UnderRail is, quite simply, one of the greatest CRPGs created since the turn of the century. It exemplifies the concept of building living, breathing worlds, popularised once upon a time by the old Origin Systems tag line: “We create worlds.”

A post-apocalyptic game clearly reminiscent of the original Fallout, UnderRail certainly pays homage, but also manages to stand as its own unique game.

The character system is very traditional: there are seven base attributes; over 20 skills divided into Offense, Defense, Subterfuge, Technology (item-crafting), Psi (mental powers), and Social; and loads of feats tailored for various paths and playstyles.

Players can create just about any type of character: a blockhead who wears tailored heavy armour and swings an electrified sledgehammer; a blaggard who sneaks around with a serrated knife; a psi-user who traps enemies behind force walls and pulps their brains with a thought; a commando who uses his customised assault rifle, flashbangs, and grenades to blast his way out of everything; a ranger who uses stealth, deadly traps, and a silent crossbow to eliminate his enemies one by one; a diplomatic sniper; and many, many more viable combinations.

Yet, for me, the exploration aspect of UnderRail is its greatest achievement. Rooms are packed with interactions, from the usual boxes and crates to vents you can peek or crawl through, locked doors to pick, ladders to climb and hidden nooks to uncover. The game's level design makes clever use of intricate, interconnected, multi-level rooms and terrain featuring dead ends, one-way passages, and so on, in such a way that navigating the environment is a challenge by itself.

It's also rewarding, thanks to the Oddity system, which awards XP for exploring and uncovering hidden items – an alternative non-combat experience source.