Into The Abyss
After an action-packed reveal trailer and an in-depth look at this year’s Devolver Digital E3 Showcase, it’s finally time to get your hands on the temple-running, multiplayer adventure title Phantom Abyss. Taking cues from both game shows like Takeshi’s Castle and the booming Soulsborne genre and developed by Devlolver Digital themselves, Phantom Abyss pits you against other players as you traverse ancient temples full of deadly traps and mystical enemies.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Phantom Abyss is the high level of lethality in the temples – if you’re going to play the game, be ready to die. A lot. When you do, other players will be able to see your ghost reliving your final moments, allowing them to learn from your mistakes and progress further into the temple. Keeping an eye on the ghosts will be almost entirely necessary to get through each level, as the game’s procedural generation engine builds new, deadly dungeons with each run. This system has been dubbed ‘Asynchronous multiplayer’ – you’ll certainly be joining other players as you journey into the temples, but not necessarily all at the same time.
As you journey deeper and deeper into the temples, you’ll be able to unlock new, more dangerous levels of the map. Of course, that’s where you’ll be able to find all the best loot – at the end of each temple lies a Legendary Relic that, when claimed by one skilled player, will close the temple forever, leaving you with a unique reward each time you complete a run successfully. Upgrades to your whip will also carry over across runs, while other powerups like double-jumps and gliding will have to be earned by offering treasures up to the gods during your run.
Devolver Digital’s Phantom Abyss is available now on Steam Early Access, featuring both keyboard and controller support.