Souls Games And Little Nightmares Combine In End Of Abyss

There were more souls-likes than I could muster the interest in at Summer Game Fest 2025. I've never been one to enjoy the genre in most cases anyway, and seeing how many games were leaning into gameplay loops of dodge-roll showdowns with gigantic, spongey bosses had me checked out at times during the various showcases over the past week. But I played one game that borrows from the genre and didn't turn me away. End of Abyss takes a few touchstones from games like Dark Souls, ties it in with a Little-Nightmares-in-space aesthetic, and brings it all together in a cleverly creepy twin-stick shooter.End of Abyss comes from Section 9 Interactive, a new studio created in part by former Tarsier Studio developers, the team behind Little Nightmares and its sequel. The Little Nightmares influence can definitely be felt in End of Abyss. Though the enemy and world design are much different, trading the stuff of childhood night terrors for coldly blue-tinted isolation akin to a sci-fi horror story, there's something about it that feels familiar. Maybe it's the nameless, voiceless character being chased by fleshy monsters. Or maybe it's their brightly colored jacket--here a lime green as opposed to Little Nightmare's yellow raincoat. Luckily, the protagonist in End of Abyss can defend themselves, unlike those in Tarsier's games. Using a pistol with unlimited ammo, or other found weapons like a shotgun I discovered in my play session, the game's twin-stick shooting felt well-implemented. It wasn't very sticky, which I liked, as it gave it an anxiety-inducing effect. Missing shots meant the enemies were able to close the distance and caused me to dodge them, either out of the room so I could create a bottleneck in a doorway, or just catch my breath. Some enemies grew long, giraffe-like necks, which they swung at me with sneakily far reach. Others came in packs of several small bugs that would jump on me, causing me to shake them off and book it, or try to knife them on their approach.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Jun 10, 2025 - 22:10

Souls Games And Little Nightmares Combine In End Of Abyss

There were more souls-likes than I could muster the interest in at Summer Game Fest 2025. I've never been one to enjoy the genre in most cases anyway, and seeing how many games were leaning into gameplay loops of dodge-roll showdowns with gigantic, spongey bosses had me checked out at times during the various showcases over the past week. But I played one game that borrows from the genre and didn't turn me away. End of Abyss takes a few touchstones from games like Dark Souls, ties it in with a Little-Nightmares-in-space aesthetic, and brings it all together in a cleverly creepy twin-stick shooter.

End of Abyss comes from Section 9 Interactive, a new studio created in part by former Tarsier Studio developers, the team behind Little Nightmares and its sequel. The Little Nightmares influence can definitely be felt in End of Abyss. Though the enemy and world design are much different, trading the stuff of childhood night terrors for coldly blue-tinted isolation akin to a sci-fi horror story, there's something about it that feels familiar. Maybe it's the nameless, voiceless character being chased by fleshy monsters. Or maybe it's their brightly colored jacket--here a lime green as opposed to Little Nightmare's yellow raincoat.

Luckily, the protagonist in End of Abyss can defend themselves, unlike those in Tarsier's games. Using a pistol with unlimited ammo, or other found weapons like a shotgun I discovered in my play session, the game's twin-stick shooting felt well-implemented. It wasn't very sticky, which I liked, as it gave it an anxiety-inducing effect. Missing shots meant the enemies were able to close the distance and caused me to dodge them, either out of the room so I could create a bottleneck in a doorway, or just catch my breath. Some enemies grew long, giraffe-like necks, which they swung at me with sneakily far reach. Others came in packs of several small bugs that would jump on me, causing me to shake them off and book it, or try to knife them on their approach.Continue Reading at GameSpot