Devolver Digital may not be the biggest publisher in the gaming scene, but it's an excellent source of innovative indie titles. Upcoming asymmetrical multiplayer gamePhantom Abyss certainly seems to fall into that category. The publisher showed off the upcoming title with a gameplay reveal and announced an imminent early access release.
Releasing later this month, Phantom Abyss casts the player as an Indiana Jones-style adventurer archaeologist. They must rely on their wits and a combination grappling hook and whip to swing, grab, and dodge their way through a variety of deadly traps to avoid the fate of others that went before them.
The titular Phantoms are the ghosts of other player characters who never made it out of the mysterious temple. Players will see the Phantoms repeating their ill-fated adventures as they dodge the deadly traps lining the path to the temple’s hidden treasure. Clever players can learn what not to do by observing, ideally from a safe distance, the mistakes of their predecessors. The system is somewhat reminiscent of the Bloodstains in Dark Souls, and like Dark Souls, Phantom Abyss does not pull its punches.
As the E3 gameplay trailer shows, traps in Phantom Abyss start relatively simple. Early on, players will find themselves leaping over pits and dodging pendulums. The traps get larger and more elaborate as the adventure continues, with multiple stages and increasingly complex patterns. The initial spike traps might appear easy to dodge, but the ones later in the trailer look like nightmares to cross. Then there are the supernatural threats that show up later on. Magical guardians attempt to vaporize the player with lasers or blast them with balls of energy. There doesn’t seem to be much room for error either. One misstep and the player character is just another Phantom running through the temple.
The player’s primary tool is their whip-like grappling hook. Players can use it to pull themselves across gaps or over ledges. It also appears the player may be able to strike or pull objects toward them. However, the rapid-fire editing of the E3 presentation video makes it difficult to tell if that’s really the case.
Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that the grapple has a different head at various points in the video. There’s a standard four-pronged grappling hook, a green spike with a vine-like rope, and a small needle. However, it’s unclear how or if the different hooks impact gameplay. Fortunately, players only have to wait a week and a half before finding out.
Phantom Abyss releases in early access June 22 for PC.