The year 2026 has proven to be a strong one for the shooter genre, with titles like Pragmata, Marathon, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, and Saros offering diverse takes on the formula. Joining this impressive lineup is Luna Abyss, a first-person shooter developed by Kwalee Labs that masterfully combines elements from Returnal, Doom, and Metroid Prime into a compelling package.
Available now on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and also accessible via Game Pass, Luna Abyss delivers a tight, action-packed experience that belies its indie status. While it may not reach the expansive scale of Saros or the unique innovations of Pragmata, Luna Abyss confidently stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its larger genre counterparts.
Players assume the role of a prisoner undertaking a dangerous mission within a sprawling lunar megastructure. Tasked by the prison's robotic warden to recover lost technology, the player navigates a decaying industrial environment filled with hostile creatures. The game's narrative, while leaning on dense lore, provides just enough mystery to drive the player through its roughly six-hour adventure, enhanced by a striking atmosphere characterized by intense red lighting.
Combat and Progression
The environments serve as fitting arenas for the game's Doom-inspired shootouts. Initial combat encounters involve a scout rifle against basic enemies, later expanding to include shotguns and long-range rifles capable of targeting different colored enemy shields. Though the shooting mechanics are described as somewhat shallow, each weapon delivers satisfying impact, and the game encourages a fluid combat loop of switching weapons to break shields and maximize damage. New powers are introduced progressively, adding elements like explosive finishers and temporary bubble shields, ensuring the gameplay remains engaging.
A key mechanic borrowed from Metroid Prime is a lock-on system, which allows players to focus on movement and evasion during combat. This enables agile strafing around enemies while peppering them with shots, with the added consideration of managing weapon heat. Complementing this, enemies unleash waves of colored projectiles, requiring players to skillfully dodge and weave, a feature that becomes particularly tense during boss encounters. This blend of lock-on targeting and enemy projectile patterns creates a dance-like survival experience.
Platforming and Design Philosophy
Luna Abyss also draws heavily from Metroid Prime for its platforming elements. Starting with simple jumps between metal platforms, the game steadily introduces new traversal abilities. Players learn to air dash through specific gates and gain the ability to possess and fling machinery. These new powers integrate seamlessly with the existing arsenal, fostering a flow state where chaining double jumps, air dashes, and machine possessions becomes second nature. The result is a fast and fluid platforming experience, comparable in speed to Ghostrunner but with the more accessible design principles of Metroid Prime.
The game's core strength, according to impressions, lies in its unwavering confidence. Luna Abyss embraces its identity as a feel-good, stylish shooter focused on blasting aliens. This design choice taps into a fundamental aspect of the shooter genre's appeal, harkening back to classic games like Space Invaders. The satisfaction of destroying enemies, coupled with the tangible feedback from oversized weapons, forms a core gameplay loop. While the game offers cryptic sci-fi lore for those seeking deeper narrative threads and intricately designed, maze-like levels to explore, the simple, visceral joy of combat remains its primary draw. Luna Abyss is presented as a confident execution of classical game design principles.