This review was based on a PC key provided by the publisher. Everdeep Aurora releases on PC and Nintendo Switch on July 10, 2025.

On its surface, Everdeep Aurora is a simple game. The planet is no longer safe, and the adorable cat Shell needs to reach an underground civilization for safety. Unfortunately, Shell’s mother has gone missing. The goal is straightforward. Find Shell’s mom. But as she drills deeper into the planet’s surface, she’ll discover there’s more going on than she could ever imagine.

From developer Nautilus Games, Everdeep follows in the footsteps of games like Animal Well and Fez, where players are given a world to explore, filled with secrets to find and hidden tasks to complete. In many ways, Everdeep Aurora plays like a point-and-click adventure game, just with the added hook of an addictive gameplay loop built around drilling through tiles to further explore the underground world.

Shell may come across someone who needs help with a task, and when you attempt to complete it, you quickly realize you have no clue what you’re supposed to do. Are you stupid? Is the game broken? Nope. It just turns out you’re only on step two of a five-step process in completing this entirely skippable task you’ve stumbled upon. What’s great about these hidden moments is that every single one of them feels just as important as the last. All of the characters, at least the ones I came across, are just like Shell. They need help. So who was I to act like my problems were any bigger than theirs?

The Beauty of the Everdeep

Besides the loop of drilling through tiles, the most addictive thing about the game is its visuals. I loved coming across a new area, if only to admire the beautiful art style. I’ve played a lot of games that push just how beautiful pixel art can be, but I think Everdeep might be my new number one. Many areas may appear to be composed of just a few colors, but once everything combines together, what’s left is an environment that is absolutely stunning and delivers the intended emotional tone in an instant. Whether it’s the soft, relaxing calm of an underground lake or the harsh, oppressive feel of a facility made of metal and stone, Nautilus Games nails the vibe every time.

Even something as simple as Shell—who, at the end of the day, is just a black cat with two big eyes—is given so much personality. Though she’s technically a silent protagonist, only meowing during certain conversations (unless you discover the dedicated meow button), it never felt like Shell was just a… well, shell for the player to explore the world. She’s just as important as anything else in the game. There’s at least one fun nod to a classic indie character hidden in the Everdeep, and seeing Shell next to this character had me thinking that she could easily become a staple alongside characters like The Drifter from Hyper Light Drifter and Shovel Knight from… Shovel Knight.

Not Everything Shines in the Deep

While I adored my time with Everdeep, not everything is perfect beneath the surface.

As I said earlier, the game’s drilling mechanic is incredibly addictive. Whether it’s Minecraft, Terraria, or Core Keeper, I’m always interested in a well-crafted experience that lets me destroy blocks while creating new paths, and Everdeep is no different. The problem, though, is that while the map may not be as big as something like Core Keeper, there were still times when I found myself far enough from a checkpoint that I needed to fast travel to save my progress. That wouldn’t be a huge issue, but players can’t fast travel back to where they just were. And without any kind of autosave, you’re forced to walk all the way back to your previous location after saving. It doesn’t ruin the experience by any means, but it’s definitely annoying.

On top of that, while I thought the platforming sections were a lot of fun, there were moments when I entered a new area and had no idea what I was supposed to do. Not because I was trying to solve some new mystery, but because the platforms or passages I was meant to use blended into the rest of the environment. Even near the end of the game, this was an issue I never fully overcame.

But I think my biggest complaint is the ending.

Don’t worry, no spoilers here. But I will say that while I found the world-building incredibly interesting, the game’s shorter length means a lot is thrown at the player throughout the story. At least for me, it didn’t all land in the emotional way I think the developers were hoping for. On top of that, the game just kind of… ends. One minute I’m discovering secrets, unlocking doors, making interesting choices, and the next, it’s credits.

Yes, the game encourages you to load up your save or start a new run to uncover more secrets and endings. But not everyone plays that way. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve finished a game, claimed I’d run New Game Plus, and then never touched it again.

Even with those shortcomings, I still think Everdeep, in a year full of excellent small-team projects, stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of them. The developers at Nautilus Games have created one of the most impressive indie games of the year, offering a rich experience for anyone who wants to get lost in a mysterious world beneath the surface.

Even now, I’m still thinking about a particular area I discovered. After every new item I found, I traveled back to that location, hoping to learn its secret. But no matter how many times I returned, nothing happened.

Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe the mystery within the deep is enough to get me to go for one more run.