This is an okay game I guess. I suppose I can recommend it, even though this game suffers from the same sorts of problems as any other Zelda-Like that's integrated a randomly generated world. I DO support Indie Developed games. And I see true professional work being done here that should be rewarded, and I do think eyes should be on the game AND the Developers. For the Developers, think of this as a resume to show off.
Although I feel these Developers deserve exposure for what they can do, I also feel that Video Game Developers ARE NOT infallible. They just want to make something cool. And sometimes developers come up with a series of cool sounding ideas that hasn't been done at all (at the time of development, but that A FEW have done by the time the game launches). Sometimes it's hard to see how some gaming mechanics in a game can ruin the experience. Typically, in a design you want there to be formality to the design, some complimentary things to keep unity in the design. But you'll want people to really look at it, so you'll put in some contrast.... and how do you put any of those ideas into a Zelda-Like that's randomly generated?
This game is worth a shot because I've seen other games have tried to design their game the same way. You know, with a randomly generated world, in a Zelda-Like. Ancient Abyss is the closest I've seen these fundamentally flawed game designs be put together to work.... This game is the CLOSEST to working, with these design concepts... but it's still a whole planet away FROM actually working.
Here's why a randomly generated world sounds appealing in a Zelda-Like: We all enjoy Zelda-Likes. Let's play a Zelda-Like that's different EVERY TIME YOU PLAY IT. It'll never get stale because the world will change every time you play it.
BUT IN REALITY, a randomly generated world in a Zelda-Like is IN FACT an oxymoron. The whole reason why the first Zelda was made in that way was to encourage exploration in a well crafted world, that's been methodically thought through, full of things to see, unlock, and hidden secrets in the cracks of the world, and hidden bits of story telling. These are the things that we love Zelda-Likes for.
... Randomely generating that world removes all curiosity about the universe because RANDOM also mean NOT THOUGHT OUT. As in... no one carefully crafted everything you'd find in the game. Maybe you'd find some ancient weapon, accidentally awaken an ancient evil... etc... If all of that is forced to be randomly generated, then it will never compare to the narrative that was hand crafted. And ironically we have an example of both. Hyperlight Drifter, was hand crafted. Ancient Abyss was made to randomly generate what you interact with. And ironically -- they both look VERY similar.
So why would I be amazed by this world, like I was with Hyperlight Drifter? These two games look very similar. Hyperlight drifter didn't really have an open world (Like Zelda)... So it failed in that sense. But it was still an EXTREMELY well thought out world. It wad a great story, told... interestingly. GREAT soundtrack. great stuff, really. Hyperlight drifter wasn't without it's flaws but that game is up there with the greats... EVERY BIT as great AS Zelda.
But Ancient Abyss, it was fun enough game play... The combat is fine... The movement is fine. The Visuals are GREAT. Actually the visuals are AMAZING. BUT it's a world you don't give a crap about, because it's not thought out... it's just RANDOM, and thus the sense of discovery and curiosity is robbed from the player. These are necessities for the player to have in a Zelda-like.. And it has more style over Substance that gets you to think of Hyperlight Drifter, and NOT Ancient Abyss. Why is that? Because Hyperlight Drifter told a compelling story, with similar visuals, a FAR SUPERIOR soundtrack, And a well thought out world.
Yeah. It sounds appealing to randomly generate your game, I won't lie. But, as the player, you can't really find secrets, because by definition finding a secret requires that a developer intentionally make things harder to find. How does a randomly generated world plant secrets? How would an algorithm know how to plant them at a time and place that would be compelling? How does it plant in subtle bits of immersion, tinny bits of visual story telling?
Like a movie, you have to think about pacing. In a video game, that pacing is the game play loop. How well can your randomly generated world play the game play loop? Would you really want that set to random? Because that's sort of like banging your fists against the piano and calling it "music". Isn't it?
Zelda-Likes are known for their puzzles. And what is a puzzle, if not a developer deliberately thinking of a crap load of difficulties for the player to face when getting from Point A to Point B? And this process is so well thought out that none of the puzzles become stale.
This game just randomly generates the world. There's no depth to it. What you see is what you get. A boss might prevent you from going from Point A to Point B, but that's the only way that a randomly generated world can create any difficulty in getting from place to place. It's the same thing every time.
You'll find these towers that give you power ups. And.... they out stay their welcome fairly quickly. These are the things that should be secrets sewn deep within the world of this game. The things you have to work to find and obtain, discovering more and more about the Lore in that world, as you find them.... but no... They're all really straight forward and bland. VISUALLY, these towers that give you perks and such, they look cool. But... But this is an example of style over substance.
Which is unfortunate, because if this game had a well thought out world, story, and soundtrack, it could have beaten Hyperlight Drifter. But as it stands, Hyperlight Drifter is still the superior game. And Ancient Abyss will always be the game that fell short of Hyperlight Drifter, even though they have nothing to do with each other. And why is this?
Because Ancient Abyss CHOSE to LOOK nearly exactly like Hyperlight Drifter. Which is fine. I'm okay with this visually similar world. BUT IF YOU DO THAT, you need to make sure that you far exceed the predecessor.
Ancient Abyss falls short. And like I said at the beginning of the review, although this game is the closest to working, with the oxymoronic design choices they went with, it still just means that they're just a whole world away from making a compelling game.
It's not that these design concepts need to be honed. They need to be thrown into the trash. And the game needs to be developed like a proper Zelda-like.
I'd play a sequel to this... if things weren't randomly generated, you get a better composer, and you have a better story.
