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1[[quoteright:264:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/underground_level.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:264:[[VideoGame/HotelMario "Gee... it's kinda dark."]] [[labelnote:Games]]Clockwise from top left: ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' (''All-Stars'' release), ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'', ''VideoGame/TheLostVikings'', ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'', ''VideoGame/{{Plok}}''.[[/labelnote]]]]
3
4->''"Wait... From all appearances, this is a particularly frightening crevasse. The data is horrifying! Courage is one thing, but recklessness is something else. Perhaps we should turn back? Well, if you still wish to enter, keep your daring in check and just focus on surviving."''
5-->-- '''The Ship (about the Cavern of Chaos)''', ''VideoGame/Pikmin2''
6
7Underground levels, carved out of endless expanses of rock, are among the favorites of video game designers, primarily because they can shape these tunnels and cavities to any sizes, shapes and lengths they desire without having to resort to the InsurmountableWaistHighFence.
8
9Sometimes known as the Underworld, this setting appears frequently as a direct contrast to TheOverworld as it is where the hero goes when he enters a cave or falls in a hole. It could be an EmptyRoomPsych, a [[DungeonCrawling full fledged dungeon]], or anything inbetween.
10
11Visitors may encounter BottomlessPits, [[StalactiteSpite falling rocks and stalactites]], breakable walls, [[FungusHumongous giant mushrooms]], [[LethalLavaLand lava]], [[UnderTheSea underground lakes]], and/or [[MinecartMadness minecarts]]. Visitors will probably ''not'' encounter stalag''mites'', because game designers prefer flat, uninterrupted floors for the characters and enemies to walk along (at least, outside of traps; stalagmites show up quite often as the cavernous version of SpikesOfDoom). Enemies typically include [[BatOutOfHell giant bats]], MoleMen, BigCreepyCrawlies and {{Rock Monster}}s. The music often gets more low-key and adds drums and bass.
12
13In most cases, light is strangely never a problem -- it might be darker than usual, but you've [[HollywoodDarkness always got enough to see by]] (maybe there's some sort of [[BioluminescenceIsCool glowing fungus]]). Oddly enough, although spiders are common, {{Cobweb Jungle}}s are not.
14
15An extremely common variant when it overlaps with CrystalLandscape for a crystal cave, featuring quartz and precious gems gleaming wall-to-wall with AllNaturalGemPolish. No one ever considers mining them out, because they're just there to look [[RuleOfCool cool]]. And wouldn't you know it, sometimes the crystals are [[SlippySlideyIceWorld ice crystals]].
16
17The RPG version is usually either a fairly difficult dungeon with little reprieve, or the [[NoobCave very first one]], used as an introduction.
18
19May at times overlap with the AbsurdlySpaciousSewer. Since caves are rarely well-lit (whether naturally or artificially), often overlaps with BlackoutBasement. If there are people living there, see UndergroundCity and BeneathTheEarth. May also encompass the literal [[TheUnderworld Underworld]], though that usually gives it elements of LethalLavaLand or BigBoosHaunt. For the opposite, levels taking place in the sky, see LevelsTakeFlight and LevelInTheClouds.
20----
21!!Examples:
22
23%%Please sort this by genre
24
25[[foldercontrol]]
26
27[[folder:Action]]
28* ''VideoGame/MetalWarriors'': The second half of the sixth mission takes Stone into a deep underground base located beneath the plateau found in the jungle where the first half took place. On top of its maze-like design, there are passageways that periodically unleash electrical discharges which are harmful upon contact, as well as a pool of magma that frequently unleashes geysers.
29[[/folder]]
30
31[[folder:Action-Adventure]]
32* ''VideoGame/EternityTheLastUnicorn'' have the Jotundrir caverns, a network of caves filled with monsters.
33* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
34** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' has Turtle Rock, which notably doesn't have any man-made (or even divine) design like the other dungeons, so it's more like a very extended cave.
35** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'': Three dungeons in the game display this setting: Bottle Grotto, Key Cavern, and Catfish's Maw; the first is in a cave near a swamp, the second is underneath a brick building, and the third is a building underneath Martha's Bay.
36** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' has Dodongo's Cavern, the Fire and Shadow Temples and Beneath the Well. The former two are set inside the volcanic Death Mountain, so they [[HailfirePeaks also qualify as]] LethalLavaLand dungeons. The latter two are placed in the underground of Kakariko Village, and them being overrun by undead creatures makes them BigBoosHaunt locations as well. The Shadow Temple also overlaps a little bit with GustyGlade with the active fans that require the use of the Iron Boots to resist their push, while one fan leads to Bongo-Bongo's lair in the heart of the temple.
37** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' has the Gibdo Well, which connects Ikana Canyon with its Ancient Castle. To progress there, Link has to deliver items to the mummified Gibdos while wearing the Gibdo Mask (and while doing so, he has to keep an eye on hazards like a torture device that only Deku Link can overcome and some annoying enemies).
38** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' has the aptly named Earth Temple. Since the number of light sources is finite, Link and Medli have to reflect the available light to the dark areas where it's required.
39** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'': Aside from the Cave of Flames (which is a [[LethalLavaLand volcanic]] mining cave), there are walls scattered throughout Hyrule that can be dug into with the Mole Mitts, leading into tunnel mazes of diggable earth that may serve as shortcuts to other aboveground locations or hide secrets. Many of them are quite extensive.
40** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has the underground village where the Mogmas live, located in Eldin Volcano. Aside from some fire-breathing enemies that hide within small holes, it's a safe location.
41** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'':
42*** Caves are encountered all over Hyrule. Some of them are very short, while others are much longer and more extensive. They usually consist of intricate systems of tunnels and side chambers, sometimes with multiple exists, and navigation often requires a great deal of vertical movement and clearing out blockages of rocks. Some of them are also partly or wholly flooded. They're inhabited by subterranean enemies, chiefly flocks of batlike Keese, sessile Like-Likes that cling to the walls, and apelike Horriblins that swing along the ceilings. A lot of the plants and animals found here, such as lightseeds, mushrooms, and blind cave fish, are naturally bioluminescent.
