Neon Abyss is a fast-paced and colorful rogue-like which takes run ‘n gun to another level. The weapons are insane, the perks are varied and powerful, and the art design is spot on.
From developer Veewo Games and publisher Team 17, Neon Abyss releases on July 14th on Steam PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. There’s currently a playable demo of the game on the Switch if you want to try it out before launch day.
This is Veewo’s first major console release but the studio has had prior success with its mobile game series, Super Phantom Cat 1 and 2. Neon Abyss builds on a lot of mobile game elements but adds in a lot of new gameplay features that warrant a console release.
First up, one of the most interesting mechanics of Neon Abyss is the unlimited item combinations. Picking up loot is a rogue-like must-have, and a bit like Binding of Isaac, the abilities and perks you pick up along the way stack on top of each other.
There are dozens of different items in the demo alone and the effects are so wildly varied that no two runs are quite the same. There are perks/abilities that affect your gunplay as well as your movement.
This also means that each run develops quite organically. The loot is, of course, totally random. One thing you do have control over as a player is how you progress through the dungeon. A bit like a table-top dungeon crawler, you choose the direction to take rather than having a predetermined linear path.
Inspired by Pokemon’s hatch-an-egg mechanic, you can also collect eggs throughout your run. These have a chance to hatch randomly after a set period of time, and each pet has its unique benefits and perks to your combat abilities.
Lastly, harking back to Veewo’s previous history as a mobile game developer, there are a number of different mini-games to try out. Not every mini-game is available in the demo, but these are designed to offer the player some downtime between chaotic dungeon-runs.
Neon Abyss is honest about what it offers. The combat is manic, the level design is simple but pleasing enough to warrant a few run-throughs even on the basic Switch demo. If you’re a fan of rogue-likes, colorful aesthetics and replayability, Neon Abyss might be worth keeping an eye out for.