Deep in the jungle where nobody was supposed to find it was a lost temple. Some things lost are never to be seen again due to carelessness or bad luck, but this was the more intentional kind of losing. This temple was supposed to remain unfound, but there are a lot more people in the world now than when it was built and they’re much better at excavating things that were meant to be left alone. Now it’s a place for tourists to walk through, at least in the explored upper levels where it’s safe. Wander off the path, though, and there are hidden areas and unexplored halls that lead deep into the earth with no possibility of return. The temple was made to hold the chained god Altec in place, and he’s not happy about it.
Still, having been transformed into a deathless phantom and with no way out there’s nothing better to do than start breaking some chains. The only escape is by helping Altec, collecting relics secured deep in the ruins' sub-temples, each one weakening the links that hold him in place. It’s an obviously terrible idea, but there’s no other option available, so from the central hub you get to work clearing one level after another of its treasures. It’s incredibly dangerous with every square foot likely to set off a new and spikier trap, but on the plus side, death is currently an inconvenience rather than an eternal punishment for failure.
Phantom Abyssis a first-person adventure that looks like an FPS except for the complete lack of anything to shoot with. Closer in spirit toMirror’s Edgebut without the same level of parkour-stye acrobatics, you run, jump, dash and slide past every trap and hazard a determined temple can set in your path. Spiked floors, spiked ceilings, spiked moving bars and probably somewhere spiked spikes are just a few of the traps in the way. There are also disappearing floors, smashing blocks in both high-speed vertical and slower horizontal formats, bottomless pits, dart-shooting statues, giant rolling stones and many, many more. Topping it all off, each area has an indestructible guardian that, when active, will not let up its attack.
All these hazards need a place to be in order to be interesting, and the level design is wherePhantom Abyssshines. Each run of the main quest is through a series of hand-built rooms in a specific order, and most of the rooms are their own set-pieces. A massive canyon running left to right with the bridges across it broken, darkened rooms where you’ll need to carry a crystal to light the way, chasms with timed platforms to activate before you can cross, and of course, secrets everywhere. The setting is more than scenic enough that it’s worth looking around even without the promise of finding treasure, and the verticality of the rooms gets you into the habit of looking up to find those hidden openings in the ceiling that lead to secret chests.
Getting up there, though, is where the whip comes in, which is the adventurer’s only weapon. While it can take out floating bombs and temporarily disarm some traps, the whip is primarily a traversal tool thanks to its ability to latch on to any wall and drag you to it. Spotting a hole in the ceiling high above frequently means needing to figure out how to get up there by using the whip to climb up a statue and then jumping so the whip can reach near the top of the opening. The adventurer has a generous mantling ability, pulling themselves up over the edge, so the aim doesn’t have to be perfect. Seeing as the whip’s wall-grab requires a slightly clumsy two-button activation, the extra help is appreciated, but it’s a skill that’s used everywhere so there’s plenty of time to practice as well.
Inside the chests will either be coins or coins and one of the stone tablets the game refers to as a key. Keys are used to buy permanent abilities back in the main hub area, such as lengthening the whip’s range, quicker reactivation of the dash, taking no fall damage and a huge number more. Coins, on the other hand, are used in the run to buy temporary blessings at the statues between one floor and the next, with abilities ranging from no fall damage, double-jump, a hover-slide that ignores gravity and many, many more. All the blessing abilities are also able to granted by the whips, with each successful run in adventure mode unlocking a new whip with a new ability. you may only carry one at a time, of course, and despite the incredible usefulness of the double-jump, it can actually be difficult to choose as the game progresses and the need for different approaches kicks in. It’s hard to underestimate now nice it is to be able to whip away a guardian for a minute or two.
While the levels are scenic and their secrets encourage looking into odd areas,Phantom Abysssuffers from feeling like it’s always pushing. The guardians in particular are almost constantly on the attack, and while they do sometimes take a break in some of the rooms, they can frequently feel like they’re nagging you forward. Additionally, one of the big hooks ofPhantom Abyssis being able to see other players as phantoms running through the levels, seeing what traps they set off and clever routes they might have taken. As a rule, though, the other players are under the same “Gotta go fast” pressure you are, which means if you take a minute to see what’s under a staircase or check out an alcove they can run on ahead, never to be seen again. The phantoms pull and the guardians push, and between the two it can leave exploration feeling like a struggle to find the time.
In addition to the main mode,Phantom Abyssalso includes a Daily Run and the Abyss, both of which are found through a giant vortex-door in the main hub area. The Daily Run is where players compete for a spot on the leaderboards, either for the fastest completion time or most treasure found, while the Abyss is a descent through all the environments in the game in a randomized collection of rooms. The Abyss in particular can be good for finding the rarer keys, and while the odds of survival are incredibly low, the length of the run means you can stack up a good collection of powerful blessings to survive into areas you won’t have been able to play yet in the Adventure mode. All three modes offer something a little different, providing a good amount of variety for your temple raiding needs.
Closing Comments:
Phantom Abyssis a trek into a lost and trap-filled temple that constantly has you on your toes. Each room is filled with several ways to die, or at least take a good amount of damage, and the constant pressure from the guardian means you have to think while moving. While there’s something to be said for tearing through the level at top speed, the rooms are frequently interesting enough that it would be nice to stop and look around for a minute without being pushed forward. The secrets are highly satisfying to find, and when a guardian is dropping poison bombs or just relentlessly advancing that can feel like it’s working against the necessary concentration or experimentation needed to reach them. A lot of the time it can feel easier to just dash on through, ignoring the intricate room design to reach the door to the next one, and the next and the next until finally reaching the exit. Every once in a while, though,Phantom Abyssmanages to balance the speed and exploration, and that’s when it’s at its best.
Phantom Abyss
Version Reviewed: PC
