Underkeep: A Czech dungeon crawler from the creators of Jets'n'Guns

Do you remember grid-based movement, maps drawn on graph paper, and a party of heroes fearing every sound in a dungeon? The Prague-based studio Rake in Grass is reviving this classic. Their Underkeep is a turn-based dungeon crawler inspired by 90s RPGs, launching on PC on November 5, 2026.

Who are Rake in Grass

Rake in Grass is one of the oldest independent game studios in the Czech Republic. They have been making games since 2000, starting as a group of students. They still work in a "garage" style: a three-person team with no office, working from home.

The studio's biggest hit is the 2004 shooter Jets'n'Guns, which gained international fame and received a sequel in 2020. Their portfolio also includes the horror action game Larva Mortus, the puzzle platformer Archibald's Adventures, the card-based RPG Northmark: Hour of the Wolf, the co-op brawler Rampage Knights, and the 2025 strategy game Bellfortis. They are no strangers to dungeons, either—years ago, they released the iPhone dungeon crawler Undercroft.

What is Underkeep

Underkeep is a first-person RPG dungeon crawler. This genre is also known as a blobber. You assemble a party of adventurers and navigate the grid-based depths of Underkeep, where long-forgotten secrets slumber. You will encounter characters with their own stories, traps, puzzles, and enemies that won't let you pass easily.

The game openly pays homage to 90s RPG classics. After watching the demo, we can confidently compare it to legends like Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, Ishar, or Lands of Lore, just with slightly more polished graphics, yet still characteristically "pixelated." Unlike its predecessors, it offers modern controls and minor quality-of-life improvements that we can't imagine playing without today.

A party of four heroes

At the start, you build your party. Choose from classes like warrior, mage, ranger, or healer, and races including humans, dwarves, elves, and the stone-like Stoneborn, along with some less traditional options.

Every party member has strengths and weaknesses. You can combine and upgrade abilities and spells, and create synergies with your equipment. A poorly assembled party won't survive long in the depths.

Turn-based combat

Combat is turn-based, so you have as much time as you need to think. Character positioning, stamina and mana management, and timing your abilities are key. If you don't want to wait during combat, you can turn off animations.

Exploration, secret passages, and automap

The dungeons are hand-crafted and full of hidden alcoves, fake walls, buttons, secret passages, and old puzzles. You will find optional bosses and choices that come back to haunt you later. You don't have to wander blindly, though: the game features an automap where you can add your own notes, for example, by locked doors or unsolved puzzles.

Pixel art like in the old days

Underkeep looks like a game you would have borrowed on floppy disks from a friend in the nineties. The hand-drawn pixel art is clean and legible. A preview on the Ringohraní blog calls it one of the best-looking in the genre in recent years, and we have to agree—it looks truly beautiful.

When and where to play Underkeep

• PC (Steam and GOG): November 5, 2026
• Nintendo Switch: Planned for early 2027
• Language: The game supports Czech, so you can dive into the dungeons even without English
• Controls: Mouse and keyboard, plus full controller support

If you don't want to wait, a free demo is available for download on Steam. It shows the beginning of the game, party creation, the first battles, and puzzles.

Dungeons at the table, too

If Underkeep hooks you, you can enjoy dungeons away from the screen. Turn-based combat and exploring undergrounds with a party of heroes are the foundation of tabletop role-playing games. You can start with the classic Dungeons & Dragons, or reach for the old-school RPG Dungeon Crawl Classics.

You can also head underground through reading. The manga Delicious in Dungeon shows what adventurers cook for dinner in a dungeon, and the cheerful Czech fantasy Kobkanýři is a tribute to RPGs. You can find more tips in the Role-playing games category.

FAQ