Yet again, I find myself struggling with another visual novel on the Switch. It isn’t that they can’t be interesting or enjoyable, I just tend to bristle at how they’re too often implemented. Whether the issue is a lack of player agency, a feeling that too often what choices you make have too little influence over the ultimate outcome, or a story that never seems to realize it’s potential, there have been a variety of issues I’ve found with them. Another for the list, and one that I think takes Deep Under down a notch, is that it takes too long to pull the player in with a clear and compelling hook, especially considering it’s ultimately quite short runtime.

While on a camping trip with some of his friends, having brought along some anxiety and a warm six pack of beer, Alex starts to have some concerns with where things are headed. Going deeper into the forest than expected, and seeing a few vague portents of something creepy, he tries to play along, but is struggling. Of course, when things then do inevitably go wrong, Alex must then make some key decisions to help pull them out of the nightmare they’ve found themselves in.

My problem though, is one tied to my own impatience, but that I also project on the average gamer with a decent-sized backlog who doesn’t have a dog in the fight that demands they love any given game. While perhaps you could argue that the ultimate payoff could justify the journey, the lead-up to it doesn’t do the experience any favors either. I understand trying to get to know your character through a few different scenes and in different circumstances, but the time wasted on this doesn’t seem to bring any proportional revelations to the meat of the experience either. Even using those same elements, perhaps throw in some glimpse or taste of what darkness could be ahead. Whether through local folklore, an urban legend, or something similar, but front load it as early as possible to help clue the player in on the nature of what is in store, even if not in detail. The final destination is compelling, I just wish less time was spent on what feels like fluff that you need to endure before getting there.