Additionally, Em excesso whips–each with a different blessing and curse–unlock at seemingly random intervals, which isn’t as satisfying as receiving a reward for a specific accomplishment. 

Phantom Abyss is a massive asynchronous multiplayer game that casts players into procedurally generated temples and tasks them with retrieving the sacred relics hidden within deadly chambers. Intrepid adventurers will dodge scores of hidden traps, leap treacherous chasms, and flee relentless guardians through branching paths until one of the relics are claimed or the devices of death overwhelm them.

But there’s already a great foundation here – a stellar sense of movement and moment-to-moment gameplay worth getting excited about. We look forward to seeing how the game will continue to develop and further encourage long-term spelunking.

Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn more

Currently, it doesn't synergize well with any non-whip movement blessings, as you have to either stand still or crouch-walk to initiate it, which severely limits its usefulness. Even if you have Double Jump, the boost only occurs on the first jump.

Since it grapples almost instantaneously, it increases the window of time you have to grapple a platform while falling fast, which is how I've gotten the most use out of it. You can drop through tall rooms with abandon and more safely snag a platform to break your fall.

The guardian cap at 5m/s. When it is the case, you can still outrun him in a straight line, so I guess you are running between 7 and 9m/s. Just don't assume you are okay, because he will be breathing on your neck the second you have to stop or take a turn.

Asynchronous Multiplayer – Explore the perilous halls and colossal rooms of each temple alongside the phantoms of fallen players that came before you and use their successes and failures to your advantage to progress deeper than they ever could have hoped.

By providing your email address you agree to bind your soul Phantom Abyss Gameplay to us and receive awesome news about upcoming games and releases.

While the ability gives you some pretty good mid-air horizontal movement, it is outclassed by most other movement options. Not a useless ability, but it doesn't have much utility either.

So, it’s a platforming rogue-lite. I’m good with that. Collecting these treasures will extend your own abilities, such as granting a double jump or lengthening the duration of your slide. You also have a whip, which can be used to swing yourself around.

Speedhackers already? I may be out of the loop, but I occasionally see phantoms that run at 2x or 3x the speed of a regular person, and depending on what type of whip I'm running, that takes steam out of my sails.

It’s fast and fluid, its controls are sharp, and it knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be. It’s also lean as hell and doesn’t waste a second of your time, which I mightily respect.

Unfortunately, right now, ahead of its official release on January 25, more refining is needed until Phantom Abyss can join the ranks of the best roguelike games. This game has more than a few issues that need resolving, all of which make an already complicated game more frustrating.