THE INSIDER SAYS: “Take Deep Rock Galactic, make it slightly more boomer shooter-y….theeeen what the hell?…let’s get that beyond-the-sea vibe of BioShock jammed in there. OK. Now slather on more roguelike gameplay loops. If ANY of that sounds good to you, then the 1-4 player co-op game, Abyssus, just surfaced and it’s worth a look.”

While everything above said is 100% true, to boil down what Abyssus is about even further, think Deep Rock Galactic, but with diving suits. We mean this in the best way possible. The devs bill it as a “brinepunk” aesthetic, but the tongue-in-cheek adventure-spelunking energy is definitely here. (Really, though, can we collectively cool it with the “-punk”-ifying game descriptions?)

Abyssus really sells the wonder and mystery of being in this alien world deep underwater. You and your team dive deep into the ruins of an ancient civilization. However, it quickly becomes a frantic fight against the corrupted inhabitants so enjoy that view while you can. With the occasional pressure plate puzzle or boss to battle.

Why go through all this hassle? You’re gathering a precious resource (brine) in the hollowed out remnants of four ancient biomes, to power and upgrade gear. Quick aside here. There are 8 weapon types and 45 mods that you can graft onto them, making for some seriously quirky brine-powered projectiles. Speaking of, the weapons are unique enough – and they only get more interesting as you stack on mods. As far as FPS shooters go, you’ve got a meaty arsenal that feels good while you’re playing.

THIS is where that snackable roguelike loop kicks in: Go on a run, upgrade gear, and discover upgrades along the way. Get as deep as you can, die in your diving suit, then go for it again after earning some meta progression.

The game is already an impressively fun experience and the team is already planning ahead for ongoing content to support your next dive.

INSIDE LOOKS:

• Up to 4-players co-op
• Roguelite meta progression with advancements, rewards, and unlocks
• 64 hand-crafted levels, procedurally sequenced to make every run a new experience
• Extensive pre-run and in-run character customization options
• 36 different enemies and four bosses that will put your skills to the challenge

Abyssus is currently available with a demo on Steam for PC.