Supraland: Six Inches Under

PC

I had a plan. I’d play through this bonus edition of the glorious Supraland series – not the sequel we’re waiting for, but a game jam entry that grew out of control – and write it up for today. Except, oh for goodness sakes, it’s enormous. And utterly brilliant.

Which is to say, I’m not done. In fact, after plugging away for many joy-filled hours, I’m concerned I’m not even close to done, given that I’ve only opened two of five pipes that let you return to previous areas. But the game’s out this afternoon, and goodness me, I want you to buy it and play it.

I don’t know if you played the original Supraland. You covered up the camera on your latop, and I can’t see what you’re doing any more. But you should. Play it, that is. It was my favourite game of 2019, a remarkable open-world first-person Metroidvania-me-do, set in miniature world of a kid’s back garden. You played as a red plasticine dude, who was attempting to end a war with the blue plasticine dudes, and along the way gathered a litany of powers that made exploration gradually more open and interesting.

Supraland: Six Inches Under begins in the same setting, post the (spoilers!) resolution between the blues and the reds, with you playing as a blue plumber. The Prince (you from the last game, now quite the ponce) is off on a rocket ride to attempt to land on The House, to see if it’s really real. But as you’d likely suspect, something goes wrong during launch, and you’re quickly attempting to help everyone flee the disaster. Except, you fall through the earth, and find yourself in a whole other world, some six inches below the lawn.

Down here are a whole other race of Play-Doh people, but this lot are grey. You know, how plasticine gets after it’s been played with too long? Theirs is a world of discarded toys, bits of old BRIO train track, its central kingdom set in an abandoned hamster cage. And, well, the locals are pretty racist.

Things play out in a similar way to the first game, albeit in a completely new setting, with new puzzles, a scattering of new ideas, and an awful lot of new, very funny jokes. Which is to say, while the format is familiar, it feels completely fresh, especially with the new magnetic abilities. And like I say, I’m barely halfway through – there could be a ton of stuff to come. In fact, the game’s blurb says half of the abilities are new. It’s not my fault I don’t know. Blame them.

It’s ridiculous that this is the game they accidentally make while putting together the full sequel. This is just packed with detail, so many hidden extras, bonus areas, vast areas to explore, and just so, so many gags. When you see a crowd of people, every single one of them has a unique line to say when you speak to them, and most of the time their lines will change after an event.

I’m adoring it, just as I did the first game a few years ago. It’s so zippy, bonkers, rapidly advancing, funny, colourful and challenging. The combat is far rarer and less of a faff this time too, and sometimes delivered as another puzzle rather than an obstacle.

If you haven’t played Supraland, then the great news is it’s on both PC and Xbox GamePass, so you’ve no excuse. This game is Steam-only for now (and I prefer playing it mouse-keyboard anyway), and one of the first must-buys of 2022.

• Supra Games
• Steam
• £13/€17/$17
• Official Site

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