Heart Abyss defines itself as a brutal action-platformer. After playing the game on the PAX East show floor, that’s underselling it. This game is awesome.
The 2D side-scrolling game combines stylish, retro visuals, an intense soundtrack, and over-the-top action. It’s ruthless, challenging, and continuously eggs you on for more. That’s what it did, literally; I kept coming back again and again to play the demo.
Gameplay feels reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden’s fast-paced action, which has only transformed into a more Metroidvanian look and feel. That’s not to say you’ll explore the map and unlock secrets, but you will be platforming as you deal with oncoming enemies.
Those enemies are ruthless, too, and you’ll die quite often at first. Once you get used to the game’s rhythm and flow, you’ll perform combos and leave behind more dead bodies than John Wick. Oh, and you’ll have a blast doing it, too.
Best of all, you can use various objects in the environment to your advantage. Whether picking up and wielding swords or throwing them at far-off enemies, there’s an element to creativity and freestyling with the combat that suits it well. Again, these guys are no pushovers, so the game encouraging players to think on their feet feels rewarding.
Sadly, our time with Heart Abyss was limited, but we’re sold. There’s no concrete release date, but we hope the wait won’t be long. We’re already missing our time with the game.
