Gods From The Abyss

[h3]RANKING:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td] [h3][strike]AVOID | FLAWED[/strike] | [b]MAYBE[/b] | [strike]WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE [/strike] [/h3] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]SYNOPSIS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]ASSESSMENT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] Gods from the Abyss (GfrA) is a very basic horror-themed, arcade beat-em up. It is well made, with some decent combat, a small roster of enemies that crowd the character and a setting that Lovecraftian fans will gravitate towards. However, there just aren't enough characters to play with, no temporary power-ups or combo moves. With only five stages its too short. It also feels balanced for two players, given that there is no healing whatsoever. Nor are there boss fights at the end of a level. GfrA just doesn't meet the standard set by other well-loved examples in this genre, but it has a solid foundation that if built upon, would make for a fantastic game. Right now it only rates a [b]MAYBE[/b]. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]Fully released though hasn't been supported since April. Last update states the dev has moved onto working on the sequel [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]APPEAL:[/b][/td] [td]Could be something for gamers who like Lovecraft, beat-em ups and very short-lived games [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE:[/b][/td] [td]A tad overpriced given its lack of features and content [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote]Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://freeimage.host/i/HgVA4bs [h3]KEY ATTRIBUTES:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td][b]THE GOOD:[/b] [/td] [td] [b]🔼 [/b]Allows players to restart from the furthest level they have progressed to [b]🔼 [/b]Enemies carry a good assortment of weapons that the player can pick-up and use [b]🔼 [/b]Well-drawn visuals, complimentary tune and weather effects create a convincing Lovecraftian ambience [b]🔼 [/b]Old Ones chase mechanic ensures the player keeps moving forwards [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]THE BAD:[/b][/td] [td] [b]🔻[/b]Only two protagonists to choose to play [b]🔻[/b]No healing, power-ups or combos [b]🔻[/b]No boss fights [b]🔻[/b]Seems made for two player as difficulty seems slightly unbalanced in single-player [b]🔻[/b]Can't holster weapons and use for kamikaze enemies (or other harder enemies) [b]🔻[/b]Nowhere near enough game settings [b]🔻[/b]The worst control redefining system. Can be locked out and require a restart to default controls [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]AND THE REST:[/b][/td] [td] [b]↔ [/b]Only 5x stages to play, though these are quite well made [b]↔ [/b]Cutscenes tell a minimal backstory are very basic, but well executed [b]↔ [/b]Nice Lovecraftian themed special abilities, but the cost in health without healing isn't balanced [b]↔ [/b]A few gory, but satisfying dismemberment/kill animations [b]↔ [/b]The barest enemy variation, weapons/fightstyles, ranged, suicide explosive vests [/td] [/tr] [/table] https://freeimage.host/i/HgVR3qQ [h3]KEY OBSERVATIONS:[/h3] ▶ AUDIO-VISUALS: The visuals maybe nothing fancy, but they are clean and well-drawn. Together with a simple mood producing tune and weather effects they generate a convincing Lovecraftian ambience that should instil players into the setting. ► BOSS FIGHTS: Another disappointment is that there are no boss fights at the end of a level. At least for the first two levels played. Instead, the strongest mob of enemies appear and usually have a new addition not yet faced in that level. ► COMBAT: There is some fun hand-to-hand combat at the heart of GftA, let down by there not being enough moves especially parrying or dodging. The biggest issue is that the length of pause after a character attack is too long and allows enemies to hit the player with impunity. This would not be so bad, but without healing or, the chance to dodge or parry, makes for some very frustrating gameplay. The worst of it is when enemies with multiple attack types manage to land simultaneous blows on the player while they are prone or in the midst of an animation, so they are unable to do anything to avoid the damage. Grenades and kamikaze bombers are particularly infuriating at doing this. ► COMBOS: One of the pivotal questions this game does not answer is where are the combos? It tags itself as a "martial-arts beat-em up," but seems to have forgotten that attack combos are one of the most interesting aspects of the genre. With just simple attacks and only jump kicks and insta-kills moves, there is nothing else to engage a veteran of the scene. ► CONTROLS: The control system is easy to learn and fine when it comes to basic attacks. These work well, but other moves are less convincing. Jump attacks are difficult to generate and insta-kill don't always work. Against large mobs imitating actions needs really good timing. Something that may be more to do with my lack of reflexes and imprecise hand coordination. ► DROPPED WEAPONS: Its standard fare but using revolvers, shotguns, SMGs and grenades dropped by damaged enemies provides some leeway in tactics. Even if these are limited to the ammo they carry, it would have been nice to be able to holster the weapon and draw it in a stronger time of need. https://freeimage.host/i/Hg8D6b4 ► KEY/CONTROL MAPPING: This non-standard key/action remapping process is terrible. Its possible to make a real hash with changes and get locked out of the game. Even becoming unable to return to the remap option to try to redefine them. Several times I had to restart the game to reattempt to correct the matter. ► LACK OF HEALING: Given the game has so few levels, its understandable that healing is not possible during play. Though this feels like it punishes casual players too much, especially given that the special abilities require health sacrifice to use. At least it resets at the start of each level. ► NO POWER-UPS: One of its biggest failings is that there are no power-ups to acquire. ► PLAYABLE CHARACTERS: With only two protagonists with minimal distinguishing features and no unlockable characters, it means players are restricted to the two play-styles on offer. Lovecraftian settings are ripe with diverse "investigators" with different abilities, which should have seen more incorporated into the game. ► SPECIAL ABILITIES: The protagonists have essentially the same special attack which is useful for large groups and costs a little health to use. A great idea if there were any way for characters to regain even the smallest amount of health during a level. However, its use becomes an expensive choice that can be the difference between success or defeat. ► THE OLD ONES: It wouldn't be a Lovecraft game without these making a welcome appearance or rather sort of. They may only be a character-chasing mechanic that keeps the player moving towards the end of the level, but its a nice touch! [h3]PERFORMANCE:[/h3] 🟩 QOL - See the full review for the entire list. 🟨 BUGS - None encountered. 🟥 CRITICAL ISSUES - None were experienced. 🔶 STEAM SUPPORTS - Remote play is possible but must be manually set up through Steam Friends. Needs a very good connection. 🔷 OPTIMIZATION - There were no issues with dropped FPS rates. [table][tr] [td]More details on [b]KEY ATTRIBUTES, OBSERVATIONS & PERFORMANCE[/b] can be found here:[/td] [td][h1][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TheIrregularGamer/discussions/0/3823038574609097354/]Full Review[/url][/h1][/td] [/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]REVIEWED WITH:[/b][/td] [td]Game Build v (Apr 6, 2023) INTEL i5 6600 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX970 @ 1GB 1920x1080 windowed, EVO850 SSD, Speedlink XEOX Pro Analog Gamepad [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Thank you for reading | Click to follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] THE IRREGULAR GAMER[/url][/quote]