Luna Abyss Review

So if Destiny and Returnal had a baby, it would be Luna Abyss. Here we have a story-driven first-person shooter that’s set on the mysterious red moon, Luna, which appeared above Earth. You play as Fawkes, sent to prison for thousands of days for having red eyes, a physical trait known as the “mark of Luna” which is viewed as a curse on Earth. Whilst in prison, you talk to a huge robotic headed snake like creature, who is the prison overseer, Aylin. She offers to reduce your sentence if you act as a scout by projecting your consciousness into a robotic shell of a body known as a Warden, to explore the Abyss below the surface of Luna. Having no real choice in the matter, you agree and set off on your missions.

The Story Unfolds

You enter a huge megastructure beneath the surface of the moon to recover forgotten technology and learn more of what became of Greymont, a large colony that had been consumed by the scourge. In this Abyss, you face various corrupted souls and meet a few uniquely strange NPC’s, all of which help you learn more about what happened on Luna. You always have Aylin communicating with you throughout to help you when needed, and she will also guide you to extraction points to get you safely back into the prison after each mission.

Game Mechanics 

You have a great mix of bullet hell combat with platforming. Each section, you are navigating a seemingly limitless space through a series of huge structures, pipes, and walkways. You start off pretty basic, with only a scout rifle. You are also limited with your movement to begin with. As the game progresses, you unlock new skills to help you, such as a protective bubble shield, double jump, grapple hook and a dash which helps in both combat and platforming. I really enjoyed the movement when I had more abilities as it felt faster and more fluid. The platforming got better, too as you could now reach places that looked way too far before by using the double jump dash combo. Thankfully, you receive an ability to heal yourself from enemies you wear down, by life stealing. That saved me more times than I could count. You also gain an ability to explode enemies, which can help break another enemies shield in close proximity.

Enemies and Weapons

You have a variety of enemies to deal with throughout the game, all of which deliver bullet hell so you need to keep moving and shooting. Having aim assist on helps massively and keeps the game fast and fun. Some enemies teleport and also come with shields that you have to destroy using different weapons before taking them down. Starting off with only your trusty Scout rifle, you can deal with low-level enemies pretty easily and, through progression, unlock a shotgun and sniper rifle, to take some harder-hitting shots. Then, later a crowd-controlling, room-clearing rocket launcher. Thankfully, all weapons are energy weapons so no reload, but they do have a cooldown which can be reduced by finding weapon upgrades. 

Boss Fights

Every so often, you will come across a harder boss fight, with usual video game mechanics, you get the health so far down, then get swarmed by minions. You are actually glad to see them swarm in as you can heal from killing them, letting you potentially get back to full health for the next installment of the boss. There is no save points in boss fights; you die, you start back from the beginning so it’s all about learning the patterns and using your abilities to your advantage. The shield helps massively, but only lasts for a few seconds and has a cooldown time between uses. After destroying bosses, you release the trapped soul and learn more about the scourge.

Dark Aesthetic 

I loved the look of this game; a lot of it was pretty dark, which of course, it would be in a huge derelict structure. It felt like a gothic sci-fi aesthetic, with different areas and character designs being unique to the game. It feels vast and decaying with a persistent sense of loneliness as the game uses the scale and depth of the Abyss to unnerve you as you platform your way through. Having a darker background also helps when dealing with enemies, as the bullets are bright and vivid, so it’s easier to see where the enemy is shooting you from, even when there’s multiple. The soundtrack throughout is pretty awesome too, and definitely fits the dark vibe.

Final Thoughts 

I had a lot of fun playing this game; it felt fast and constantly progressive. I loved that it had a depth of lore and a weird, unique set of characters. The voice acting was superb, and the dark, gothic-style atmosphere was really appealing to me as a horror fan. The combat was fun, and the platforming wasn’t overly testing, even within a vast setting. A fun, fast-paced bullet hell shooter that is definitely worth a play through.