We’re officially in the Steam Summer sale! The horrid heatwave here seems to have finally broken here in the UK, although seeing how things are for my European friends, it feels like we got off light! Damn.
Anyway, I have another little review to share today. While I’m always juggling games, I had my eye on Life Below for months for its approach to city-building and a more cosy vibe. It launched last month, and the folks at Kasedo Games were kind enough to provide us with a review code. Focusing on reviving coral reefs in a whimsy fantasy world, Life Below impressed me with its creativity. Life Below is developed by Megapop.
At its heart, Life Below is an underwater ecosystem management game. While it is technically a city-builder, it bucks the usual trend by focusing on cultivation. Unlike conventional city-builders that focus on roads and industry like Cities Skylines, Against the Storm and Timberborn, Life Below centers on attracting marine life. The game also has an impressive narrative with some wonderful fantasy elements.
Life Below mixes careful resource management, nurturing marine biology and research into a package that offers plenty of charm. The visuals are gorgeous too, with its underwater environments and diverse biomes. The developers took advice from marine biologists in developing the marine economy in Life Below, and it shows! It is certainly different from other city-builders I have played recently, and for that alone, Life Below stood out for me. I have always liked games about the ocean and marine life, and it is strange how we don’t get many that have a focus on the underwater worlds. Subnautica is still the go-to aquatic experience for me, but it is nice to have new games.
There is a certain charm in allowing gentle, wholesome gameplay while maintaining a challenging gameplay loop, and Life Below might be the best balance I have seen to do that for some time. Building a thriving reef involves managing biodiversity, invasive species, water chemistry, and restoring habitats. Even while I felt relaxed when playing, I never felt bored. It is partly why I have moved away from sandbox modes in games like this lately, as I found I needed some progression. Life Below does a fantastic job on the core gameplay for me, and while it is not the most complex, I’ve found the campaign and free-play game modes to be sufficient.
That brings me to the negatives, and that for me is the overall depth. Despite the learning curve and decent amount of balance between the mechanics, there are more compelling gameplay loops out there on the market. Life Below definitely favors atmosphere over something truly deep. If you want a heavy simulation-based city-builder, this is not the game for you. This suits me fine because I can get my fix elsewhere, but I understand if people are looking for something with a little more challenge.
These are only minor issues for me however. Ultimately, Life Below succeeds in its primary goal: to create a refreshing twist on the classic city-building formula with a focus on rebuilding ecosystems, careful messaging about the environment, and its beautiful visual design. There are more enjoyable city-builders I have played so far, but Life Below passed my impressions test with flying colors.
