Ever wondered what would happen if Isaac, yes from the Binding of, would grow up and join a rave-fueled hit-squad? Well, you probably would end up with something like Neon Abyss. Combining furious run ‘n’ gun action and deep, roguelike mechanics, Neon Abyss pits you as a member of ‘Grim Squad’ – a task force set-up by Hades himself to infiltrate the Abyss and defeat the New Gods. Death is not the end, as every time you die, you’ll find yourself more empowered than before. Let’s dive in!
Neon Isaac?
I love games like Neon Abyss. The Binding of Isaac is one of my most played games, and Neon Abyss fits the same concept like a glove. Like I stated in the preview above, it’s like a grown-up version of TBOI, in which the characters stopped crying and took up guns to make the monsters do their bidding. With Neon Abyss, we get a frantic, roguelike action-platformer where you run ‘n’ gun your way into the Abyss. Just like most rogue-dungeon crawlers of these kinds, the game features unlimited item synergies and a unique dungeon evolution system. Due to this system, each run diversifies the experience, and every choice alters the ruleset, making no run the same (except if you input a ‘seed’, which reloads the route you just did in a way).
Veewo, the developers of Neon Abyss are a new, inventive, passionate, and gamer-oriented indie game development studio based in Xiamen, China. They teamed up with Team 17 (Worms and many others) to bring this title to Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PS4, and they did a great job. Just like in TBOI and Enter/Exit the Gungeon, each of your raids diversifies the dungeon experience, and every choice you make alters the ruleset of the dungeon. Sure, the first few runs you’ll die before even seeing the ‘boss’, but you’ll have to keep in mind that every time you die, you’re just a step closer to your ultimate goal: to find the artifact that will fulfill any wish.
Crawl-Time!
The gameplay of Neon Abyss is similar to that of TBOI and Enter/Exit the Gungeon since you’ll battle your way through a dungeon system, made of rooms with secrets, and closed off exits until you defeat all the enemies. Instead of biblical enemies, you’ll have to crush the new gods of bitcoin and nightclubs, including some familiar faces (is that you Ronald?). Just like the other games I mentioned, it’s time to combine your loot to achieve awesome power and find the cure for your immortal curse. Bonuses are the eggs you’ll see during your journey. Each egg you’ll find can spawn a ‘pet’, or baby as they are often referred too. The powers of these pets range from picking up coins to deflecting bullets or dealing extra melee damage. Each and everyone can be upgraded by completing specific triggers. But be careful, if they get hit too often, they’ll die and are lost forever (at least for this run). Luckily most of them drop a nifty upgrade or damage dealing gimmick when they die, so all is not in vain.
Next to finding pets and items, you will meet strange passers-by, and discover countless secrets. Lots of these secrets require bombs, coins, and other gimmicks you’ll only unlock after completing a few runs, but failure is just a chance to catch your breath before diving back in with a nifty skill tree that lets you decide your playthrough and grants you the gimmick for free on the next run – a solid win-win. The way the game is build-up, it has a distinct purpose on how to unlock and complete specific objectives – with Isaac, it was always a bit of a hassle to find out what to do next (except dive deeper). Since Neon Abyss offers the system of targets to kill, it always steers you in the right direction – even if you decide to take the left path of darkness, instead of wisdom (I’ll let you figure that one out yourself).
Conclusion
Worried it’s too hard for you? Neon Abyss offers three difficulty settings, ranging from easy to hard with aim assist if the monsters offer too much of a challenge. But, trust me – once you get the hang of the game – you’ll be in for a wild ride. Neon Abyss offers a total package, with great music to take you along on your runs. It’s time to take down the God of Power, Gods of Bitcoin, and Video. Today’s obsessions are transformed into new gods, and you are the one who dares to challenge their rule, at least, if you dare. I’ll be sure to sink some more hours in Neon Abyss between Paper Mario when it drops. I found myself a new Isaac.
