Okay, so I watched the Summer Game Fest showcase at the YouTube Theatre 🙄, and apparently, I was supposed to be “blown away” by this thing called End of Abyss. Seriously? All those big-budget horror games, and this is what gets the hype? Someone please explain. 🤔
Section 9—a group of devs who apparently peaked with Little Nightmares (it was okay, I guess 🤷♀️)—is trying to make a name for themselves with this “haunting, atmospheric blend” of Metroidvania and survival horror. It’s set on a “derelict space station.” Oh, how original. After playing the demo, I guess I’m supposed to say that End of Abyss is going to be the “most distinctive and unsettling experience on the horizon.” 🙄 Sure, Jan.
From the get-go, End of Abyss is all about being “oppressive.” You’re a “lone survivor” (cliché alert 🚨) with a flashlight and a bad feeling. The game is top-down, so you can see everything (yay?), and every corner is supposed to fill you with dread. The flickering lights and “remnants of a lost crew” are supposed to tell a story. 😴 Wake me up when something actually happens. And it’s a twin-stick shooter, because why not? 🤷♀️
So, I sat down and played this thing, and apparently, it’s a genre smoothie. Metroidvania exploration meets survival horror resource management. The result? A game that wants you to be both careful and quick. Newsflash: it’s not easy. 🙄
As you wander around the station, you find locked doors and hidden passages. You need new abilities and a “keen eye” to get through. But don’t worry, the game is “incredibly fair.” Yeah, right. Just slow down, take your time, and explore. Because that’s what everyone wants to do in a horror game. 🐌
While the exploration is slow, the combat is supposed to be intense. Instead of hack-and-slash, it’s all “measured and fraught with danger.” 🙄 You’ll run out of ammo fast, and every shot counts against the “grotesque, body horror–inspired monstrosities.” Oh, the humanity! The twin-stick shooting is “precise,” but the enemies are “relentless.” So, you have to decide: fight, flee, sneak, or die. The game wants you to experiment. How innovative. 🙄
Section 9 wants you to “feel the weight of every encounter.” You’re supposed to sense the threat. That’s what makes it “compelling.” You learn about the station, piece together what happened, and find audio logs and cryptic messages. It’s all about “unraveling the narrative at your own pace.” This is just like Little Nightmares. (eye roll) 🙄
Despite the top-down view, End of Abyss is supposedly a “feast for fans of sci-fi horror.” The art direction is “diabolical,” with creatures lurking just out of sight. The team knows how to get under your skin because they worked on Little Nightmares. The lighting is “especially noteworthy,” using darkness as a gameplay mechanic. It’s a “greatest-hits collection of horror elements.” Groundbreaking. 🙄
The demo was short, but it left a “lasting impression.” The game wants you to feel small, vulnerable, and close to death. Every victory is “earned,” every discovery is “hard-won,” and every monster is a reminder that you might die. How fun. 💀
I played 30 minutes of End of Abyss, and I already want it to be over. It’s coming out in 2026, and if the demo is anything to go by, Section 9 is going to deliver a game that’s just like every other sci-fi horror game. If you like Metroidvanias, survival horror, and “rich, atmospheric storytelling,” then this is for you. If not, go play something else. 🎮
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
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