Kivi's Underworld Beta

Kivi's Underworld, the new hack 'n' slash from the Depths of Peril chaps, has released an open beta. They've asked for any constructive or buggish feedback from playing this to be posted on their forums. Quite a lot of feedback has already turned up, so you might want to take care you're not repeating other people! Alternatively, you might just want a taste of what is looking like a pretty entertaining indie dungeon crawler. I've had quite a bit of fun with it already this morning, and... I really should get back to work.

Get the beta client here, it's 40mb.

Hello, John here. I've spent an hour or so playing it, so here's some thoughts:

Stripped down until the point where it's tearing bits of skin off, Kivi focuses completely on the action, with all RPG elements kept as immediate and accessible as possible. In fact, the only window you'll need to open during a game is to assign skill points, and even these are kept as quick-n-easy as you could imagine.

This means everything else is in front of you as you play. Your inventory has three slots, filled with insta-spells or power-ups. And that's about it. There are no weapon drops or armour pieces to collect. Instead it's about the judicious application of your limited bonuses as you enter the fray. And this is all a good thing. Why? Because if you want something more involved, play Diablo II or Titan Quest. If you want something that fills a twenty minute gap (which inevitably turns into two hours and no work done) then look this way. In fact, it so embraces its arcade-like nature that you don't gain XP but a score.

It's sweet and fun, really. Can't say much about the multiple player-characters at this point, as I've only got Kivi available. Why not have a quick beta test?