Abyssus Demo Impressions
According to foodies, a dry rosé goes with everything. I wouldn’t know, and kids, don’t drink. However, I also know that in the world of game development, roguelike mechanics pair with just about every genre. Case in point, Abyssus. It’s a deep sea shooter with frantic Doom vibes and a BioShock aesthetic. It is also a roguelite. The good news is that it all works well.
Under the Sea
In Abyssus, you are an explorer going deeper and deeper into cavernous spaces under the sea, looking for deposits of a rare element called brine. In the demo, your goal is to explore levels of a sunken temple where a massive brine deposit is rumored to be waiting. The developers call the game’s art and world-building “brinepunk.” I guess that’s apt. Like BioShock, weapons and tools are combinations of traditional arms and supernatural energies.
The short demo includes several weapons, including a rifle, shotgun, Tesla gun and a pistol. All weapons have an alternative fire mode. For example, the pistol’s alt fire allows precise aiming, with the sacrifice of speed. However, each enemy has a vulnerable spot, so being able to aim is a huge advantage. On the other hand the rifle can alt fire like a gatling gun. All I can say is, both weapons are well balanced, fun to use and useful in their own way.
Each level naturally gets more challenging, with tougher enemies and more of them. The enemies have mobility and speed and it’s easy to become overwhelmed unless the player is constantly on the move. Both the level design and player movement are excellent. I played Abyssus as a single player, but the game supports co-op and I can imagine that a squad of explorers with a variety of weapons would be a lot of fun.
Back to Base
Like most roguelites, each run includes some tools to make the player more powerful, like randomized “blessings” that add elemental power to weapons. There are treasure chests filled with coins, keys to find and items that unlock upgrades back at base. Abyssus does a good job at making everything quick, easy and painless to access, both back at base and during a run. Playing feels like polished experience.
At least in the demo, the narrative is a bit underplayed though there is some voiceover chatter and commentary during runs. Abyssus’ visuals are sharp, with lots of retina-burning color and lighting effects. The game’s biomechanical enemies have a variety of attacks, speeds and weapons and I look forward to seeing the entire range in the full game.
Generally, the game’s audio is a little bit underwhelming, both in terms of weapon effects, enemies and music. However, the action is generally too frenetic to pay much attention to what’s missing.
Standing Out
There are relatively few first-person shooter roguelikes, so Abyssus comes out of the gate strong. Add to that fluid movement, fast action and a setting and aesthetic that aren’t overused and the results are promising. I enjoyed my short time with the demo and very much look forward to diving deeper into the full game when it releases on August 12. 2025.
***Demo code provided by the publisher***
