Abyss Odyssey Reviews
Abyss Odyssey is the kind of game that initially seems fantastic, but its many issues become increasingly apparent the more time you spend with it. The thought that went into combat prevents the game from falling into mediocrity, but it also never lives up to the potential that's so obviously there.
If you can deal with the game's difficulty, which isn't off putting but not exactly new player friendly, Abyss Odyssey is definitely a game worth a shot.
A delightfully weird aesthetic is wasted on a fighting game-platformer hybrid with shallow combat and structural twists that failed to grab me.
From the very first time you load up the menu it's clear that Abyss Odyssey comes from a place of passion and expertise. Its strange blend of Metroidvania, roguelike, and fighting game elements might turn off those who prefer their gaming experiences to be more straightforward, but anyone who's not too afraid to leap into the unknown abyss will find a finely-crafted, unique experience well worth the jump.
While Abyss Odyssey suffers from a few design choices that ultimately hold it back from greatness, its easily ACE Team's most playable game to date, which doesn't come at the sacrifice of the look and feel we've come to love with earlier titles. Hopefully, many of the shortcomings can be addressed in future updates, which seems to be a big part of ACE Team's plan for the game post-release.
Abyss Odyssey is absolutely the sum of its parts. While its platforming and fighter credentials might not hold up individually, their combination alongside the roguelike sensibilities and community co-operation help elevate these lacking mechanics to be something more compelling than they would be alone. A curious experiment, and one that's well worth continued testing.
In a game like this where mastering the mechanics is key, there's a lot to learn early on in Abyss Odyssey and it can feel slightly overwhelming. Once you understand that you're only expected to get so far in, die, and come back again, you'll be able to get into a groove that allows you to explore further and further. While it would be nice to see some more variety in the level layouts and early enemies, there's still a really enjoyable and deep combat system that's reason enough to descend into the Abyss.
ACE Team's mastery of visual imagery finds a welcome home in solid Roguelike(like) elements and capable, cancel-heavy Fighting mechanics. Abyss Odyssey is their most impressive all-round title to date.
Abyss Odyssey brings together four great genres into a cohesive 2D side scrolling adventure that will keep your interest and bring you back over and over.
A fun platforming, fighting, dungeon crawling side-scroller of an experience, Abyss Odyssey is a fun game that is easy to pick up and a challenge to master. Beautiful artwork and music immerse you into the game world as you descend into the Abyss to find and defeat the Warlock. Beware though that at present time, multi-player may not be all it's chalked up to be. Regardless, the game is certainly worth a shot in single player and if nothing else online co-op can at least give a laugh or two as you attack your friend when he least expects it.
Abyss Odyssey set out to redefine a genre and create something that we'd never seen before. It's just a shame that it forgot what makes the genre so enjoyable in the first place.
The important thing is that what's available now is really good, utilizing a fighting engine that rewards creativity in using its moves and set in a dungeon loaded with replayability. The art nouveau style is more apparent in the 2D character portraits than the polygonal graphics but still give the game a unique tone, like playing a Grateful Dead album cover.