Abyss (Wii U) Review

The year is 3024 - always a good sign, right? As might be expected, humanity isn't actually doing so hot by this point. Natural resources are running very low and scientists figure it's about time they explored the deepest depths of the ocean to find more. The gallant protagonist is a biomechanical robot called Nep2no, who looks like an alien squid and was developed to withstand the high pressures of the ocean's deepest abysses, but not the abyss' fuzzy walls. Darn. Still, Nep2no is humanity's only hope to find more of the amazing new glowing energy source, "Gaia," from deep in the ocean. With that, it is a matter of 'good luck' to the little alien squid robot!

The game opens up to some menus that look like they have been made on MS Paint and clearly haven't been optimised for HD either. They are off centre and generally have a thrown together look. They are fuzzy, too, and while the fuzziness may be intentional to give more of a radio-feed feel, it comes off as ugly rather than atmospheric. While this doesn't affect the gameplay, it doesn't instill confidence that this will be the most polished of experiences. The game begins without fanfare after choosing a mode - the only one available to begin with being Mission, which is basically one stage after the other. After beating a stage, the next one is unlocked, and there are 12 stages here in total. Once the gameplay begins, though, the HD treatment begins to show that even the weak design of the robot is "overshadowed" (pun intended) by the relatively strong lighting effects and...

Oh, before there is any time for sightseeing, it should be noted that there's no tutorial of any sort. The player and Nep2no are thrust into the dark abyss of danger without any sort of control instruction. Guess what? Not even the game manual explains the controls! Dropped and sinking towards the sea walls (which always cause damage no matter what), if Nep2no could think, it would probably be thinking "Uh… How do I even operate? Someone really should have told me before sending me on a mission to decide the fate of humanity!" Yes, the controls are simple enough to pick up through the only option of trial and error, but when the game starts out in a situation where leaving the control pad leads to getting damaged, it's a fundamental design flaw. If insisting on having the players work out controls, at least begin the game in a safe environment where they can familiarise themselves with them rather than dropping them floating down onto the damaging stage walls. This also seems like an apt time to mention that Nep2no can withstand many hits from walls so long as it has time to recover afterwards - hitting the wall twice in quick succession means starting over. Oh, and no, it does not explain this in the manual either!

There are really only two actions anyway: move forward and turn. Holding or carefully tapping an action button (almost any button will do) moves Nep2no forward, and the D-Pad or analogue stick turn it around. As the stages progress and the crevices of the Abyss get narrower or add more gimmicks like moving obstacles and switches, navigation will, of course, become tougher and will require increasingly small and precise movements. Some stages have a large learning curve but ultimately the game is pretty good at teaching the player to be patient as rushing can lead to more frustrating losses and having to start a long stage from scratch again. The urge to rush may be strong but completion will come from patience, which is a challenge in itself. Speaking of difficulty, being stuck in a tiny space can lead to some nasty deaths; there is no forgiveness if Nep2no crashes into the abyss wall and bounces into another wall - that's it. Trying to bounce back into clearer waters away from walls after being hit can be very difficult, so being extra careful in those tiny gaps is important.

After completing the main Mission mode, 'Dark' mode is unlocked, which is mostly more of the same except with eight Gaia per stage rather than six, and new stage gimmicks are introduced more frequently, as well as stages becoming darker and more atmospheric. It is here, at the game's late stages, that it finally starts to show creative potential through its atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is short lived. There is also a simply thrown together multiplayer side, with one player on the GamePad and the other on the TV. The first player to die loses or the player who collects the most Gaia before anyone makes it to the Goal wins. Players can also crash into one another, but the hit box is very unpredictable, and it's generally a clumsy experience for all the family.