I love a shortform horror game about doing a practical job under impractical conditions, by which I mean I loved David Szymanski’s terrifying submarine adventure Iron Lung. The procedure, the claustrophobia, the fact it wrapped up in less than an hour, it’s a fantastic example of surgically precise game design (and how to scare the bejesus out of me).
Naturally, therefore, I was drawn to Descending like a wayward minnow to the light of an anglerfish. This is a free “experimental horror game” made by indie developer Eugene Radaev, in which you play a new recruit to some government run industrial organisation, tasked with operating two large drills as they bore deep into the Earth. Taking place over several days, you’re required to meet a daily drilling distance quota each day, with you retiring to a bed in an adjacent room once your work for the day is done.
As with Iron Lung, Descending takes place entirely in a single location, namely the pit in which the drills are placed, and the corrugated iron shack above. Likewise, the game’s mechanical emphasis is on the procedure of operating the drill, with you replacing drill batteries, monitoring drill temperature, and generally keeping those giant spinning spikes in tiptop condition.
Although things start out normally enough (if being a giant drill operator can ever be considered normal) the situation becomes weirder as the day progresses. You wake up to find that holes have been punched in your shack, and you need to use the orders sent via fax machine to paper them over. These orders also shift from simply providing instructions on the drill, to referring to a war your country is apparently involved in, one in which you play a crucial role. One order you receive tells you explicitly not to get out of your sleeping bag until your shift starts, which is more than a little disconcerting.
The whole game takes around an hour to complete, and while I won’t spoil how events transpire, it pays off pretty well. If you’ve ever found yourself perusing the Wikipedia page for the Kola Superdeep Borehole and wondering what might be down there, then Descending is an essential play, especially since it’s free.
Descending is available to download in a bunch of locations, including itch and Free Game Planet. For extra immersion, play it while listening to ‘The Destruction of the Kola Superdeep Borehole Tower’ by the Mountain Goats.