I’m not sure if this is controversial or not - but I (mostly) don’t like games that are primarily set underground.

There are a few exceptions to this, Dungeon Keeper and The Binding of Isaac spring to mind, but mostly I find it actively discouraging. Perhaps it’s a desire to explore under the sky, perhaps it’s that it feels claustrophobic, or perhaps it’s the gloom.

I don’t have a problem with the dark or claustrophobia in the real world, so it’s not that. Anything that involves dungeon crawling immediately puts me off. I don’t want to go down into the dark! I want to be outside!

I wasn’t a fan of the Metro series until Exodus, I bounced off Recettear as soon as the dungeon element was introduced. Anything that wants me to spend an extended period underground with monsters is just a massive turn-off for me. Sewer levels and the like also have this, to a lesser extent.

Anyone else have this specific dislike?

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    The human brain is weird about claustrophobia. I coerced a 3D engine out of an 8-bit machine, and it literally did not support ceilings… but I still felt constantly cramped because the HUD was at the top. Scrolling it to the bottom was instantly better.