43*** The Depths are a much more extensive underworld that runs beneath all of Hyrule, which is accessed by diving through boreholes reaching to the surface. While surface caves are shallow enough to receive light, [[BlackoutBasement the Depths are naturally pitch-black and must be artificially lit up to progress]]. They're also home to a lot of dangerous monsters. However, this is also the only source of important historic artifacts and of the valuable Zoanite mineral.
44* ''VideoGame/ProjectEden'' is almost entirely set underground. This being a scifi game, underground means "abandoned and decaying ruins of the megacity that now spans above" rather than "damp caves". Occasionally overlaps with BeneathTheEarth, as a few game areas are inhabited by neutral [=NPCs=].
45* ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'': Once the speeder bike in the Darkice Mines passes a certain point, the rest of the level is cave. There's also the underground field of Thorntail Hollow, where Fox has to look for white mushrooms (White Grubtubs, a special variant of the more common Blue Grubtubs) to cure Tricky's mother.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:First Person Shooter]]
49* ''VideoGame/DeepRockGalactic'': As the game is about dwarven miners digging for riches on a hostile alien DeathWorld, all levels are set within procedurally-generated cavern systems filled with valuable ore and crawling with hostile alien creatures.
50* ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'': The entirety of the first two games, sometimes crossing into LethalLavaLand. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that you're flying through mines to clear out berserk mining robots.
51* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'': The expansion ''Perseus Mandate'' has the Old Underground Metro Area, [[UnderCity a forgotten city district engulfed by an earthquake and used as a base for the new Fairport]]. There aren't any human enemies in the two levels it spans, [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight which doesn't make them any less terrifying]]. In fact, the sheer amount of hostile apparitions probably makes the place the games' very first BigBoosHaunt.
52%%(ZCE)* ''VideoGame/{{Turok}} 2: Seeds of Evil'': The Lair of the Blind Ones.
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:MMORPG]]
56* ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'': Based as it is on the works of Creator/JRRTolkien, [=LotRO=] is filled with the stomping grounds of Middle Earth's mountain-dwelling dwarves, goblins, and orcs. In addition to dozens of lesser caves, mines, and crypts, there are several large underground areas: Goblin-town, Moria, Erebor, etc.
57* ''VideoGame/PlanetSide'': The ancient [[AbsentAliens Vanu]] caverns contain megalithic rock formations, giant crystals composed of [[NanoTechnology nanites]], multiple vertical levels, zip-lines, and abandoned ([[RagnarokProofing but totally functional]]) Vanu buildings.
58* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has several although Ahn'Kahet qualifies the best. It is an underground city that here and there borders natural subterranean life. It features large, glowy mushrooms, insects of different types and sizes and bioluminiscent birds/bats that fly around. It also contains large number of undead that took over the city as well as the few surviving Nerubians that originally inhabited the city. While the dungeon itself is fairly linear, players are able get a good view of the massive underground caverns from ledges and combinations of creepy music, darkness and mysterious whispers (courtesy of an [[EldritchAbomination Old God]] under whose range of influence the city is located) make this place quite {{Nightmare Fuel}}lerific. It was originally meant to be part of a whole underground region.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:Party Games]]
62* ''VideoGame/MarioParty1'':
63** The minigame Whack-A-Plant takes a solo player into an underground room with several pipes and trampolines. Piranha Plants pop out of the pipes, and the player gets one coin for every Piranha Plant stomped on.
64** The minigame Ghost Guess takes a solo player into an underground cavern partially lit, and inhabited by Boos. The player has to touch the leading Boo by looking at the distinctive shadow. Success will grant them coins, while failure will deduct coins from them.
65* ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'': Creepy Cavern is a board located in a deep, decrepit cavern (the night sky can still be seen in the horizon, so it's not completely underground). It is inhabited by Dorrie in a lake at the west, a group of red and blue Lava Bubbles in the south, several Whomps (which, funnily enough, are playing a tabletop version of ''Mario Party'') in the east, and an unsorted group of animals with glowing red eyes in the north. The cavern is illuminated thanks to the luminiscent fungi and ore in the east as well as a river of lava in the middle. There are two minecart tracks in the board, and a player can hop onto a moving minecart with good timing to take a shortcut to another side.
66* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty'':
67** King Bob-omb's Powderkeg Mine and Gold Rush Mine are boards located in a gold mine deep below the earth. The northeast and southwest corners of the board have minecart stations that players can ride between, and the easternmost part of the board contains a gold deposit where players can dig for coins if they land on the correct spaces.
68** The Co-op minigame Miner Setbacks tasks all four players with carrying a cart full of crystals through a cave to reach a goal line. The cave contains Warp Pipes with Piranha Plants inside that the team must time their movements past to avoid getting bitten. There are alternate paths that players can take to avoid them, but they tend to be out of the way, and are covered in mud that slows them down.
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Platform Games]]
72* ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'': Glitter Gulch Mine is a large cavern rich in ore of different colors, and has some areas that can only be accessed when Banjo and Kazooie are turned into a living stack of TNT capable of blowing up rocky obstacles (they can attack enemies this way as well, but [[CastFromHitPoints it's not recommended]]). It includes a MinecartMadness minigame, and it's also here where Chuffy the Train is first seen.
73* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'': Several of the {{Recurring Location}}s , such as the aptly named Underground Caverns, Abandoned Mines, and Catacombs, are this. This makes it all the more confusing in [[spoiler:the latter half of]] ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]]'' [[spoiler:where all three of these levels are the highest points in the game, yet retain the attributes of an Underground Level.]]
74* ''VideoGame/CaveStory''. The only thing that's not underground is the surface right before the [[FinalBoss final]] [[BossRush boss]]. However, while that's the official setting, only a few levels look like actual caves; there's a desert level, a grassy outdoorsy level, some techie levels, an a plantation level, among others (most of which have a rocky background). Conversely, The Outer Wall appears to be outside the caves, although it's always night there, whereas it's daytime up on the balcony.
75* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'': Melon Mines in ''Keen Dreams'' and the cave levels of ''Secret of the Oracle'' take place underground. Aside from their labyrinthine design, they play similarly to other levels, though in the latter game the cave levels have a bigger population of enemies like Mimrocks (living stones that attack Keen when he's not looking at them), Licks (round creatures that breathe fire), and Blue Birds (dangerous eagles that cannot be killed).
76* ''VideoGame/CosmosCosmicAdventure'': Levels 5 and 10 in the first episode takes place inside a gray, labyrinthic cavern with plenty of minerals as collectible items. The former level has some stone enemies that attempt to crush Cosmo whenever he's close to them (similar to the Thwomps of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' fame), as well as some spears attached to walls that periodically stretch downward. The latter level is more open-ended in its design, and houses the boss of the episode. The first and second episodes also feature SlippySlideyIceWorld variants, where certain walls have lower friction and make Cosmo go down even when he's attached to them with his arms' suction cups. The third episode, which predominantly takes place in an EternalEngine citadel, averts the trope.
77* ''VideoGame/CrystalCaves'' takes place entirely underground, but this is one case where someone is there to mine it out.
78* ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'':
79** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'': Chimp Caverns, with various other areas also qualifying. Occasionally subverts the "there's always light" concept, with levels that require you to free a parrot to carry a lantern for you, giving you an annoying flashlight-style lit area. Other stages are lit by torch light and thus have normal lighting.
80** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'' has mine shaft stages (Namely Kannon's Klaim). It also features giant ice caverns found for the first time in the penultimate world, featuring appropriately echoing and cool-sounding music.
81** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'': The game brings back the darker cave levels taking the stage.
82** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'': The Crystal Caves, which combines this with SlippySlideyIceWorld. From time to time, a larger-than-usual Kosha (a Kremling that attacks with a spiky mace) located in the topmost territory will hit the ground to make the entire level tremble and make some spikes fall down, potentially harming the Kongs. It's possible to locate this scoundrel and defeat it to stop the quakes, but it requires a non-obvious procedure.
83** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'': The fourth world is set completely in caverns (and its name is indeed Cave), though they're always navigated through with minecarts or a wooden rocket (including the boss level, as the battle consists of a pursuit to intercept Mole Miner Max).
84** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'': Two levels in the Autumn Heights mix this trope with LevelAte, as they're calcified caverns that have ''cheese'' in many parts.
85* ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'': The games cross this level with UnderTheSea several times. At one point the severely reduced visibility is actually acknowledged, and the use of Ecco's sonar is required to get through.
86* ''VideoGame/TheFloorIsJelly'' has a large underground cavern that serves as the HubLevel. The cavern, besides being [[RubberyWorld ridiculously bouncy like everything else]] in the game, is also populated with strange and magnificent flora as well as the occasional frog, the latter causing small wobbles through the ground as they hop around.
87* ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet2'': Ancestral Forge is set within a hidden underground tunnel in the Southern islands of Parusa. After a brief encounter with the level's boss Gnawsa Lock, the playable heroine finds herself trapped in an underground labyrinth and must find her way out by solving the various puzzle-based rooms and unlocking the main door by activating all of the associated rooms' orbs.
88* ''VideoGame/GianaSistersDS'': A lot of levels take place in caves full of sharp stalactites, bouncing spiked balls and Piranha-filled subterranean lakes. Other perils include Ghosts and Jellyfishes.
89* ''VideoGame/HeyPikmin'': The Sparkling Labyrinth mostly takes place in a tunnel system filled with sparkling stones. Puzzles mostly involve destroying dirt, stone and crystals that bar you progress, and enemies include creatures covered in crystal shells.
90* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'': Mountain Pass is a prolonged cavern that serves as the linking area between Rock Village and Volcanic Crater. It has several pits explosive barrels that must be avoided while Jak is driving the Zoomer across the area, as well as luminous pink crystals in the walls.
91* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': Virtually every game has one. ''The Great Cave Offensive'' in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' and its DS [[VideoGameRemake remake]], ''Super Star Ultra'', is a {{Metroidvania}} subgame that takes place entirely in an underground cavern, which is apparently large enough to have its own atmosphere and clouds floating around in places.
92* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
93** ''VideoGame/TheBugsBunnyBirthdayBlowout'': World 4 takes place in a cave, where Bugs has to deal with [[StalactiteSpite falling stalactites]], ghosts, and [[BlackoutBasement the lights going out]].
94** ''VideoGame/RoadRunnersDeathValleyRally'' has "Hopalong Casualty", which serves as the fourth world. This takes place in a mine, filled with falling boulders, mine carts, drills, and exploding robot female roadrunners. The boss of this world is Wile E. Coyote in a drilling rig.
95** ''VideoGame/TazManiaSega'' has a cave as the fifth world, with the first act having a MineCartMadness level. The sequel, ''VideoGame/TazInEscapeFromMars'' has Mole World, with [[AdvancingWallOfDoom a giant drilling machine chasing Taz throughout the second act]], which Taz gets to fight in the third.
96** In ''VideoGame/DesertDemolition Starring [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote]]'', "Karl's Bad Caverns" takes place in a mine, which includes rideable mine carts and elevators as setpieces.
97** ''VideoGame/PorkyPigsHauntedHoliday'': The fourth level takes place in an abandoned mine, where Porky has to deal with rolling boulders, bats, swinging weights, and slime monsters. The boss of this level is Hyde Tweety from "WesternAnimation/HydeAndGoTweet".
98** In ''VideoGame/BugsBunnyInDoubleTrouble'', the "Bully For Bugs/Roman Legion-Hare" level is mostly set in the underground corridors of the colosseum, where Bugs needs to collect pieces to build a trap for Toro the Bull or the Lion.
99* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
100** ''VideoGame/Metroid1'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'': Most of the explorable world is divided between Brinstar (caves) and Norfair ([[LethalLavaLand lava caves]]). It's also the purest example in the series, in that aside from the opening screen and the ending screen, nothing takes place above ground.
101** ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'': All of the action takes place in the caverns of SR388. The only part of the surface the player sees is the immediate area around Samus' ship, [[spoiler:and the hills behind it at the end of the game]].
102** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'': The game set the tradition in itself and subsequent installments to combine this trope with a compatible setting. Maridia is a network of [[DownTheDrain flooded caves]], while Norfair makes a return from the first game as a [[LethalLavaLand lava cave]].
103** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'': Phendrana Drifts, which is a [[SlippySlideyIceWorld snowy location]]), features some icy caves in the frontier area, located beyond the pirate base; some parts of it are flooded, thus necessitating the Gravity Suit for better navigation. Later in the game, Samus reaches the Phazon Mines, an [[EternalEngine industrial facility]] built by the Space Pirates to mine and process Phazon; it is divided in three levels (in descending order), with the lowest one being filled with pools of Phazon and housing the area's boss (Omega Pirate).
104** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': Unlike other ''Metroid'' games where Samus starts at or near the surface of the planet and has to make her way deeper underground, this game has Samus start in Artaria, the lowest section of the planet, with each subsequent area being closer to the surface, culminating in the ''Itorash'', Raven Beak's ship and location of the FinalBoss fight with him.
105* ''VideoGame/{{Plok}}'': The final levels take place in the Flea Pit.
106* ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'': The Cave of Bad Dreams and Beneath the Sanctuary of Rock and Lava, the former combining this with BigBoosHaunt. Most of The Desert of the Knaaren in ''VideoGame/Rayman3'' also takes place in underground tunnels.
107* ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'': Acts 2 and 3 of [[LethalLavaLand Planet Scorch]]. Act 3 has a battle against Adahan, a mole-like creature in a giant mechanical suit.
108* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
109** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1991'' has Marble Zone, the second world of the game. While some parts of the level happen upperground, the majority consists of excavating ruins, navigating through hazards, and using platforms to float above lava, as it combines with LethalLavaLand.
110** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' has Mystic Cave Zone, which serves as the game's sixth world. It features moss-covered rocks, dangling plant tendrils, and impassible walls that can be lowered to form bridges by pulling on slimy vines that serve as switches. Enemies include Crawlton, a robotic snake, and Flasher, a robotic firefly who can only be damaged when his bulb isn't lit. The boss of this stage is Dr. Robotnik in a drilling machine which causes stalactites to rain from the ceiling.
111** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit'' has the aptly-named Under Ground Zone, the game's first world, which takes place in an underground cavern filled with [[LethalLavaLand lava]].
112** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' has Quartz Quadrant which happens in a cave with conveyor belts that either slow down or accelerate your progression: while the Past version is a simple cave, the Present is a CrystalLandscape, the Good Future is an UndergroundCity, and the BadFuture is another Eggman factory.
113** ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'':
114*** Lava Reef Zone takes place in an underground labyrinth filled with lava: like some of the previous examples, it combines with LethalLavaLand.
115*** Endless Mine Zone in the 2-player mode takes place in a gold mine.
116** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' has Aquatic Mine, which combines this trope with UnderTheSea, as it takes place in a flooded mine. This level has three switches that raise and lower the water level, allowing Knuckles to access different parts depending on how high or low the water level is. Hidden in one tunnel is the Air Necklace, which [[SuperNotDrowningSkills allows Knuckles to breathe underwater indefinitely without drowning]] when equipped.
117** ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'': Both Windy Hill and Silent Forest Zone 3 take place in a dark cave. The latter also contains a few SlippySlideyIceWorld elements to it.
118%%** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'': Most of Ice Cap before the snowboarding portion, and the second part of Sonic's version of Red Mountain (the whole level, for Gamma).
119%%** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': The second half of Flame Core.
120%%** ''VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries'':
121%%*** ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'': Skeleton Dome.
122%%*** ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'': Crystal Cave.
123%%** Coral Cave in ''VideoGame/SonicRushAdventure'', [[HailfirePeaks mixing it up with]] UnderTheSea. And it's very pretty.
124* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': The various levels and bonuses reached by warp pipes:
125** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'': World 1-2 serves as an introduction to a type of setting that contrasts directly with the open-air levels that are more frequent. All five ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' games, as well as ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels The Lost Levels]]'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'', do the same thing at exactly the same level slot.
126** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'': The game is unusual in that its first showcase of the Underground setting takes place in the ''second'' world (specifically 2-1, after its ShiftingSandLand first half), because the "underground" parts in World 1 are actually on-surface caves. The more frequent assets are sand (which can be tackled via FastTunneling, especially with Toad) in the desert levels, and rocks in the grass ones that can be broken (whether by Bob-Ombs or regular bombs).
127** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'': The game has 1-5 as its first underground level, and a few more pop up occasionally over the course of Mario's and Luigi's adventure. These levels feature moats of water and enemies like Buzzy Beetles (including a new variant called Buster Beetle which throws blocks at the player), Bob-Ombs and Paratroopas.
128** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'': The game goes as far as having two worlds themed around caves: Vanilla Dome and Valley of Bowser. The most frequent feature seen in them is a kind of yellow rock that rises and lowers periodically, which becomes beneficial to reach high places in big areas but detrimental when Mario or Luigi is in narrow passageways. Lava pits are common as well, and can be crossed safely with skull-made rafts (Lava Lifts).
129** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'': Hazy Maze Cave is a dark, dank subterranean labyrinth filled with hazards like toxic gas, rolling boulders, flame geysers, bottomless pits and enemies like Snufits, Scuttlebugs and Monty Moles. In the bottom area, a friendly creature (Dorrie) lives and can help Mario reach a secret room leading to a special stage where the Metal Cap powerup can be enabled.
130** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' features Spin-Dig Galaxy and Slimy Spring Galaxy. The former takes place within a very large hollow planet that houses multiple smaller planetoids, all of which can be dug underground with the help of the Spin Drill. The latter is an aquatic variant where Mario and Luigi navigate across a prolonged subterranean river filled with many enemies; it ends with an exit that provides a beautiful look at the sunset.
131** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand'': World 1-2 harkens back to the iconic second level of the original ''Super Mario Bros.'' by taking place underground (whereas 1-1 is a GreenHillZone). Features include swinging spikes and a new type of Piranha Plant that throws black ink at the screen to make visibility more difficult (similar to the Bloopers in the ''Mario Kart'' series). Later underground levels add green tiles that unfold after Mario stands on the first of them, as well as mushroom trampolines and blocks that form a small path as they're being hit.
132** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'': World 1-2 retains the series' tradition, and from there later underground levels in the game follow suit, but they bring in their own share of unique assets: Clear Pipes, POW Blocks whose detonation can break multiple blocks in succession, rotating gizmos, and a level that uses a unique visual design based on lights and shadows.
133** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' has the icy underground area of Sand Kingdom, where much of the terrain is slippery. The safest way to traverse them is by possessing a stack of Goombas nearby.
134** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'': This is one of the settings that can be chosen to make levels, being present in all game styles. In the latter game, during Night mode, the level will be played upside down.
135** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'': Both Fungi Mines and Deep Magma Bog, which are predominantly BubblegloopSwamp and LethalLavaLand respectively, intersect with this setting as Mario and his friends delve into their deeper areas. The underground levels in Fungi Mines are overrun with a luminous green fluid that is lethal upon contact, while the those of Deep Magma Bog have, well, magma that is just as deadly.
136** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioFusionRevival'':
137*** World 3-1: Viscous Burrow. The first area our heroes encounter in the Ocean of Oblivion is a burrow inhabited by giant maggots. This area is flooded by caustic purple fluid and at times, the only way to traverse the caustic pools is to use the slime trails produced by the maggots.
138*** World 4-5 (Crimson Cavern): A maze level that switches between a blood-filled and a lava-filled version of the same cavern, with some minor differences.
139%%** ''VideoGame/MarioAdventure'': World 2 is a combination of this and LethalLavaLand.
140* ''VideoGame/Shantae2002'' has the Golem Mine, which has lava, stalactites, and stalagmites blocking Shantae's path and puzzles involving the usage of polarities to attract and repel objects.
141* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'':
142** ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventures'': In the 1991 [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] LicensedGame, Stage 3-3 takes place in a dark cave, where The Wolverine (from the TV series episode, "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS1E24BusterAndTheWolverine Buster and the Wolverine]]") is fought at the end. Bats attack the player's character from the ceilings, and there are spiky pink balls that move vertically and must be avoided.
143** ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresBustersHiddenTreasure'': The ice cave serves as this. Enemies include blue monsters that shoot bubbles, bats, and clones of Perfecto Prep student, [[YouDirtyRat Roderick Rat]]. In addition to them, Buster also has to [[IndyEscape outrun boulders]] and [[StalactiteSpite avoid falling stalactites]].
144** ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresBustersBadDream'': Stage 1-2 takes place in a cave. Enemies include bats, gremlins, and panthers. Buster must also beware of boulders that sometimes fall from the ceiling.
145* ''VideoGame/WackyRaces1991'': The second half of Stage C-3 takes place in a cave, where Muttley must dodge rolling boulders. The boss of this stage is Lazy Luke and Blubber Bear in the Arkansas Chug-a-bug.
146* ''VideoGame/WarioLand'':
147** ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'' has many of these in [[DeathMountain Mount Teapot]] and [[LethalLavaLand Stove Canyon]].
148** The entirety of ''VideoGame/VirtualBoyWarioLand'' takes place underground.
149** ''VideoGame/WarioLandII'' has the chapter "Go to the Cellar!!", which also features a LocomotiveLevel.
150%%* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'': The Moon Grotto and Gumo's Hideout.
151* ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'':
152** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' and [[VideoGame/YoshisIslandDS the sequel for]] Platform/NintendoDS have numerous cave levels, which have underground waterfalls (or [[LethalLavaLand lava]] in the case of the respective final worlds' cave level).
153** ''VideoGame/YoshisStory'': "The Bone Dragon Cave" is underground and is the only truly underground level on the second page, even though it is known as the Cave.
154[[/folder]]
155
156[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
157* ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragons'': World 2 of ''Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition'' is set in a cave, breaking the ''Mario'' tradition of World 2 being set in a desert. (The desert is World 3 instead.)
158* ''VideoGame/TheWitness'': [[spoiler:The caves underneath the island that are accessed through a passage at the bottom of the mountain.]]
159* ''VideoGame/KuruKuruKururin'': The levels in World 5 (Cave) take place inside a rocky mountain with bonfires and dinosaur fossils in the background. One of the game's supporting characters advise Kururin to move across the paths quickly, due to them being too narrow to be traversed slowly without making the ship clash against the walls. The second level adds elements that become more common in later levels, such as compactors, spiked metallic spheres and a spring maze (and the third level leans closer to being a LethalLavaLand, due to the boiling red ground and the obsidian formations in the background).
160[[/folder]]
161
162[[folder:Racing Games]]
163* ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' has the course Piranha Plant Slide, which is part of the Star Cup. It is modeled after (and is a {{Homage}} to) the underground levels from the 2D games, especially the original ''Super Mario Bros.''; as you navigate within, you'll find Piranha Plants popping out of large green pipes, and a large underwater area. It returns in ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' and ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' as a NostalgiaLevel.
164* ''VideoGame/SonicDrift2'' has Mystic Cave and Quake Cave. Mystic Cave serves as the fifth track of the White GP, while Quake Cave serves as the second track of the Blue GP.
165[[/folder]]
166
167[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
168* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'': This is a frequent setting in the series.
169** ''VideoGame/Pikmin2001'' has the Forest Navel, a large cave entered through a hole in the heart of a dense forest; the area's layout is centered on the landing area, the only part of it directly in the light, and slopes down around from it in a series of ledges and snaking paths heading down into the darkness. Unlike the rest of the game's areas, which are decorated by lush plant life, the Forest Navel is instead filled with clusters of stalagmites and with [[GlowingFlora glowing mushrooms]] that provide the only sources of natural light in most of the area. It's inhabited by swarms of burrowing insects, many fire-breathing Blowhogs, and albino versions of the Wollywog enemies found on the surface, as well as a a poisonous mushroom MiniBoss and the Beady Long Legs, a GiantSpider boss.
170** ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'' has the Caves, which serve as underground dungeons. Many of them mix the setting with others, for the sake of variety; the most traditional examples would be those found in Awakening Wood, which consist of winding tunnels in the soil; later caves include stony labyrinths with angular tunnels and snowy caves. The most unusual examples are the buried ruins of human structures, including complexes of rusted metal platforms, wooden toyboxes, and flooded rooms lined with tiles. Regardless of type, caves are typically very dark, with only the area immediately around the player being lit up, and are home to a high variety of tough monsters, including several types not found on the surface. It's also common for dangers, including enemies, boulders and explosive rocks, to fall from the ceiling when players or Pikmin pass beneath them.
171** ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'' has several caves that connect outdoors portions of the main areas, with the largest ones being a dark cavern where the Vehemoth Phosbat lurks, which must be artificially lit to defeat the creature, and the labyrinthine insides of the Formidable Oak.
172* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has two different tilesets for underground locations: the aptly-named Underground (for ice caves) and Dungeon (lava). Both contain different giant monsters as well as undead.
173[[/folder]]
174
175[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]
176* ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'' has a number of mines and underground cities to explore, usually infested with [[BreakableWeapons weapon-eating]] golems and corrosive blobs.
177* ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'': The first two games take place entirely underground, and there are underground parts in all the others.
178* ''VideoGame/AVeryLongRopeToTheTopOfTheSky'': The Saecelium Mine and the starting cave.
179%%* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire'': A great many locations qualify, especially the majority of the early-game dungeons.
180* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' features places like Heckran's Cave, the Reptite Lair, and [[spoiler: the ruins of the Tyranno Lair]] as underground locales.
181* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' has several.
182** ''VideoGame/DarkSouls1'' has the Catacombs and the [[BlackoutBasement Tomb of the Giants]].
183** ''VideoGame/DarkSouls2'' has The Grave of Saints and The Gutter.
184** ''VideoGame/DarkSouls3'' adds the Catacombs of Carthus and Irithyll Dungeon.
185* ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege'' has many, MANY underground caverns that need to be traversed. These range from standard limestone tunnels to ice crevasses to breathtaking crystal caverns to desert badlands to dragon nests to molten lava tunnels.
186* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' exhibits this trope in a more literal fashion than [[VideoGame/DarkSouls its predecessor]]. The game's WideOpenSandbox world is separated into two levels (an overworld and an underworld) that the player moves between via elevators and portals. Unusually for this trope, the underworld has its own sky that [[FisherKing varies based on the biome and its ruler]]. This goes from the eternal starry night of Siofra to hellish red haze in the domain of [[SatanicArchetype Mogh, Lord of Blood]].
187* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'': The majority of strata are technically placed in underground floors (the trope is inverted in the second and fifth games, because you're going ''up'' instead of down). However, only the following ones show the setting proper:
188** ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIITheDrownedCity'': Molten Caves combines this trope with LethalLavaLand, being a volcanically active cavern beneath the ocean with large amounts of lava, some of which can be traversed at the cost of some HP and others which are so hot that can only be traversed with mobile platforms.
189** ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIVLegendsOfTheTitan'':
190*** Golden Lair is a rocky labyrinth located within the cold Sacred Mountains, serving as the third stratum. In each floor, there are red hot scales expelled from the Boiling Lizard (the boss), but they can be excised with Ice Stakes. However, also in each floor, there's a larger-than-usual stake whose removal will restore the whole floor to its original low temperature, freezing the water in the process and allowing the player's characters to slide through them. It is home to the Sentinels, who ask you to get rid of the Boiling Lizard and find a cure to an ancient illness; they eventually lend their services to Tharsis (which leads to the availability of the Bushi class of combatants).
191*** The MiniDungeon locations in the Sacred Mountains are Underground Levels, but each of them has its own gimmick: The Cramped Nest is a small maze with sharp, spiky walls, only some of which can be traversed (trying to get through the others will cause pain to the characters, reducing their HP). The Toxic Cave has F.O.E. that vomit harmful poison to the floor (this is actually good if the poison falls over gathering spots, as it's the only way to obtain a kind of material that is unobtainable otherwise). Lastly, the Underground Lake is a SlippySlideyIceWorld maze made of ice walls that can be melted once the central spot's chalice is lit with the Empire's Black Flame, and restored when the chalice is turned off again (since the area's temperature also determines whether the ice floors are slippery but passable or warm yet impassable, this effectively gives the whole maze two toggleable layouts, and [[TogglingSetpiecePuzzle swapping between them is necessary to fully explore it]]).
192** ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyVBeyondTheMyth'' has the Lucent Hollows, a cerulean crystal cave filled with rocks that can be shattered with a special pickaxe that is crafted by the game's resident shopkeeper (he requires a material found in this very place for that, though). The stratum also has large crystals that transport the explorers from one spot to another.
193** ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyNexus'': The Golden Lair returns in this game as a NostalgiaLevel and, besides retaining its gimmick and boss, also adds the ice block puzzles from the second game's Frozen Grounds as well as a MiniBoss (Salamander) that was originally a souped-up SkippableBoss in that game; also, when the dungeon's temperature is at its highest, the atmosphere is brighting red hot (similar to the Molten Caves from the third game; this didn't happen in the original Golden Lair). Additionally, the game adds two underground mini-dungeons: Seditious Colony (a cave that has been plagued by Ants originated from the Ant Queen), and Frigid Lake (a SlippySlideyIceWorld cavern filled with frozen water and ice blocks).
194* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series has featured underground areas from the beginning, ranging from the buried Vaults and their entrance tunnels to mines and abandoned subways.
195* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'':
196** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has the optional dungeon of The Ancient Castle, which can only be accessed through the tunneling castle, Figaro.
197** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has the Mithril Mines, with glowing green rocks.
198** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' has the Ice Cavern, Fossil Roo, and Gargan Roo.
199** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has quite a few areas like this: Gustav Tunnel, Kuftal Tunnel, Korroloka Tunnel, Sea Serpent Grotto, Ordelle's Caves, and Aydeewa Subterrane. And yes, there does seem to be glowing fungi in that last one.
200** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' has a bunch of these, including the Lhusu mines, Barheim Passage, the Henne Mines, the Sochen Cave Palace, and Zertinan Caverns. One may or may not also include Giruvegan, as the paths and platforms are man-made.
201** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' had the Mah'habara Subterra, a network of tunnels dug for whatever reason by the fal'Cie Atomos under the Gran Pulse.
202** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' features several, notably in the form of Sastasha, the Tam-Tara Deepcroft, Copperbell Mines, the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, Cutter's Cry, Dzemael Darkhold, and Aurum Vale.
203* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': The Underworld is [[HailfirePeaks half this and half]] BigBoosHaunt. It takes place in the world of ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', as is where Sora and his friends have to help Hercules find and defeat Hades (who has started causing havoc once again). Later in the game, it is possible to play MultiMookMelee tournaments to win cups, each being more difficult and requiring a higher level.
204* ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'': The Reptids' Cave serves as the first main location in the game, and is overrun by the titular Reptids (thus doubling as a MookThemedLevel). It is here where Zael receives the power of the Outsider, and [[spoiler:is revisited during the game's climax to access TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon]].
205* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'':
206** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'', which is part of the franchise's fourth generation, introduces the Sunken Hollow. Only the resting area takes place outdoors, while the rest of the areas are several meters underground. Monsters like Tetsucabra, Nerscylla and Rathian roam the place. At one point during the story of the game, the volcanic activity in all of Harth is restored, thus turning this hunting zone into LethalLavaLand and becoming the Volcanic Hollow.
207** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterGenerations'', which is also part of the fourth generation, has the southeast part of Jurassic Frontier (the rest is GreenHillZone). This part houses mineral walls and luminescent flora that make up for an exotic sight, but also home to dangerous monsters like Volvidon, Tetsucabra and Glavenus. Later in the game, the Elder Dragon Nakarkos is fought in a very large hollow known as Wyvern's End.
208* ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'': Inverted with the Sheerdrop Spire and the Rockshard Rampart. Their layouts, structures, puzzles, and overall atmosphere are themed around mineral caverns; the inversion is because they're ''towers'', so the placement of the cavernal rooms aren't underground but upward.
209* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Caves are very common environments; most are fairly small, consisting of only one or two rooms, but some are much more extensive and branching, and navigating them is a challenge in itself. Each mainline game features a few, [[HailfirePeaks at least one]] of which is an [[SlippySlideyIceWorld ice cave]], and another which is pitch black and requires the Flash power to navigate with any accuracy. Victory Road is always among them, however. Wherever you are, expect to find plenty of [[GoddamnBats Zubats, Geodudes]], their evolved forms, or whatever batlike or rocklike Pokémon are native to the region.
210** In early generations, this trope is very commonly crossed over with DeathMountain, as mountain areas such as Mt. Moon, Mt. Silver and Mt. Coronet are usually explored through the caverns winding through their insiders rather than by climbing on their slopes. This is changed starting around Generation V, after which it becomes more common to explore the outer surfaces of mountains.
211** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondPearlAndPlatinum'' have a set of underground passages filled with treasure that spans the ''entire region''. There are no wild Pokemon (except in the remakes), but it's the best place to get items in... any of the games, really, since a tremendous variety of fossils, evolutionary stones, and several other soil- or rock-themed items can be freely mined from its walls.
212** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': Chargestone Cave is a multi-layer cavern filled with electrified rocks, many of which are floating and which fill the cave with an eerie blue light. The cave is home to large numbers of electrogenic giant spiders and floating lamprey-like fish, alongside the local variety of rock creatures.
213** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'': Relic Passage connects Driftveil City to Castelia's sewers, Desert Resort (it's the only way into the Relic Castle then) and Twist Mountain. It lets you ride mining carts in some tunnels and also contains the chamber with the three Golems from [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Gen III]], although you need the key from the opposite game for the final Golem. The biggest annoyance aside from how easy it is to get lost is that some areas have higher-level Boldore that have access to Explode.
214%%** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'': Terminus Cave, home of [[OlympusMons Zygarde]].
215** ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' has the Under, a former mine where many of Pyrite Town's residents fled to after the town's normal state of semi-lawlessness escalated to chaos due to Team Cipher coming to town. It's closed off in ''VideoGame/PokemonXD'' to keep any other criminal activity from going on in it.
216** ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'': This is the entirety of the games, and all the other ''[[{{Roguelike}} FushigiNoDungeon]]'' games, for that matter. You do have some areas that take place aboveground, but all the main action happens in underground caverns, hence the 'dungeon' title.
217** ''VideoGame/PokemonSnap'' has the Cave stage, but the Factory stage is underground as well as an EternalEngine.
218** Taupe Hollow is the second unlockable location in ''VideoGame/PokemonSleep'', which is a mountainside cave full of Rock and Ground-type Pokémon.
219* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the Deep Roads, which contain equal amounts of caverns and ruined dwarf strongholds. Also ThatOneLevel for many players, though the abundance of great loot (two of the best sets of armor in the game, and several top-quality weapons, can be found down there) can help make up for it.
220%%* ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'': The first game in its entirety.
221* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
222** The [[ProceduralGeneration Procedurally]] and RandomlyGeneratedLevels present in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'' lead to this frequently. Dungeons of all sorts entered on the ground level tend to have staircases leading you down, and down, into the underground dungeon depths.
223** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'':
224*** ''Morrowind'' does away with the previous games' random and procedural generation, but still has plenty of ruins and tombs which take you underground, many of which are quite extensive. In particular are the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]] ruins, whose cultural epicenter was build [[UndergroundCity into and around]] Red Mountain.
225*** The ''Tribunal'' expansion restricts you to only one part of the stated-to-be massive capital city of Mournhold, though it has extensive ruins (both [[DownTheDrain city sewers]] as well as Dwemer and Daedric ruins) that run beneath it.
226** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' keeps the series trend alive with plentiful underground [[AbusivePrecursors Ayleid]] ruins as well as caves and {{Abandoned Mine}}s.
227** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' alone has regular caves and mines (often serving as dens for bandits, [[TheMorlocks Falmer]], vampires, etc.), ancient Nordic burial tombs, and subterranean fortresses guarded by [[RagnarokProofing machines that were built by their long-since-vanished]] [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]] masters. There's even a [[BeneathTheEarth wide-open cavern deep underground]] connecting three Dwemer fortresses, once the location of the Dwemer city of Blackreach.
228* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'': The first and second chapters of the Hordes of the Underdark expansion are (except for the very start) spent underground.
229* ''VideoGame/Persona2'' has the Bomb Shelter under Kasugayama High, which doubles as a BlackoutBasement, and Mt. Iwato (or rather, its cave system).
230* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
231** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPGLegendOfTheSevenStars'': The Coal Mines, a system of tunnels dug out by meal miners, are home to rock-shelled monsters and floating clusters of crystals, and have a {{Minecart|Madness}}-riding minigame.
232** ''VideoGame/PaperMario'':
233*** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'': The area beneath Rogueport is fairly extensive, but it also overlaps with HubLevel and AbsurdlySpaciousSewer, as it's the ruins of the original Rogueport.
234*** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has the Floro Caverns, an extensive cave system hiding the local villain's lair. Some sections can be navigated using mine carts.
235[[/folder]]
236
237[[folder:Shoot 'Em Ups]]
238* ''VideoGame/DeadMoon'' has a Moon cave stage, though the underground environment here has little significance except parallax-scrolling stalactites.
239* ''VideoGame/{{Kolibri}}'' has two sets of underground levels. New Infection and Deep Seeding take place in a cave, while Cold Entrance, Dark Cavity, Dark Obstruction, and To the Light all take place in an underground hive.
240* ''VideoGame/StarFox1'' has one of these in the planet Macbeth, which is explained away as a planet where the core shrunk due to strange experiments by [[MadScientist Andross]].
241* ''VideoGame/TouhouChireidenSubterraneanAnimism'' is all like this, as the plot requires the characters to investigate a disturbance coming from the underground. [[spoiler:Except the extra stage, which revisits a location from the previous game. [[note]]The Moriya Shrine. Which also happens to be the location of the previous game's extra stage.[[/note]]]]
242[[/folder]]
243
244[[folder:Third-Person Shooter]]
245* ''VideoGame/JetForceGemini'': The Mine level of Rith Essa, available after Vela earns the Mine Key, take place within a complex underground cavern where valuable gems are being extracted by the enslaved Tribals. It's entirely devoid of enemies, as the main challenge consists of rescuing the aforementioned Tribals as well as figuring out how to trick Farmer into giving Vela the part of the ancient spaceship he found (since he's actually evil and doesn't plan to hand it over).
246* ''VideoGame/ShadowGuardian'' have the stages in Luxor Temple and underneath the Red Sea, where you infiltrate underground mausoleums to seek the Prima Materia before the villains get them.
247[[/folder]]
248
249[[folder:Wide-Open Sandbox]]
250* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': Extensive cavern systems are procedurally generated during world creation. They’re dotted with groves of [[FungusHumongous giant mushrooms]] that can be cut for lumber and home to tribes of primitive [[BeastMan animal people]] that will more likely than not attack your dwarves with poisoned spears and blowguns, and a variety of wildlife ranging from regular cave critters to some [[OurMonstersAreWeird very weird monsters]] to truly terrifying creatures like [[GiantSpider giant cave spiders]] and cave dragons, and the occasional [[EldritchAbomination Forgotten Beast]]. They’re split into three levels, with increasingly dangerous wildlife the deeper you go, and below the third level there’s a world-spanning magma sea, home to various fire elementals.
251* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': Procedurally generated caverns span the entire game world, getting larger and more interconnected the deeper one goes. Small, solitary surface caverns are easily converted into homes, while the deeper cavern systems provide easy access to lava and rare ores. Cave exploration is not without danger -- the mazelike passages and enormous size of the deep caverns make them very easy to get lost in, sudden drop-offs to hard stone or lava pools are common and difficult to spot, and the total darkness complicates both problems, while also meaning that monsters are everywhere. And they're the only place where bats are found.
252* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': Almost everything between the GreenHillZone at the top of the map and the LethalLavaLand at the bottom is this, except for the Underground Snow, Jungle Temple, and the Dungeon. The Underground Jungle, Underground Desert, Underground Mushroom, and other underground sub-biomes are hybrids between this and other level tropes.
253[[/folder]]
254
255[[folder:Unsorted]]
256%%* ''Videogame/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'' has the Mines of Moria, which are [[DisappointingLastLevel extremely long]].
257* ''VideoGame/YoungMerlin'' has a cave system with mine carts. There are passages everywhere between various cave entrances--you just step in the entrance and get transported to a different cave entrance somewhere else. Unless you step into the cave entrance and get killed by a bunch of creatures with evil eyes (the only thing you ever see).
258%%* ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'': The Hollow.
259%%* ''VideoGame/ManicMiner'': The entire setting.
260* ''VideoGame/{{Jumper}} Two'': Sector 5 is an underground cave which Ogmo fell into ''while asleep''.
261%%* ''VideoGame/RockRaiders''. ''The entire game'' is an Underground Level.
262%%* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'': Huge chunks of the franchise.
263%%* ''VideoGame/MoonCrystal'': Stage 5 (Maclonna Mine).
264%%* ''VideoGame/PsychoFox'' has two: Stage 5 (Underground Passageway) and Stage 7 (Underground Cavern).
265* ''VideoGame/SlySpy'': The sixth level is in a cavern leading to an underground hideout.
266* ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' has a cavernous dungeon inside the Ra Tree.
267* ''Videogame/MechWarrior Living Legends'' features Thunder Rift, an massive underground cavern full of waterfalls, natural land bridges, with rocks raining down from the hole in the cavern ceiling. It's large enough to justify FutureCopter factories and repair facilities.
268* ''VideoGame/DearEsther'' features a lengthy cavern level, but thanks to the abundance of bioluminescent moss and crystal-clear streams and waterfalls, it ends up being one of the most [[SceneryPorn visually mesmerizing areas in the game]].
269[[/folder]]

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