Luna Abyss Review – Fast, Fluid, and Wonderfully Direct

Luna Abyss Review

At a time when action games are often bloated by needlessly complex systems and mechanics, Luna Abyss presents a refreshingly direct counterargument. It’s not simplistic, and there’s plenty of challenge. But neither is the player confounded by a labyrinthine skill tree or paralyzed by weapon choices. Luna Abyss is a polished, engaging sci-fi first-person shooter. At moments, the bullet hell-inspired combat feels like Returnal, minus the roguelike mechanics. But those moments quickly fade into Luna Abyss‘ unique identity.

Fawkes Day

Luna Abyss has a narrative that feels like classic dark fantasy. A new moon called Luna appears in Earth orbit. Underneath the moon’s surface is a sprawling interconnected series of structures that make up the Abyss. The largest area is called Greymont, a now-decrepit city that has been consumed by a mysterious plague. You play as a human called Fawkes, born with red eyes. Whether a sign, omen, or simply genetic bad luck, Fawkes eye color is bad news. She’s imprisoned on Luna, and to work off her excessively long sentence she needs to travel ever deeper into the Abyss to learn its secrets. At first, Fawkes assumes a sort of biomechanical form called a warden shell, which is imbued with a range of special abilities.

Guided by Aylin, the giant-headed warden of the prison, Fawkes also encounters a number of very odd NPCs along the way. Between missions, Fawkes returns to her cell before moving on to her next assignment. Don’t come to Luna Abyss expecting a cast of memorable characters.

Although Fawkes explores a half-dozen or so major biomes in Luna Abyss, all the areas share an aesthetic dominated by massive concrete structures and an infinitely complex system of pipes, tunnels, ducts, and platforms. Even when the environments are garden-like or hovering the sky, there’s an oppressive feeling of decay. Aside from combat effects, Luna Abyss’ color palette is appropriately dark and drab a lot of the time. If missions were not primarily very linear and well signposted, moving through the warren of tunnels and similar-looking rooms would be very confusing. In fact, the repetitive nature of the environmental motifs is one of my minor complaints about the game.

Shifting the Focus

Action in Luna Abyss breaks down into combat and platforming, and both become more interesting and multifaceted throughout the game. Sure, there’s a strong narrative component, too, with both NPCs and environmental clues to digest. This is a good place to mention that the dialogue is pithy and not overly serious, given the setting and tone of the game. There’s quite a bit of ironic humor and the voice acting is effective. The music shifts between electronic-dominated action cues and more melancholic, often choral, and usually understated music during exploration.

Whether minor enemies, elite enemies, or boss battles, most foes teleport in and attack using various colors, speeds, and patterns of energy spheres. As the game progresses, Fawkes gains the ability to absorb energy from compromised enemies, to generate a shield wall and more. Luna Abyss is not a long game, so it’s able to introduce new weapons and abilities pretty consistently. However, the obvious pairing of new gear with new type of enemy — while not uncommon in the action genre — never feels entirely organic. As well as introducing new gear at a fairly slow pace, the game also tends towards keeping a small group of enemy types in rotation.

A Platform for Fun

Alongside combat, Fawkes has an ever-growing number of ways to move through the environment. One of the more interesting techniques is Luna Abyss’ take on the grappling hook, where Fawkes “grabs” a spherical device’s ability to warp her through barriers. The rest of the platforming is familiar enough: jumps, double jumps, jump pads, etc. The platforming is forgiving enough that it never frustrates too much. Most of the levels are built around a series of fairly simple puzzles where Fawkes has to use specific weapons to break energy seals or route power.

There are also ghostly images that optionally transport Fawkes to the next checkpoint without having to complete a series of platforming challenges. Bravo, Luna Abyss! This is a fantastic feature. Sometimes, players just need to move on, you know? That said, the platforming challenges are, on the whole, fair. However, there is virtually no flexibility in how to approach them. There are no alternate routes, and generally Luna Abyss is not about giving the player a lot of creative freedom.

Form and Function

First-person bullet hell shooters aren’t all that common, so Luna Abyss immediately stands out as something fresh. It’s a polished and confident game overall, and it doesn’t try to layer on too many systems or mechanics. It’s pretty linear and although the environments are atmospheric, they’re also static, darkly creepy but clinical, and somewhat repetitive. Fluid action and platforming that’s both forgiving and respectful of players’ time make the experience a lot of fun. Strong mechanics and engaging combat make Luna Abyss worth playing.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***