End of Abyss Reviews
A striking atmosphere isn't enough to carry End of Abyss to greater heights; a twin-stick shooter style of horror game in a metroidvania format sounds like a winning combo, but combat and exploration lose steam quickly.
End of Abyss has you tensely exploring a mysterious underground complex one minute, then wearily jogging over well-worn ground the next. At its best, it's a ferociously atmospheric and gripping survival horror; at its worst, an exercise in frustration that burns away all tension.
Despite the glitches, I loved snooping through the cold, industrial hallways of End of Abyss, and the bugs did surprisingly little to affect my overall opinion.
With no sense of space, time, or place, End of Abyss does a great job of convincing you that there are no exits in its structure.
Ultimately, my 13 hours with End of Abyss were inconsistent, with long stretches of excitement broken up by regular beats of annoyance.
End of Abyss is more than worth the investment.
End of Abyss is a strong debut title from Section 9. It’s a tight and well-paced adventure that makes great use of its creepy setting, with great exploration elements and serviceable combat. It doesn’t overstay its welcome; it left me wanting more from this universe.
Section 9's End of Abyss delivers a compelling sci-fi adventure that combines tense combat and exploration with some frustrating shortcomings.
This fetchingly presented horror game brings style and scares, but overextends itself with repetition
End of Abyss is the surprise hit of year, with its forebodingly atmospheric Facility, unsettling enemy design, and well executed minimalist philosophy, it brilliantly combines its multiple genres to create a distilled and engaging survival horror experience.
End of Abyss is a moody and cinematic metroidvania with a tantalisingly dark sci-fi world, tactile twin-sticks combat, and a scintillating brain-teaser of a map. It's brutally hands-off at times, but it makes the moments when you figure it all out all the more satisfying. Some bugs do taint the experience a little, but End of Abyss is a gorgeous horror-tinged must for metroidvania fans.
With End of Abyss, Section 9 Interactive takes what they learnt from Little Nightmares and creates a new beast that blends their trademark unsettling atmosphere with Metroidvania exploration.
End of Abyss excels in areas like its level design, atmosphere, and even its intricate story, but it falls a bit short in its combat, which prevents it from standing out amidst so much competition.
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End of Abyss is a challenging yet rewarding adventure, at once boasting gorgeous graphics and grotesque visuals, and featuring an intricately crafted facility to explore.
End of Abyss does a fantastic job of creating an eerie world that you'll want to explore, however, once you start unlocking upgrades you'll begin to lose the feeling of tension. Map glitches make retracing steps a confusing experience.
End of Abyss is a creepy adventure whose charm takes time to settle in.
Hardcore Metroidvania fans will find elements of End of Abyss appealing, but its struggles with exploration rewards and shallow combat hold it back from finding light in its darkness.
End of Abyss draws you in with its uniquely dark sci-fi atmosphere, but gameplay frustrations and lack of cohesion bring it down.
Claustrophobic and eerie, End of Abyss is survival horror through the eyes of Little Nightmares. Section 9 expresses its roots in new ways but still placing the protagonist and player in a harsh world of dangerous paths and twisting secrets.
End of Abyss delivers striking visuals, unsettling enemy designs, and an enjoyable scanner mechanic. Its twin-stick controls are a novel idea, but they reinforce the action while the survival horror takes a back seat. Combined with progress-halting bugs and repeated backtracking, it left me wanting to finish rather than keep exploring.