Underkeep First Impressions: A Turn-Based Dungeon Crawler Worth Your Time

Underkeep First Impressions at a Glance

Underkeep arrived on Steam on November 5, 2026, and the earliest Underkeep first impressions point to something increasingly rare: a grid-based dungeon crawler that trusts you to think instead of testing your reflexes. If you grew up on Eye of the Beholder and bounced off the real-time pressure of Legend of Grimrock, this is aimed at you. These Underkeep first impressions draw on two full-release playthrough videos plus the game's own store listing, so you can judge the $22.95 asking price before you commit.

Underkeep is a first-person, party-based dungeon crawler from Rake in Grass, the small studio behind Rampage Knights and the Jets'n'Guns series. The store page describes it plainly as "a loving tribute to the role-playing classics of the 90s," and the pitch is honest: grid movement, hand-drawn pixel art, tactical turn-based combat, and a fully handcrafted world. No procedural generation, no live-service hooks, no 80-hour commitment.

Here is what the store listing recorded at launch.

All values above come from a snapshot of the Underkeep Steam store page captured on November 6, 2026 (global listing, USD). The introductory discount was listed as ending November 19. Prices and review counts change — treat these as dated observations, not live figures.

Party Building: Races, Classes, and a Locked Roster

You recruit four adventurers, and that choice sticks for the whole campaign. The current Steam Community player guide for app 2411200 lists six launch races: Human, Dwarf, Stoneborn, Raven, Elk, and Slugman. Classes run from Warrior and Paladin to Ranger, Thief, Wizard, Voidcaller, and Blood Mage; the Voidcaller serves as the de facto healer, and the Blood Mage offers a darker alternative to the standard spellcaster.

Two details matter for your first hour. First, there's a quick-start party option, and both creators who played the release recommend it if you'd rather start exploring than theorycraft. Second, stats can be rerolled during creation — one reviewer only discovered this after finishing his party, a mistake worth avoiding.

A common complaint from community reports is that the party is locked in. You cannot bench a member for a newcomer you meet later, so testing a different class means starting fresh. One reviewer shrugs this off by pointing to genre precedent: Grimrock parties are permanent too. Worth knowing before you name anyone.

Combat and Exploration in a Turn-Based Crawler

This is the heart of Underkeep, and it is the reason the first impressions skew so positive.

Combat is strictly turn-based. Your party acts, then the enemies act — no initiative bar, no interleaved order. That means you can open with a focus-fire burst, slip a heal in mid-sequence, or decide whether the expensive spell is worth spending before you know how badly you need the mana. Both reviewers highlighted this as the single biggest draw.

Each character has one action per turn: an attack or an active skill. Crucially, potions and consumables don't cost that action, so chugging a healing draught mid-fight is a legitimate tactic rather than a wasted turn. Classes use different resources — mana for wizards, stamina for warriors, zeal for paladins — which keeps the party feeling mechanically distinct.

Leveling is narrower than a traditional CRPG stat sheet but still offers real decisions. You don't distribute attributes; you spend skill points on new active abilities or upgrade the ones you already like, then adjust the loadout with the documented right-click skill control. Player reports describe swapping between abilities during combat — one wizard alternated between a multi-target lightning bolt and a single-target ice spell with a freeze chance — but whether that switch is available mid-fight is unconfirmed, so treat the in-combat swap detail as for reference only. Passive skills exist too, and one reviewer argues they're quietly the more important half of the trees.

Food is the one attrition system that matters. You need supplies to rest, and supplies limit how often you can fully recover. It is not a hunger bar ticking down in real time; enemies don't respawn once cleared, so you can sweep a dungeon twice for secrets without starving. One reviewer called this the ideal compromise — pressure without punishment.

And there are secrets everywhere. Berries on bushes, crates, wall buttons, hidden items. Neither creator hit an inventory limit, and there's no encumbrance system to fight.

Interface, Maps, and Controller Support

If there's a consensus in these Underkeep first impressions, it's that the interface punches above the game's budget.

Everything lives on one screen. The viewport sits in the middle, the party frame on the right with health bars and resource gauges, inventory on the left, and a combat log in clear, readable type at the bottom. No menu-hopping to grab a potion. The full map — not just the minimap — lets you place custom markers and notes, with a legend of fixed symbols for points of interest. In a game with heavy backtracking, one reviewer called the note system a genuine sanity saver.

Accessibility is unusually thorough for the genre. Movement tweens and camera shake can be switched off, which is precisely the setting that let a self-described motion-sickness sufferer finally enjoy a first-person crawler.

Controller support surprised both reviewers. One went in assuming mouse and keyboard, tried a gamepad, and decided it would be his default — swapping characters and firing primary or secondary abilities mapped cleanly. The Steam listing confirms Xbox controller support and "Playable" Steam Deck status as of November 6, 2026.

Reception, Criticisms, and the Verdict

The Steam rating backs up the enthusiasm: at the November 6, 2026 snapshot, 94% of 319 reviews were positive. Both creators independently landed near the top of the scale — one called it a 9 out of 10, the other named it his game of the year.

Neither ignored the friction points. The opening hours are genuinely harsh: you start with almost nothing, one skill each, and enemies that cleave the entire front row can out-damage your healing before your party comes online. Reviewers also note that skill trees are compact rather than sprawling, and that late-game puzzle solutions can feel cryptic with thin hints.

Demo-era feedback on the Steam forums (captured November 6, 2026) shows the same themes from the other direction — complaints that low-percentage stun and taunt skills felt unreliable. A developer responded that the numbers are deliberately conservative because hard-locking enemies would break a turn-based system, and confirmed that some skills were buffed for the full release.

On length, creator estimates vary; one cited a developer figure in the 15–20 hour range, the other reported 25–40 hours after a completionist-style run on normal. Either way, this is a focused game, not a 100-hour commitment.

So is it worth buying? For $22.95 — or $19.50 during the introductory window — yes, if turn-based party crawlers appeal to you at all. The verdict from these Underkeep first impressions is that it's also the rare case where the genre's newcomer-friendliness claims hold up: built-in tutorials, a clean UI, mouse-only play, and no manual required.

Who should skip it

• Players who want a deep narrative with heavy cutscenes — the story is classic fantasy setup, not the draw
• Anyone who needs to respec or swap party members mid-campaign
• Real-time crawler fans who want the twitch timing of Grimrock

FAQ

Is Underkeep turn-based or real-time?

Fully turn-based. Your party acts as a group, then enemies act. Grid movement happens outside combat, and there's no real-time pressure mechanic like hunger draining as you walk.

Who developed Underkeep, and when did it come out?

Rake in Grass developed and published Underkeep, which released on November 5, 2026 on Steam for Windows. As of the November 6, 2026 snapshot, the store listed Xbox controller support, Steam Cloud, achievements, and "Playable" Steam Deck status.

How long is Underkeep?

Estimates differ. One creator cited a developer figure of roughly 15–20 hours, while another reported 25–40 hours for a thorough playthrough on normal difficulty. Both agree it's a focused crawler rather than a sprawling CRPG.

Are these Underkeep first impressions friendly to genre newcomers?

Yes. Multiple players with no prior blobber experience described Underkeep as an ideal entry point thanks to its clear interface, tutorials, full controller support, and the option to disable camera shake and movement animations.

Is the party permanent for the whole run?

Community reports indicate yes — your four adventurers are locked in for the campaign, so experimenting with other classes or races requires a new save. That's normal for the subgenre, but it's worth planning your party carefully before you start.