It can be difficult to commit to RPG games, given that they require so much of your time. For them to completely captivate me, they need to have an incredibly strong story, addicting, game mechanics, and just an overall enjoyable aesthetic I don’t mind being around. When it comes to Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi, it hits almost all those boxes, but just not quite. There is a lot to love here more than anything else, but for my personal play style, there are just some fundamentals that I was not willing to endure.
The story takes place in the late 1970s, in Tokyo Japan. A mysterious structure appears out of nowhere and a corporation called the Cassandra Company is eager to explore its mysteries. You have been selected to join an elite group of underground explorers called the Undernauts to go deeper and deeper into the mines of this structure. You soon find out there are creatures in these mines and you are forced to take them out on behalf of your company. One of the aspects of this game I really like, is in fact the premise, but there’s a really fascinating push/pull relationship with you and the Cassandra Company. Dealing with the political pull of your employer as well as what’s going on in the mine.
As for the gameplay itself, it’s for the most part your pretty standard turn-based affair I’ve seen many times. Obviously, reinventing the wheel is a difficult task and if it ain’t broke there is no reason to really fix it. My biggest turn off with Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi is how much of a grind the gameplay can get. The repetition doesn’t have that hook to draw me in. Unfortunately, being set in drabby mines, also makes for the setting to look very dull and very unappealing to the eyes. A lot of the mine looks the same. The graphics, as well, are also fairly minimal and without much detail. The dialogue scenes are also just stationary images feeding you lines in text boxes.
If you are a gamer that loves a good grind and none of what I have said has deterred you from checking it out then that’s great, there are a few quality-of-life features that will make your experience more enjoyable. While grinding away in the mines fighting random encounter after random encounter, you do have the ability to speed up the combat animations making each fight way more brief than normal. There is also a fast travel feature that mustn’t be overlooked, I imagine it will be very commonly used for you, don’t be afraid to use it. By using Yomi flowers, you will also be able to build your own paths within the mine, which is great because they weren’t kidding about calling it a labyrinth.
So, if you don’t mind your dungeon RPG games taking a while to open up, with a fair amount of backtracking, Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi may be worth checking out. While the graphics do feel a bit dated, I may actually recommend picking this up for the Nintendo Switch, so you can get your grind on while on the go. My overall score may be lower than most, I am sorry to say the game didn’t click with me even if I did think the story itself was pretty interesting and was almost enough to keep me going. I hope you get more enjoyment than I did, happy mining!
7/10
Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB. For more information, please visit HERE.
Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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