Learn movement and turning separately
Walking sideways when you meant to turn is an easy first mistake in Underkeep. The demo uses grid movement, so facing a new direction and moving to another tile are separate actions. This Underkeep controls guide brings together the tutorial instructions read in narrated demo runs and the developer's clarification about keyboard-only play.
Nookrium's narrated playthrough identifies WASD or the arrow keys for movement and Q/E for turning. On-screen directional controls are another option shown in the recording. Try those controls in the starting forest before entering combat, and watch your facing direction on the map as you move.
The official Underkeep website describes mouse-and-keyboard and controller play. That general support statement does not provide a verified list of controller button mappings, so the table below sticks to actions actually identified in the demo sources.
Use the mouse for items and character actions
The most useful early mouse instruction is simple: right-click an item to pick it up. A key offered in dialogue can still need to be collected from the ground, as Near Tragedy's narrated trader encounter demonstrates. Check your inventory before assuming an item was automatically added.
| Action | Control identified in the demo sources | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Move on the grid | WASD or arrow keys | Movement does not necessarily turn your view. |
| Turn left or right | Q or E | Useful when you need to inspect a different wall or corridor. |
| Pick up an item | Right-click the item | Confirm it has reached your inventory. |
| Open a character's information | Click the character | The narrated run opens character stats and equipment this way. |
| Change the assigned active skill | Right-click the active skill | The tutorial introduces switching after the player gains more abilities. |
| End a combat round early | Click the hourglass | Characters who have not acted lose their remaining opportunity that round. |
Pay attention to the action's context. Right-click pickup is not a universal rule that every world object uses the same mouse button. Dialogue, equipment, skills, and environmental interactions have different interface contexts, so follow the prompt for the object you are actually using.
Understand why combat can stop movement
Each character can perform one attack or one assigned special skill per round, according to the demo tutorial. When all party members have acted, the round ends automatically. The hourglass lets you end it sooner, but also skips anyone who has not acted.
In Near Tragedy's narrated run, the game explains that the party cannot move after a member has already taken an action in that round. If movement suddenly appears unresponsive, complete the remaining actions or intentionally advance the round before trying again. That message describes a combat restriction rather than a missing movement binding.
Other apparent control problems can be requirements instead:
- A melee attack may fail because the enemy is too far away.
- A special skill may require a particular weapon. The narrated run discovers that a sword-specific skill is unavailable after the weapon has changed.
- A skill may need more mana or stamina than the character currently has.
Potions are a separate useful exception: the tutorial says using them from inventory does not consume a character's action. You do not need to assume that drinking a needed potion always replaces the character's attack.
Separate keyboard-only plans from demo availability
A June 21 Steam discussion about keyboard controls asks for a way to handle dialogue confirmation, loot pickup, and inventory without a mouse. The developer replies that keyboard-only controls are planned and discusses the difficulty of distinguishing them from keyboard-and-mouse operation.
That is a development statement, not proof that the public demo already supports every action from the keyboard. The same thread contains an important correction about disabling the automap: the developer clarifies that the described map options were in the internal version, not the demo.
For a demo session, keep a mouse available for the interactions the sources show. For a newer build, check its actual settings and prompts before carrying over those older limitations. Likewise, use the controller's displayed prompts rather than guessing buttons from an unrelated game or treating a generic support label as a complete controller guide.
FAQ
How do I turn instead of moving sideways?
Nookrium's narrated demo run identifies Q/E for turning, separate from WASD or arrow-key movement.
How do I collect something lying on the ground?
Right-click it. This is the pickup instruction stated by the demo tutorial, and it matters for keys as well as mushrooms and other loot.
How do I skip the rest of a combat round?
Click the hourglass. Be aware that ending the round skips characters who have not yet acted.
Can I play the demo entirely with the keyboard?
The available developer thread describes keyboard-only controls as planned, rather than establishing complete public-demo support. Keep a mouse available and verify the options in the version you are running.