work on anything bigger.
You’ll be moving across a Grid from a Top Down perspective. This Red space is a hidden Trap that you must find, ideally not by triggering it.
Pressing and holding L1 will open your Ability Menu, during which time you may execute any Special Moves you’ve learned (These will consume Energy) and are mapped to X, Square, Triangle, and Circle.
Some Enemies will be found asleep. Awake or ignore them at your discretion.
Dungeons
Mystery Dungeons are exactly what they sound like. Mysterious (Procedurally Generated) Dungeons. And you’ll be traversing them a lot.
I love this type of gameplay, and the Controls feel right in line with other games of the subgenre.
No two dungeons are the same.
And anything you collect will usually be broken down into Resources of four types.
With the exception of Food items and special Crafting Materials.
Whatever you bring back will usually be broken down into one of 4 Resources.
Enemies will come from all sides, and you can only see as much as your character can.
There is a Stamina system, traditionally it would be Food, that is depleted over time and whenever you use Special Moves.
Building new things requires the Resources you bring back from each run. Your first time Crafting a thing will give you a permanent Stat Boost!
A new kind of Parental Advisory. What keeps me invested, will keep you invested, is a little girl. Quite possibly the very last little girl this Ruined Earth will ever know. She is sick, very sick, frighteningly often. And there are so many possible afflictions… I’ve not seen her in the same gruesome condition twice. A consequence of her eating Contaminated food, catching sickness, or simply being unlucky. These afflictions range from sorrow and a fractured leg to her body being covered in lesions. Sometimes, you could argue that these are Black Humor moments. I call them gut punches. I love my real world daughter, Aria, she’s 7 years old. This game is a horror movie to me. True fear is seeing our cherished ones in danger, and Void Terrarium capitalizes on that. You feed her, you play with her, you protect her. She is limited to living in a very small space. A safe space that you put together, the eponymous Terrarium part of Void Terrarium.
Picture contains items that are heavily contaminated, marked by Purple Text. Note how the picture does not contain Food. Because you gotta go find Food.
That is in essence the game outside of progressing the story through dungeon diving.
Progressing the Story is where factory.AI comes into play. You’ll find this friendly (And emotional) AI that was once in charge of protecting the last remnants of mankind.
But playing the role of God to underground human colonies was perhaps too hard for them.
And they lost their temper. And they made a mistake. And the humans all died. And so factory.AI has wept without end for a century before our story begins.
Notice the sorrow in those digital eyes.
They call out to you affectionately, acting very much like your co-parent in raising the little girl. I really adore their character, though I can all but smell the air of Tragedy coming off them. Mark my words, they are cursed. Maybe the player is too.
Yes, you can build a tree. Notice the Stat Boost it offers for making it!
Contamination and feeding the Girl Objects you find may be Contaminated by the Fungus based Plague that wiped out most humans a century ago. Contaminated objects will usually function differently depending on their level of Contamination. Sometimes the Contaminated version of an item will be more useful to you than the Normal one.
This girl is the heart and soul of the game. Keep her safe and happy.
You’ll notice that this game doesn’t have a lot of guarantees. That is very deliberate.
Risk Assessment IS the core Strategy of this game. Speaking generally, you’re gonna die.
But what you’re carrying when you die is what really matters. Food for the girl, Resources, etc.
And each time you Craft a piece of Furniture for the first time, you’ll gain a permanent Stat Boost.
So building a bunch of new stuff Furniture for the Girl will help you get much further in the game.
Toriko can get sick, but she isn’t the only one. You will acquire temporary Status Effects like Glitch, which works like Confusion in most games.
Unlike the Robot, the Girl is a biological being that needs to eat. And since she can’t leave her Terrarium, it falls to you to find Food and feed it to her. However, she will get sick if you give her food with too high Contamination Levels. So only feed her Contaminated Food if she’s near to starving to death or if Contamination Levels are low enough that you think it should be relatively safe.
All the Decorating you can manage, yay fun! Sometimes you will need to build unique furniture to aid treatment of illnesses. Much less fun.
An Allegorical Gameplay Loop You’ll notice a pattern that I’m sure was intentional as you progress through this game. You do the legwork, while an affectionate voice welcomes you home each day.
Travel via Dungeon/Level Select
You go out not knowing if you’ll find what you need, and often return empty handed. Sometimes you have Food, sometimes you have badly Contaminated Food and nothing else. And you must make due with whatever you have for the sake of the girl you both care for. While routinely working yourself to the point of death. If you’re picking up on a 9-5 Working Parent vibe, that’s because you should. This allegory is beautiful and terrifying and everything I wanted from Void Terrarium.
With each Level Up, you’ll be granted one of two randomly selected Perks. Choose carefully! You’ll revert to Level One at the start of every Dungeon.
Provided you know what you’re getting into, Void Terrarium is a Mystery Dungeon Roguelite that pulls mercilessly upon the heart strings while offering very solid and enjoyable gameplay. Very good, very niche. I loved it, and have updated this Article in celebration of a re-release of Void Terrarium coming soon!
I’m 30 years old today and a parent of one delightful seven year old. I love just about everything about videogames, and am thrilled that I can write about them. Advocating for the poor is my other hobby, and I will gladly offer whatever aid I can if approached.
In this game, you control everyone one at a time. In a small town of folk living day to day, both your driving and their bad decisions can get out of hand in a hurry.
Experience a whole new level of road rage when some jerk swerves into your way, as you recall when you were “That guy” once… mere seconds ago!
Join Thorbjørn, Robert, Gerardo, Daniel, and Greyson in The Game Recommendation Podcast! In this episode, they will be talking about “Does Not Commute”. A great driving game by Mediocre Games. Check it out!
Greetings! We’re pleased to say our Dev Team have been very busy little Bunnies and we are now ready to show you Planit Rabbit 0.9 Patch 1. We’ve primarily been tightening all the virtual bolts and screws, making things more Stable in relation to the 0.9 release described here.
One fun fact, did you know Rabbits can die from Loneliness? Okay maybe we won’t die. Maybe. But in any case from now on we’re gonna remind you when we get to missing you Rabbiteers.
Analytics, this is a big word. Analytics are a new suite of features that let our Dev Bunnies know how your game is working. Tracking stuff like how you play and what works right and most critically it helps us see what isn’t working!
Download Planit Rabbit for free on the App Store or Play Store and try it out! We hope you have a great time and don’t forget to leave a review if you do. You will automatically get Planit Rabbit 0.9 Patch 1
