Beneath Review ; The horror The horror!
Every so often, a horror shooter tries to capture t
he magic of old-school tension , games that made you hold your breath between save points and listen carefully for the creak of a door before you dared move. Beneath, developed by the two-brother team at Camel 101, aims squarely at that nostalgic sweet spot. It’s a throwback to the era of F.E.A.R. and early Resident Evil, with the murky atmosphere of The Thing and a Lovecraftian dread bubbling under every surface. As a longtime fan of psychological horror shooters, I wanted to love this one. It has atmosphere in spades and clearly knows what it wants to deliver: a claustrophobic, survival-driven descent into the dark. But as much as its heart is in the right place, Beneath often feels like it was dredged up from the early PS3 or Wii era, clunky, buggy, and dated in all the wrong ways.
What is it
Beneath is a first-person psychological horror shooter that puts you in the boots of Noah Quinn, a seasoned diver who’s seen better days. What starts as a routine salvage mission off the coast of Portugal quickly spirals into nightmare territory when a monstrous storm, a mutating crew, and something unfathomable from the depths leave you stranded on a mysterious surface station. Searching for your injured daughter, you step into an industrial labyrinth full of horrors both human and inhuman. The story draws heavily from Lovecraftian themes of isolation and sanity, with the occasional military sci-fi twist thrown in. You’ll scavenge weapons, manage scarce ammo, and uncover the fate of those who came before through scattered logs and terminals. The premise is compelling, and Camel 101’s ambition shines through , it’s a genuine attempt to blend survival horror with psychological tension, something that’s becoming rare in today’s market.
Gameplay
At its best, Beneath nails the feeling of being trapped and under constant threat. For some parts it gave me a little SOMA vibes, that isolated feeling, deep underwater. You’ll creep through narrow corridors, pry open doors with your trusty crowbar, and desperately count your remaining shotgun shells before another grotesque shape rounds the corner. Combat is slow, deliberate, and intentionally heavy , but sometimes crosses the line from immersive to frustrating. Perhaps this was on purpose, just because you come armed , does not mean you are John Rambo, you are still a confused and scared person trying to survive. The shooting mechanics feel uneven, enemies often lack proper reactions, and melee attacks have a kind of awkward hit detection that is hard to grasp. The resource scarcity keeps you tense, though the clunky inventory and confusing waypoint system make navigation more stressful than the monsters themselves. Upgrades and crafting benches exist, but they’re rarely accessible enough to matter. Still, there’s a strange charm in how unpolished it all feels. It’s old-school survival horror through and through, warts and all , and for players craving that rough-edged, anxiety-fueled experience, Beneath might just scratch that itch.
Presentation
This is where Beneath both shines and stumbles. The atmosphere is great, the game filled with moaning steel, flickering lights, and the echo of something moving just out of sight as well as moments of relative and suspenseful silence, which might even be scarier. The sound design does the heavy lifting, creating moments of genuine tension that few indie horror titles manage to achieve. Visually, the game a mixed bag. The environments capture that grim, industrial undersea feel, but textures, lighting, and character animations often look a generation behind. Graphical glitches, texture pop-ins, animations seem clunky and frequent bugs pull you out of the immersion. There as one part early on where I had to turn a valve and the arms looked stretched out and weird, I said out loud to myself "was this supposed to be a VR game? " On the other hand, the devs made great use of smoke, shadows, and lighting to mask any technical limitations and build up tensions. The result is a game that can look great one moment and broken the next. The technical flaws are undeniable, but the artistic intent is clear , Beneath knows exactly what kind of horror experience it’s trying to be, even if it doesn’t always stick the landing.
Parental view
This one is strictly for mature audiences. There’s plenty of violence, gore, and psychological horror throughout. Enemies mutate grotesquely, blood splatters coat the walls, and the game’s themes of madness and isolation are heavy.
Final thoughts
Beneath is a game that feels like it’s been pulled up from a sunken time capsule. It’s flawed, dated, and riddled with rough edges, yet it’s also sincere, atmospheric, and clearly made with passion. Camel 101’s small team has delivered a psychological horror experience that, while technically shaky, shows genuine heart. It might not keep every player engaged for long, but for fans of retro survival horror who can forgive its jank, there’s something oddly endearing about its imperfections. Think about it , not a must-play, but maybe the right dive for those who miss the strange, claustrophobic charm of early 2000s horror shooters.
Title: Beneath
Developer: Camel 101
Publisher: Wired Productions
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
ESRB: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language)
Release Date: October 27, 2025
MSRP: $19.99 (currently on sale for $16.99)
