End of Abyss, a title that has been on the radar since its 2024 Summer Game Fest demo, has now fully released, largely meeting expectations by blending the familiar framework of the Metroid series with survival horror elements. While the game's full release was unfortunately impacted by numerous bugs during its playthrough, the core experience proved engaging enough to overlook many of these issues.
The game casts players as a technician venturing into a mysterious and abandoned facility alongside a squad of soldiers. The environment itself is a key element, fostering a cold and lonely atmosphere fitting for the survival horror genre. Narrative context is primarily delivered through scattered notes and item descriptions, as the player's supposed companions show little interest in aiding the technician's objectives. Despite its sparse plot, the worldbuilding successfully draws players in, creating a sense of cautious curiosity about what lies beyond each corner.
The facility's design is a standout feature, drawing clear inspiration from the Metroid series. The map is intricate, often looping back on itself, and players will frequently discover shortcuts or vital resources. This large-scale level design, even within the crowded indie game market, is consistently impressive. A scanner, reminiscent of Metroid Prime, aids in analyzing enemies and the environment to facilitate progression. While the facility's name and ultimate purpose remain somewhat ambiguous even after completion, its memorable setting is a significant highlight.
Structurally, End of Abyss mirrors Metroid, but its gameplay incorporates twin-stick shooting mechanics characteristic of survival horror. The player begins with a pistol that has infinite ammunition, but crafting is required for bullets for other, mostly optional, weapons found throughout the game. Encounters are designed to be tense, making victories feel rewarding. The game features a respectable variety of enemies, including zombies, bugs, and robots, each with specific weaknesses that encourage the use of the full arsenal.
Boss encounters, however, present a different challenge. While balanced from a combat perspective, these fights can quickly deplete valuable ammunition and grenades. This often necessitates grinding for resources before re-engaging, as relying solely on the starting pistol against enemies with large health pools proves excessively tedious. This issue becomes less pronounced in the late game as more weapons and ammo types become available.
A significant drawback encountered during the playthrough was the prevalence of bugs. These included instances of getting stuck in walls, encountering invisible barriers, and falling out of bounds. Map glitches, such as incorrectly marking doors or omitting landmarks, complicated navigation and backtracking. A particularly frustrating bug prevented interaction with certain doors, requiring a game restart to proceed. While frequent saving mitigates progress loss from these resets, and the developer has released patches addressing some issues, these technical problems still impacted the overall experience.
Despite the technical shortcomings, the exploration of End of Abyss's cold, industrial environments was thoroughly enjoyable. The bugs, while present, ultimately did little to diminish the game's overall positive impression. The title has largely delivered on its anticipated potential, offering a compelling survival horror experience with strong Metroid influences.