Underward is a 2025 co-op horror exploration game developed and published by Japanese studio Intense. With its recent Genius Gyaru Doctor update being released right in time for Tokyo Game Show 2025, I had the chance to visit the Underward booth and check the game out for myself. And by check out, I mean I played a co-op horror game in singleplayer because I have no friends, and it was super difficult.
A textbook cooperative horror game
So, what kind of game is Underward? Simply put, it’s pretty much a cookie-cutter horror co-op exploration game. If you’ve played games like Lethal Company, R.E.P.O, Pacify or Phasmophobia, I’m sure you’re familiar with the gameplay loop – get in with your friends, explore a haunted territory, and after completing your objectives, run back to the base as fast as you can before the thing(s) catches you. It’s quite straightforward, and Underward follows this formula to the letter. For enjoyers of the genre, this game could be entertaining as it has its own twists and turns here and there while also maintaining all the defining qualities of cooperative horror. It doesn’t exactly expand on the genre or feel “new” (especially to someone who has played a variety of similar games during the pandemic), but it definitely isn’t boring either – and it offers quite a challenge.
You can still play it if you have no friends – but the difficulty doubles
Of course, despite it being a predominately co-op game, you don’t actually need friends to be able to play Underward. If you’re simply into horror exploration games and are too busy to make plans with 3 other people (or if you just don’t have any friends), the game offers a singleplayer mode, which I took for a spin. However, if you do decide to go solo – be prepared to lock in. It might just be me that’s bad at these kinds of games, but it felt like singleplayer mode made the gameplay way more difficult, and in some instances, punishing. While you do get three extra lives, dying makes you drop all your equipment, and you have to start from scratch and pray that you’ve properly memorized the labyrinthine hallways of the abandoned hospital. You do get a compass that will help you navigate the randomized levels, but even if you know how to use it, it takes some trial and error before you get a sense for the area, especially if you’re going in alone. But while it was definitely challenging, it never made me feel stumped or bored – trying to devise a way through the cursed hospital was quite fun actually.
It gets scarier if you have jigglephobia
As for the horror aspect – I consider myself pretty tough when it comes to most types of horror games, but even if I set that aside for a moment, I didn’t personally find Underward particularly “scary.” Unexpected jumpscares are as scary as they can get, but if you just explore the area without rushing and carefully check for potential monster ambushes, you won’t be in for any unexpected surprises. Because of this, the game could be a good entry point for people who aren’t that into horror.
Another aspect that kind of mitigates the creepiness of the game (though not in a negative sense) is its visual presentation. Though it looks fairly realistic compared to other entries in the genre, Underward finds its balance between horror and fun in the neon lit abandoned hospital halls, and enemy characters that are disturbingly sexy. One point that the devs seemed to be quite particular about were the scantily clad cursed nurses with pigtails, boob windows, thigh-high lace socks and a good deal of jiggle physics. What’s more, the recent Genius Gyaru Doctor update pushes the crazy-sexy-neon concept even further, if it’s already not obvious looking at its title.
The wacky set of items opens the doors for creativity and strategic play
Like I’ve mentioned earlier, the gameplay loop is pretty straightforward. Your goal is to explore the abandoned hospital ward, collect “test subject monsters” and safely bring them back to the elevator – nothing difficult about that, right? Well, if you end up stumbling upon one and try carrying it, you’ll notice that it sets off your noise gauge as the metal pod scratches against the floor. Whenever you do something that makes noise, it triggers the noise gauge and – you’ve guessed it, it makes you more susceptible to being attacked by one of the evil sexy nurses.
The “don’t make noise or else you die” gimmick has been done many times before, and it’s not like Underward is doing anything particularly new with it, but it does help make the experience a bit more realistic. You can’t just “run for it” thinking nobody (or nothing) is going to notice you – the key is to be sneaky. An important thing to note is that only the noises you make in-game are the ones that draw attention. While there is an in-game mic meant for voice chatting, it’s not picked up by the noise meter, and you can laugh (or scream) with your friends as loud as you want . Of course, the noise you make in-game does not always have to be at your disadvantage. Scattered around the levels, you can find certain sound-producing items, like the rubber chicken toy, which can be used to distract certain enemies when the situation gets dire. And this brings me to a point which I probably enjoyed the most playing Underward – the items.
There’s a wide variety of items lying around the different stages – cups and plates that can be used as weapons, lights, traps and even sticky toilet plungers – and what’s so fun about them is that there is no single, set way to use them. For example, the game offers “sticky items” which can be thrown around the map and stuck on walls, ceilings or even your friends and enemies. This opens up many strategical possibilities – you could stick a spike trap on your friend’s back to make them a walking weapon, tag enemies with sticky lights so you know exactly where they are, or maybe even set up a monster farm if you’re into that kind of stuff. It’s really up to you and your friends how you’re going to interpret the items, and I personally find it super fun when games encourage you to think outside the box and get creative with the tools they give you.
Should you play this game?
As a cooperative horror exploration game, Underward is a pretty solid title. It offers everything a multiplayer horror game should offer, and it can be super fun if you decide to experiment with the items and explore different strategies with your friends. And while it might not scratch the itch of players who are looking for more, it gives you just enough for an entertaining and thrilling experience. Singleplayer on the other hand takes a bit of trial-and-error. The game mode isn’t bad on its own, but it really made me wish I had friends to help me.
Underward is currently out for PC (Steam).
