Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition Review

Abyss Odyssey is a procedurally generated 2D adventure game, set in 19th century Chile. The game was originally released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. This new PS4 port brings a new PvP mode as well as some tweaks and improvements. The developers ACE Team are from Chile, marking the game’s obvious inspirations and themes.

First things first, this game is gorgeous. The art style manages to sit somewhere between a Studio Ghibli movie and an Alan Moore novel. Each level is densely packed with foliage, adding a real depth to the Abyss that you are exploring. Unfortunately, the graphics are let down by poor framerates, Abyss Odyssey really chugs when anything more than three or four enemies enter the screen. The game mostly hits 30fps, but during these busier moments it dips well below twenty. It’s a shame that the framerate spoils such a visibly pleasing game.

The combat is what you’re here for in Abyss Odyssey, it’s not perfect, and to be perfectly honest I severely hated it when I first started playing. After a few hours of learning it and upgrading my character, I started to really enjoy myself. ACE Team have gone for a simplified combat system, similar to fighting games of the ‘90s, rather than conventional hack and slash games. The game rewards you for great reactions and timing, utilising aerial and ground attacks in tandem with the enemy you are fighting.

It seems like every time that I talk about procedural generation, I have to mention The Binding of Isaac; once again I must mention it here. Abyss Odyssey follows the Isaac formula, giving you a newly generated level to explore each time you respawn. You pick up stronger weapons as you travel through each run, upgrading your skills and adding new abilities. The characters abilities and skills carry over after death, but weapons and accessories do not. The game is pretty hard to begin with, leaving me wondering if some might find its difficulty curve far too frustrating. I know I did in the first few hours and fortunately for me, something clicked and I began greatly enjoying it.

There is a Pokémon-like system in Abyss Odyssey, letting you play as the monsters you so often defeat. Using the heroes charge ability, monsters can be caught and swapped to at any point. I often tend to save them for the moment that I am about to get my arse handed to me. Finding your favourite enemy to fight as is fun, plus you get to learn all the moves they will likely use against you. It adds a surprising amount of depth to the game,

Much like Binding of Isaac, there are bosses scattered throughout the abyss, not quite as unforgiving as they are on Isaac, but they still pack a punch. There are also big end of level bosses, but I have only met one of them and he absolutely annihilated me. There are several different levels for players to choose from, all with different fantasy locale’s. The game’s unique art style and level design are clearly inspired by Chile, giving it an unusual feeling.

For all these positives, there is a lot that Abyss Odyssey gets wrong. While I have warmed to the combat, I feel others may not enjoy it as much. It leaves you feeling that there could be more, with a lack of combos being the big reason. The game gives you a reasonable amount of attacks, but working them into a combo isn’t possible, especially with the emphasis on verticality. Ultimately this means combat can feel a little dry, and is only going to work for those that manage to find fun in it. The original grind is very frustrating as well and at the beginning of the game you only have the basic moveset. Players must grind a few hours or so to actually build a formidable character, this is where the combat is at its most dull, offering players very little variety in their attacking arsenal.

I find the framerate issues a real bummer and they undermine how well crafted the visuals are. It is so bad during some points that I had to turn the game off for a bit. Considering this is a port to a console with more powerful processing power, I am a little confused as to why there are such issues. I’ll put it down to inexperience with the PS4, and bad optimisation in general.

Abyss Odyssey is a game with issues, not “a teenager that listens to emo music” issues, but rather some very limiting design flaws. The combat could have been developed more, giving players more choice while fighting. Also the framerate needs looking at, if it is so bad that I have to turn the game off, then there is a problem. Flaws aside, Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition is fun, not incredibly fun, but kinda fun.