Underhero is a platformer game about a hero being sent to kill the big bad in his castle. Specifically, you are the underling of said big bad, and you just accidentally killed the hero. Whoops! And now, his sword insists that you must take the mantle and kill the big bad/your boss, else the world will be destroyed. So, uh. Better get to work, don't you?
It's a game I enjoyed a fair bit, and you might too! So here's my selling pitch.
The Gameplay
I am primarily a story kinda guy. But fact is this is a video game, and as such video games must be fun to actually play. (Else I wouldn't have such a hard time selling Fate game to people.) So: how does Underhero play?
As I said, it's primarily a platformer; you'll be jumping, solving puzzles, dodging rocks and lava, and many things like that. I don't really play that many platformers myself, but as far as it goes it was pretty solid to me? It felt a bit awkward at times but generally it was fun and I could understand where I jumped and landed, which is about all I ask.
This game also has a fighting mechanic! The game description calls it "turn-based with no turn." Personally, I call it a rythm game; you won't be running around and you won't be waiting for your turn, but you will be watching enemy pattern to tell "ok, NOW he's gonna attack, time to him block, and NOW I have three seconds where he does nothing, time to spam all my attacks. Which was a lot of fun to me!
The Characters
The main duo of the game are the Masked Kid (the protagonist!) and Elizabeth, the hero's sentient sword. They have a very fun dynamic, the Masked Kid being a kind of naive kid just learning about the world outside of their job at the villain facility, and Elizabeth being a more hotheaded character eager to move the plot forward and accomplish her duty killing the villain ALREADY!!!
The Masked Kid is a silent protagonist, but they write every new event you go through in a little notebook, which showcase a lot of characterisation you might otherwise miss. Most importantly, that means the Kid's character development is pretty noticeable because you have access to the early writings vs the end of the game.
Aside from these two, I found the rest of the characters very charming, including the background nameless npcs. The big figures have loads of backstory you can learn about if you search a lil bit, and the little guys have a lot of opinions on the world they live in. It's a rich world!
The Plot
So, here's the thing: the plot pulled some very interesting stuff I didn't see coming... and I absolutely cannot talk about any of them, because the real crunchy part of the plot only show up like, 70% through the game.
That's not to say the rest of the game is bad, mind you; you get to explore the world you live in, interact with characters, and get into fun shenanigans, but take it like a saturday morning cartoon more than something that will blow your tits off for the early parts. Though, there is a lot of foreshadowing on what will happen later in the game, and it is really fun to think back on them once you've completed the game. It's a lighthearted video game! But if you ever find yourself thinking "wait, that isn't quite right, there are some inconsistencies here"... pay attention ;)
The Themes
As you remember, the protagonist of the game used to be an underling of the final boss. That means many things, but mainly... you're gonna be fighting against your old coworkers. A lot. In fact, most enemies won't even fight you until you deal the first strike- they'll be more than happy chatting you up, or accepting bribes to go away. They're not just nameless mooks- or rather, they're as much nameless mooks as you are. They're Just Some Dudes.
What does it mean, then, that you go around slaughtering them all?
This is a video game about video games, and specifically a video game that puts on the table: yeah, but the random npcs are people too, you know?
It's no undertale no mercy route, mind you; the game is fairly lighthearted about it. You're not gonna be playing a horror game meant to make you feel bad. But it is a game meant to poke at your morals and make you think. Yeah, the evil army is evil and must be defeated, but how do they live here? Do they have unions? Benefits? Do they party? Do they mourn the dead? Do they know what they're doing to the world?
So yeah. It's an interesting play! It's on steam too, so go check it out!