Chris InglisBeneath is an upcoming Lovecraft-inspired survival FPS in development by two passionate brothers that make up Camel 101 and publisher Wired Productions. I went hands-on with a preview demo the past week and the deep-sea facility in Beneath is a collection of nostalgia of early psychological horror classics like F.E.A.R. My time with the game as veteran diver Noah Quinn started in the murky depths with strange and large creatures swimming by as the music and sounds created an eerie soundscape where a simple tap on the shoulder from my wife was enough to provoke a jump scare.
The core of the game’s intensity is built on the interplay between sound design, resource scarcity, and the sanity system. The atmosphere is excellent, with every creak, groan, and distant echo crafted to maximise jump scares. This is amplified by Quinn’s steadily increasing hallucinations. However, the sanity system isn’t just for visual effect as it ties the psychological horror to the demanding shooter gameplay.
The arsenal of weapons, including a pistol, submachine gun, shotgun, and the trusty crowbar which uses stamina-based attacks. This gave me more nostalgia of playing the original Half-Life, as around this time in the game is where we come across some monsters. Ammunition is scarce, a conscious design philosophy intended to make every bullet count. As you explore the corridors and descend deeper into the complex, you start collecting weapon parts which ties into finding workbenches that allow you to upgrade and paint your weapons.
There are moments where the game’s visuals are equally impressive and horrifying, as is the case with most Lovecraftian settings, however there were also momentary graphical hitches that broke the immersion. Occasionally I came across textures that occasionally popped in and out, and there are moments of clipping where I could see the level design through walls. Another time there was an icon for interactable items that was visible through a bathroom wall, inadvertently giving away its location and undermining the intended suspense.
One other aspect is that I sometimes lost where I was headed for the next objective. When the objective updates, you get an initial waypoint and distance to it, however that disappears quickly so I relied on memory and exploring every corner to eventually find where to go next. A one line note in the game’s menu should be enough to remind the player of what they were doing. Hopefully some of these things can be fixed and implemented before release.
From what I have played in the Beneath demo, the game possesses all the right ingredients for a modern horror classic. There is enough story so far to keep you driving forward though it relied on my memory of where things were to backtrack and continue. If the developers can fix the rough edges while preserving the atmosphere and tense mechanics, this descent into the abyssal nightmare will be an easy recommend.
This hands-on preview utilised a key provided by Wired Productions and Beneath is set for release on Steam on October 27, 2025 and the following day for Xbox and PlayStation.
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