SEGAbits at E3 Preview: Abyss Odyssey (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC)

This is going to be an interesting year for us here at SEGAbits, as we try to get accustomed to covering Atlus games. I’ve been trying to familiarize myself with the company, but I haven’t truly begun to introduce myself to their catalog until today, when I played several of their games on the showfloor. I’m going to do my best to provide coverage of this company, but I am somewhat out of my depth here. First on my docket? Abyss Odyssey!

I had a fun time with this game. It’s essentially a Smash Bros game with rogue-like elements. So pretty much a side scrolling brawler that can be really, really hard and brutal. Allies can hit and damage each other in this game, the labyrinth quickly becomes much more difficult the deeper you go, and dying will result in you going back to your previous checkpoint, sans all of your equipment and items. Death in this game carries a serious consequence! For a rogue-like this game is actually pretty generous, as you get to keep all of your collected experience, skills and gold.

Though I compared this to Smash Bros, the game does control quite differently. Though you can jump, grab, perform regular and special movies much like in Smash Bros the game itself is far less floaty and the game play itself seems to be slower and a little stiffer, which makes since for a game that’s more about brawling a bunch of different kinds of enemies over complicated terrain then a handful of skilled human opponents. Your character has one “regular” attack, and up to six special moves of which three can be assigned to the Y button. Up Y, down Y and right Y can all be mapped to different kinds of skills, and you’re free to customize which combination activates which move.

Playing this game co-operatively with Jason could get a tad frustration. The game requires a lot of teamwork, as an uncoordinated duo can just kill each other with friendly fire if they aren’t careful. The game does give each player a lot of health, but the mistakes can add up. Once you do die, you are given a chance to resurrect your characters through the use of some soldiers from the surface who take the place of your characters when they die. If they can get to a checkpoint, they can resurrect your characters with all of their items intact. If not, well….it’s game over.

Graphically, the game looks okay. It’s got this nice mystical vibe about it, and the game itself ran quite smoothly. Given the game is only months away from release and is pretty average on a technical level, it’s good to see the game running so smoothly. Visually, I really liked the look of the game, and it conveyed the 19^th century fantasy setting well.

I had a good time with Abyss Odyssey. The game was a little more hardcore then what I usually play, but the Smash Bros-esque game play makes it very accessible for a rogue like. I did find the menus to be a little confusing to go through on the showfloor, but I’m not sure if I would have that same problem at home at a time when I’m not exhausted from running around all day. If you’re interested in a Smash Bros type game with some serious meat to its single player campaign and combat, or if you’re looking for an entry level rogue-like, or if you’re just looking for a good, fun brawler/platformer, Abyss Odyssey is something you should keep an eye on. I know I will.

Abyss Odyssey releases this summer for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, published by Atlus.