Introduction: Into the Depths
Undivine opens with a premise familiar to fans of the genre: a lone figure, known only as the Traveler, arrives at a dying village on the edge of oblivion. Below lies a yawning abyss—one that has consumed the town’s people, warriors, and hope. Naturally, you descend.
This moody, atmospheric metroidvania from solo Brazilian developer Wendeoo pays clear homage to the classics of the genre while striving to forge its own path. With elegant pixel art, cryptic lore, and a world designed to reward curiosity over brute force, Undivine walks a narrow line between captivating design and limited ambition.
World & Exploration: A Kingdom of Secrets
The Kingdom beneath the village is Undivine’s greatest triumph. It is built with a clear reverence for metroidvania principles: interconnected zones, ability-gated progression, and a profound sense of spatial mystery. Navigation is entirely unguided—no objective markers or helpful arrows. Yet progression feels largely intuitive, and unlocking new powers naturally encourages backtracking in satisfying ways.
Despite minimalist visuals, the world’s atmosphere is evocative. Environmental storytelling is carried by melancholic writing and subtle lore tucked into collectibles and relics. There’s a literary, even theatrical tone to the dialogue that adds gravity. However, the NPCs are more symbolic than personal, and the worldbuilding—while tonally strong—lacks specificity or emotional grounding.
The pixel art, while functional and clean, lacks the lush identity or variety seen in genre standouts like Hollow Knight. The map is another sore spot: simplistic, hard to mark, and a frequent source of frustration for completionists.
Combat & Progression: Swinging in the Dark
Where exploration shines, combat stumbles. Encounters are rudimentary: hitboxes feel loose, attacks are untelegraphed, and the lack of a dedicated dodge or block system reduces encounters to hit-and-jump tedium. Close-range fights feel like trading swipes in a fog, rather than a dance of skill. Ranged abilities help slightly, but don’t fully remedy the shallowness.
Boss battles elevate the experience marginally, introducing some mechanical variety and challenge. Still, combat never becomes a highlight. Enemy variety is limited, and the AI is rudimentary. The talent tree and relic system provide customization, but even this often feels like statistical dressing on a combat system that lacks depth.
One design quirk of note is the XP and item loss on death—there’s no corpse run, but progress feels punishable if you’re careless. Some players reported this added tension; others found it needlessly frustrating, especially in a game with widely spaced save points.
Presentation: Sound and Shadow
Visually, Undivine delivers a grungy, minimalistic take on dark fantasy. Each area has a distinct vibe, but tile repetition and low-detail backgrounds limit immersion. Animations are stiff, though readable, and UI elements get the job done without flourish.
The soundtrack, meanwhile, is an acquired taste. Orchestral swells evoke epic stakes but loop awkwardly, sometimes building to a crescendo only to reset mid-emotion. The mismatch between musical drama and moment-to-moment gameplay can undercut immersion—though many players found the score moody and atmospheric enough to carry the tone, even if they ended up muting it in frustration at times.
Verdict: Lost Light in a Lonely World
Rating: 7 / 10 – Solid
Undivine is a moody and minimal metroidvania built on the bones of better-known classics. It doesn’t break new ground in combat or polish, but its embrace of unguided exploration and atmospheric storytelling gives it a soul worth discovering.
This is a game made for players who value the journey into the unknown more than pixel-perfect action. Yes, the combat is clumsy. Yes, the map could be better. But the desire to uncover what lies just beyond the next locked door? That pull is real—and sometimes, that’s enough.
Tested on:
- PC (Steam)
- Steam Deck/ ROG ALLY X (Verified)
Pros:
- Atmospheric, retro-inspired world
- Elegant exploration loop with meaningful progression
- Strong writing tone and multiple endings
- Generous optional content and secrets
Cons:
- Shallow and clunky combat
- Repetitive enemy patterns and basic AI
- Weak map tools hinder deeper exploration
- Soundtrack loops disrupt pacing
Undivine : Undivine is a moody and minimal metroidvania built on the bones of better-known classics. It doesn’t break new ground in combat or polish, but its embrace of unguided exploration and atmospheric storytelling gives it a soul worth discovering. – Mario Vasquez