When I first booted up Abyssus, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. The screenshots and trailers promised a brinepunk world full of strange weapons, ancient underwater ruins, and chaotic firefights. I’ve played my fair share of roguelite shooters over the years, games like Roboquest, Gunfire Reborn, and of course, DOOM, but Abyssus manages to carve out a space of its own. The moment you drop into the first dive, you’re hit with this murky, oppressive atmosphere that somehow feels alive. It’s dark, yes, but it’s not dull. The machinery hums, lights flicker, and there’s this constant sense of pressure, like the weight of the ocean is sitting on your shoulders. And then the first wave of enemies comes, and you don’t have much time to think about the scenery anymore.
The Flow of Combat
The game wastes no time throwing you into the deep end, literally and figuratively. Every run is a sequence of procedurally arranged rooms pulled from a big pool of handcrafted maps. This keeps things fresh, because you never quite know what’s coming next. Sometimes you’ll move from a narrow corridor into a massive open chamber; other times you’ll be locked in a small arena, enemies swarming from every direction. The pacing is relentless, but it’s the good kind of relentless, the kind that keeps you locked in a flow state, where dodging, shooting, and reloading all blend into a single rhythm. The shooting itself is tight and satisfying.
Abyssus gives you a modest arsenal at first, but as you progress, you start unlocking more weapons and mods that completely change how you approach combat. Brine, the game’s mysterious energy source, powers everything, from your guns to your abilities, and you can shape your build around it. One run, I ended up with an assault rifle that shot lightning-charged rounds, chaining damage between enemies like a mini storm. Another run, I leaned hard into corrosive rounds that melted armor and slowed enemies down, buying me precious seconds to reposition. Every upgrade and mod you pick mid-run feels like a meaningful choice, not just a stat boost.
Staying Alive in the Abyss
Movement is another place where Abyssus shines. You get a dash, a double jump, and enough air control to make you feel agile without turning it into a floaty mess. This is important because the enemies aren’t shy about surrounding you. There are dozens of different types, each with its own attack patterns, and the game loves to mix them together in nasty combinations. I’ve been blindsided by a charging brute while trying to dodge sniper fire more times than I care to admit. The only real frustration is that sometimes in the chaos, especially in tighter spaces, you can take hits from enemies you didn’t even see coming. A better hit indicator might fix that, but for now it’s just part of the challenge.
Playing Alone vs With Friends
While Abyssus can be played solo, it really shines in co-op. Playing with friends changes the flow completely. You can split roles, one player draws aggro while another lays down covering fire, and the chaos becomes more controlled. The downside is that the in-game session browser has been a bit buggy since launch. I’ve had it crash on me a few times, but using Steam invites works fine, so it’s more of an inconvenience than a dealbreaker. It’s the kind of thing I expect the devs will patch quickly. And yes, the devs patched it.
How It Runs
Performance-wise, the game runs surprisingly well for how good it looks. On my PC, I could keep it smooth at high settings without much trouble, though pushing 4K without DLSS or FSR is a stretch for most rigs. The devs also included a bunch of accessibility options, like adjustable FOV, toggleable camera shake, and full control remapping, which is always nice to see.
A World That Feels Alive
The art direction deserves a mention, too. The brinepunk aesthetic is more than just a gimmick; it gives the game an identity. The mix of rusty machinery, glowing runes, and bioluminescent sea life makes the world feel alien and ancient at the same time. The soundtrack matches that mood perfectly, shifting between tense, atmospheric moments and pounding beats when the action heats up. It’s the kind of world that’s easy to get lost in, even if you’re only seeing fragments of it each run.
The Loop That Hooks You
What really hooked me, though, is the progression system. Abyssus is a roguelite, so every time you die, you start over, but you’re not starting from scratch. You unlock new suits, new weapons, and permanent upgrades over time, so every run is building towards something bigger. This keeps the grind from feeling like a grind. Even after a frustrating loss, I’d find myself thinking, “Okay, just one more dive.” And then, three hours later, I’m still saying the same thing.
Real Talk
After spending dozens of runs in its depths, I can honestly say Abyssus has earned a spot in my rotation. It scratches the same itch as DOOM Eternal’s frantic combat, but layers in the replayability and build variety of a roguelite. It’s punishing, yes, but it’s also fair. If you die, it’s usually because you made a bad choice or weren’t paying attention, not because the game cheated you. And when you pull off a perfect run, weaving through enemies, chaining kills, and watching your brine-powered weapon tear through a boss’s health bar, it’s pure satisfaction.
FINAL SCORE: 81/100
