In a world of serious videogames, the Valheim devs' new co-op dungeon crawler is a reminder that having fun is okay

There are two things that are certain in this world: death and taxes. But no one looks forward to either: there’s the finality of the former, and the bank account-draining of the latter. Yet, in Begraved, I came to excitedly anticipate both. Developed by Grip Jaw, which is made up of various members of the Valheim team, I was invited to test out the co-op game’s Steam Next Fest demo. Accompanied by co-founder Emilia Oscarsson, community manager Jade Mcintosh, and, per his LinkedIn, ‘World Weaver’ Robin Eyre (who Mcintosh quickly promoted to ‘sexy bear’ during the two hours we spent together), I loaded into the game and was met with puddles of blood and Oscarsson being set on fire. Exactly as it should be.

If you’re unfamiliar with Begraved, it falls naturally into the ‘friendslop’ category we’ve seen emerge over the past year. Straddling the cozy and horror game genres, you’re tasked with heading out into various dungeons to collect all manner of valuables, which you can in turn sell for cash to hand back to the ominous Taxman. The loop is simple: choose your mission, head out, and survive. It turns out we weren’t particularly good at that last part, but I’m still unsure whether the enemies were the primary danger, or my teammates. If you don’t hear from me again, you know why.

Begraved was born from the team’s love of Lethal Company and its desire to build upon it and create a more cohesive game. It features a customizable hideout, where you can change your character’s appearance, decorate your surroundings to your heart’s content, and acquire black cats (which Mcintosh subsequently considered barbequing). It acts as a central nexus – it’s where the store is and where you get your missions – but also a fun gathering point.

“We want people to stay,” Eyre tells me. “We want you to care about the hideout and decorate it, then go into these scary places, bring experiences back, and almost have, like, these trophies – ‘remember when we got this bench?’ You can have an experience that is longer than just a few hours. That’s why we want to have the save progression and the storyline that we’re setting up.” This gives players a narrative strand to follow; a reason to come back, but also “an ending as well.”

“It’s cozy vibes,” Mcintosh continues. “I’m not much of a cozy gamer, but I appreciate that you can make your hideout look really nice. We want bonuses for that – there are going to be some bonuses applied to things you bring back as well for the more functional, mechanical gamer. We’re not trying to appeal to everyone, but we do really want to give that sense of progression and ownership.”

Eyre also mentions the idea of a “pet cemetery,” to which Mcintosh asks “for all the burnt cats?” But the idea is to create a real sense of home and wholesomeness; a beacon of warmth in a world that often feels cold.

The primary focus is, of course, the dungeons. As someone who plays horror games but is prone to screaming, I didn’t quite expect the game to actually be as spooky as it was. Eerie, doll-like ghosts appear out of nowhere, specific curses launch boxes at you when you aren’t looking, and lumbering zombies utter guttural cries that bounce off of the walls. “Watch the spikes,” Oscarsson tells me, as I proceed to walk straight into them. “I’ve played this game hundreds of times and always forget about them,” she laughs, before promptly getting lost herself.

But death in Begraved isn’t the end. You can revive your allies at specific restoration points, but only one at a time. If your other colleagues have met their untimely end, they can float around as helpful little ghosts, lighting the pathway in either red or blue. Of course, you can also just not, because there’s always that one guy who’s there to cause chaos, but it’s a fun little mechanic that’s more interactive than the basic spectator format, and allows you to continue to be part of the game instead of feeling like you’re hanging around waiting for the run to end.

Speaking of spectators, while this is perhaps a particularly niche D&D reference, Begraved also features a selfie camera that’s not dissimilar to the ugly looking monsters you’ve likely encountered in your tabletop campaigns. When Eyre drops it to let me try it out, it immediately takes off, prompting a mad scramble to pick it up. We snap a few selfies using various emotes, and I’m overwhelmed by a sense of pure happiness. As someone who naturally trends towards competitive games like League of Legends and Overwatch, or conversely dark, dreary RPGs like Plague Tale, the sense of just playing something for fun was somewhat overwhelming. Begraved tugged an emotional heartstring, perhaps unexpectedly, and it all stemmed from a weird little running eyeball.

Because, at its core, Begraved is about “fun.” When I ask why the trio – Eyre and Oscarsson specifically – decided to make a whole new game and studio while simultaneously dealing with the pressures of the upcoming Valheim 1.0, Eyre’s answer is “because it’s fun.” Fun is a commodity that videogames feel like they’re losing these days: it’s videogames as a product or cinematic experience, versus videogames as a game. As someone who doesn’t play a lot of ‘friendslop’ (a term I find somewhat reductive), Begraved has, in many ways, reminded me what videogames are.

The Begraved demo is out now, and will be sticking around after Steam Next Fest. You can download it right here. It’s worth noting that this is an early demo, and there will be bugs, both literally and metaphorically. I suggest setting them on fire: it worked well for us.