Dark grey walls encase the arena, and glowing orbs dart out of the hostile entities. With quick movement and spatial awareness, the player dodges projectiles as though it were a precise dance. This is the basic combat loop of Luna Abyss, a new first-person action game from Kwalee Labs.
Entering the Abyss
Luna Abyss seemingly takes inspiration from Tsutomu Nihei’s cult-classic manga Blame!, the general game feel of Metroid Prime, and perhaps most obviously, bullet hell shooters. The player takes on the role of Fawkes, a prisoner held captive on a moon called Luna. They are sent to the Abyss, a daunting megastructure underneath Luna, to retrieve a lost technology for a chance at freedom.
This is not a game where the player is powerless or even weak. Fawkes is no less powerful than an unstoppable train with their capable tool set. Despite this, Luna Abyss communicates a sense of hopelessness with its environments, storytelling, and generally dreary atmosphere.
It’s tonally comparable to Control, albeit with a much bleaker edge. It’s a game with tons of fast, slick action and unsettling surrealism. One moment, the player will be weaving through bullets, and the next, they will be conversing with a cryptic NPC. Something horrible has occurred on Luna, and it’s up to the player to piece the puzzle together.
A Red and Grey Nightmare
What’s notable from the moment the player boots into the main menu is the game’s distinct visual identity. Like Blame!, the seemingly endless megastructure surrounds Fawkes with a brutalist flair. Below the player’s feet lie pits with no visible bottom, and countless tunnels run through the walls like veins.
There are a few distinct locations, such as the gorgeous Weeping Meadows, although don’t expect too much variation. Much of the game’s time will be spent traversing small corridors and falling down steep pipes. As such, most environments lack color outside of the sharp red accents that bathe the grey walls.
While possibly intentional, this does lead to one of Luna Abyss‘s few major faults. There is simply not enough variety in locales throughout Fawkes’ journey in the Abyss. While some locations are packed with exquisite detail, many others share identical assets and are barely distinguishable as a result.
This traversal through basic environments also leads to uneven pacing. Luna Abyss is not a long game, but a chunk of its playtime seems padded with moments lacking in anything noteworthy. Fawkes can only run through so many small, linear corridors before I ask when the next big combat encounter or platforming section is.
Two Halves, One Whole
Fortunately, Luna Abyss is strong in both its combat and platforming offerings. Neither may seem like much at first, but as the player’s toolkit expands, the game presents more inputs to keep them engaged.
Fawkes’ double jump contains a surprising amount of momentum, enabling the player to satisfyingly close long distances. This only becomes more powerful when the player gains access to a dash. In fact, many of the later platforming challenges test the player’s ability to gauge how far to jump.
These platforming sections are a nice way to break up combat sections that would otherwise be too repetitive on their own. These two aspects can’t be described as two different games in one, as they complement each other. It’s hard to imagine the game being as enjoyable with either aspect absent.
While this may be disappointing to those who may prefer a focus on one or the other, it makes Luna Abyss stand out as a first-person experience. While Returnal might come to mind for many, there aren’t many other games that are as directly comparable.
Luna Abyss‘s Bullet Hell
The combat mechanics are the star of the show. While Fawkes’ arsenal of only four weapons may seem small compared to other shooters, none of them are useless. Part of this is achieved with a clever cooldown system in place of a reload mechanic.
When a weapon in Luna Abyss sees too much consecutive use, it will overheat. This is visualized via a meter that fills up with every shot. As one might imagine, this incentivizes rapid switching between weapons for maximum efficiency.
Luna Abyss‘s traversal mechanics are also put to good use during combat encounters. The dash is incredibly helpful in getting out of disadvantageous positions. Additionally, the double jump and grappling mechanics add plenty of verticality to dodging all the bright orbs that fill up the screen.
While players can opt to aim manually, a lock-on button mechanic reduces the stress of aiming properly while darting around the environment. With this, it’s easy to focus on movement, which is the strongest gameplay aspect of Luna Abyss.
A Crisp Presentation
Luna Abyss is a buttery smooth experience out of the box on PC. I played through the entire game using Proton on Linux without any noticeable issues. The only technical gripe I have with the game is the sparse but jarring loading screens that may suddenly interrupt during traversal.
The soundtrack is fantastic, knowing when to take center stage or blend in with the action. The music ramps up the intensity for boss fights as the pulsating beat almost synchronizes with Fawkes’ actions. Other times, the soundtrack communicates deep emotion, even if the events don’t immediately make sense to the player.
Luna Abyss also delivers strong voice performances with its various characters. No performance sticks out as lacking or strange. Every character sounds and talks the way one would expect.
Overall, the game is very polished in its presentation. While it obviously doesn’t compare with a big-budget game, Luna Abyss makes the most with what it has. It’s been as fine-tuned as one could reasonably ask for.
Luna Abyss Is Almost a Lunar Legend
Luna Abyss manages to achieve a lot within its short campaign. The world it presents is simultaneously bleak and deeply intriguing. Additionally, the characters and themes beg for deeper analysis. It might not all make sense on an initial playthrough, but players will likely start to piece together the puzzle by the end.
While it can prioritize style over substance at times, there is still enough meat on its bones. The engaging mechanics may not realize their true potential, but they sustain the brief campaign. Luna Abyss is an easy recommendation for fans of bullet hell shooters and bleak, surreal settings.
Luna Abyss will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Disclaimer: Kwalee provided Final Weapon with a Steam copy of Luna Abyss for review purposes.
