Underhero is a creative 2D RPG and platforming adventure that takes one of fantasy gaming’s oldest formulas and approaches it from an unexpectedly amusing direction. Developed and published by Paper Castle Games, the game places players in the role of the Masked Kid, an insignificant servant working for the villainous Mr. Stitches. The kingdom’s designated hero has already met an unfortunate end, leaving the traditional adventure without the person who was supposed to complete it. Through an unlikely sequence of events, this ordinary enemy underling inherits a much greater responsibility and sets out across the Chestnut Kingdom alongside Elizabeth IV. What follows is a humorous yet surprisingly sincere adventure that combines platforming, exploration, RPG progression, unusual combat mechanics, and a story that gradually becomes more meaningful than its playful opening might suggest.
One of Underhero’s greatest strengths is how effectively it uses its reversed hero-and-villain premise. The Masked Kid begins as someone who would normally exist merely to be defeated by the protagonist, yet here this disposable minion becomes the center of the entire story. Because he belongs to Mr. Stitches’ forces, many creatures encountered throughout the kingdom do not immediately regard him as an enemy. Players can communicate with opponents, hear their thoughts, discover hints, and learn more about the world through conversations that would rarely exist in a conventional platforming RPG. This makes even relatively minor characters feel connected to the setting. The writing frequently relies on absurd humor and eccentric personalities, but beneath the comedy is a developing mystery surrounding Elizabeth IV, Mr. Stitches, the failed hero, and the Masked Kid’s increasingly complicated position.
Combat gives Underhero another important element of individuality. Rather than relying on a conventional turn-based system where characters simply exchange attacks according to menus and statistics, battles demand active participation. Players must watch enemies carefully, react to their attacks, dodge incoming threats, parry at appropriate moments, and determine when it is safe to launch an offensive move. As a result, combat feels like a mixture of RPG decision-making and action-oriented timing. Learning enemy behavior becomes important because careless aggression can quickly create problems. The system gives ordinary encounters a more involved rhythm than traditional menu-driven battles and ensures that improving the character does not completely replace the need for player skill.
Music is incorporated directly into this combat structure through the ability to perform Groovy attacks. Striking enemies in time with the musical rhythm can result in critical hits, rewarding players for paying attention to the soundtrack rather than treating it merely as background decoration. The original soundtrack by Stijn van Wakeren therefore becomes closely connected to the gameplay itself. This mechanic fits naturally alongside dodging and parrying because all three systems emphasize timing. Boss encounters are particularly well suited to this design, requiring players to understand attack patterns while finding opportunities to retaliate. Battles can consequently feel almost like small performances in which movement, defensive reactions, attacks, and music work together.
The platforming side of Underhero is equally important to the overall experience. Players travel through different portions of the Chestnut Kingdom while navigating environmental challenges, searching for secrets, meeting unusual inhabitants, and progressing toward the larger objective. Exploration is structured rather than completely open-ended, but environments contain enough hidden material to encourage curiosity. This approach prevents the adventure from becoming a simple sequence of battles connected by corridors. Platforming, exploration, dialogue, and combat constantly alternate, giving the game a pleasant sense of variety. The relatively focused structure also works in its favor because the developers concentrate on distinctive locations and interactions instead of attempting to create an unnecessarily enormous world.
Its colorful pixel-art presentation complements the humorous atmosphere particularly well. Character designs are expressive and intentionally cartoonish, making the Masked Kid, Elizabeth IV, Mr. Stitches, and the supporting cast visually recognizable without requiring elaborate graphical technology. Environments similarly embrace the exaggerated fantasy style, giving the Chestnut Kingdom plenty of personality. There is an obvious affection for classic console RPGs and platformers throughout the visual presentation, but Underhero generally avoids feeling like a simple imitation. The unusual protagonist, conversational enemies, rhythm-assisted combat, and strange narrative circumstances establish a personality that belongs to the game itself. Players who are sensitive to flashing imagery should nevertheless take the included photosensitive epilepsy warning seriously, since certain sequences contain flashing visual effects.
Underhero also benefits from maintaining a relatively clear sense of scope. It is fundamentally a single-player adventure rather than an enormous RPG built around countless systems. Character progression exists alongside exploration and combat, but the experience is more interested in delivering a carefully paced journey than overwhelming players with extensive customization. This can also be considered one of its limitations. Anyone searching for complex party management, highly tactical turn-based battles, enormous skill trees, or a vast open world may find the experience more straightforward than expected. Similarly, players attracted specifically by the RPG label should understand that successful combat frequently depends on reflexes and timing rather than statistics alone.
The combination of genres may occasionally create uneven moments because players who enjoy the RPG portions might not necessarily enjoy precision-oriented platforming or reactive combat to the same degree. The battle system can also require adjustment because it behaves differently from what players may expect after seeing traditional RPG terminology associated with the game. Nevertheless, these unconventional decisions are ultimately responsible for much of Underhero’s charm. Paper Castle Games clearly wanted combat to feel interactive rather than passive, and the resulting mixture of dodging, parrying, rhythm, resource management, and offensive timing gives the game a recognizable mechanical identity.
Underhero succeeds because it understands its inspirations while refusing to depend entirely on them. Its colorful pixel art, quirky characters, secret-filled environments, active battle system, rhythmic attacks, and inverted fantasy premise come together to create an adventure with considerable personality. It may not provide the enormous scale or mechanical complexity associated with larger RPGs, but its focused design is arguably better suited to what Paper Castle Games wanted to accomplish. For players who enjoy imaginative indie RPGs, humorous storytelling, platform exploration, unconventional combat, and games willing to experiment with familiar fantasy conventions, Underhero is a charming and inventive journey that deserves attention.
Rating: 8/10
