- End of Abyss on Steam is a third-person sci-fi horror Metroidvania from Section 9 Interactive, featuring former Little Nightmares creators.
- Campaign length: roughly 12 to 15 hours of exploration, puzzle-solving, and boss fights.
- Core loop: unlock upgrades, backtrack to open sealed doors and optional areas, then push deeper into the facility.
- Watch out: the in-game map has known visual bugs that can mislead your navigation, so double-check locked doors in person.
- Best tip: fully upgrade your infinite-ammo pistol — it outperforms most late-game weapons.
End of Abyss on Steam: Overview & First Impressions
End of Abyss on Steam delivers a dark blend of sci-fi horror and Metroidvania design. You play as Cell, a voiceless technician sent into an underground facility that has gone silent. Floor by floor, you uncover the mystery while unlocking gear that reshapes how you explore. The developer, Section 9 Interactive, includes former creators of Little Nightmares, and that DNA shows in the game's eerie, oppressive atmosphere.
Video Highlights:
- Third-person Metroidvania with twin-stick shooting and environmental puzzles
- Atmosphere inspired by Little Nightmares, Resident Evil, and classic sci-fi horror films
- 12–15 hour campaign with a satisfying mid-to-late game power climb
- Map bugs can mislead exploration — the review's biggest criticism
- Soulslike boss design with dodge-roll invincibility frames
The game borrows from many sources: fixed camera angles reminiscent of Resident Evil, towering Soulslike bosses, and body horror pulled from Alien, Event Horizon, and The Thing. When these influences mesh, End of Abyss shines. When they clash, the experience becomes inconsistent — but for Metroidvania fans, the exploration core remains strong.
Check the Steam patch notes before starting. A patch released shortly after launch fixed several issues, and the map reliability problem may already be addressed by the time you play.
| Influence | How It Appears in End of Abyss |
|---|---|
| Little Nightmares | Eerie art direction and unsettling, quiet world texture |
| Resident Evil | Fixed camera angles; hearing monsters before seeing them |
| Dark Souls | Restoration pods, enemy resets, punishing melee bosses |
| Metroid | Unlock upgrades, backtrack, open previously inaccessible routes |
| Alien / The Thing | Body horror enemies with organic masses and mutation themes |
Combat, Weapons & Boss Strategy
Combat uses twin-stick shooting with a soft lock-on. Stay close to mid-range and your shots land reliably; back off too far and targeting shifts to manual aim, adding classic horror tension — and missed shots when you can least afford them.
The opening hours are the hardest. Your pistol is underpowered, enemies swarm in cramped quarters, and fixed cameras add friction. Push through — around the halfway point, better weapons and dodge timing make everything click.
| Weapon | Strengths | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pistol | Infinite ammo when fully upgraded | Arguably the best all-around weapon |
| Shotgun | Strong close-range burst | Great vs. swarming melee enemies |
| Rifle | Reliable sustained damage | Good for mid-range boss phases |
| Flamethrower | Area denial, crowd control | Situational but fun |
Most bosses follow a similar script: clobber you up close or hurl a fleshy appendage with about half a second of warning. Learn to time your dodge roll — the invincibility frames carry you through most attacks, and later bosses can fall in one or two attempts once the pattern clicks.
Keep Mid-Range
- Stay within soft lock range
- Efficient kills, less ammo waste
- Retreat only when reloading
Master the Dodge
- Invincibility frames beat raw defense
- Dodge into and past attacks
- Works vs. nearly every boss
Upgrade the Pistol
- Infinite ammo at full upgrade
- Outdamages most alternatives
- Saves resources for emergencies
Exploration & Backtracking Guide
Exploration is the heart of End of Abyss. New items constantly send you back to earlier decks to solve puzzles, blow open weak walls, and reach optional areas — and most major upgrades are hidden in those optional zones, not on the critical path.
Chart Each Deck
Explore manually and note sealed doors, colored keycard locks, and visibly weak walls or floors as you go.
Find Hidden Maps
Valuable area maps are tucked off the main path. Grab them early for a full layout view — but verify locked icons in person due to map bugs.
Unlock Traversal Tools
Explosive charges destroy weak surfaces; the grappling hook pulls down previously inaccessible ladders, opening huge new routes.
Backtrack at Story Milestones
After each major story beat, revisit old decks. New gear turns dead ends into shortcuts, secrets, and optional bosses.
Clear Optional Areas
Seek out optional zones for weapon upgrades and resources — they keep you ahead of the facility's punishing enemies.
The map can show opened doors as locked, or fail to flag doors you already have keys for. These are visual bugs only — the doors still work correctly. Trust what you see in the world over the map icon, and keep mental notes of key-locked doors yourself.
New Player Checklist & Progression Goals
Resource management leans survival-horror early on: limited ammo, numerous fast enemies, and cramped rooms. Restoration pods act as safe points (and reset enemies, Dark Souls bonfire-style), so farm resources near pods when you're understocked.
Essential Milestones:
- Learn dodge-roll timing before the first bosses
- Collect the hidden map for every deck
- Find explosive charges to open weak walls
- Unlock the grappling hook for new routes
- Fully upgrade the infinite-ammo pistol
- Clear optional areas for hidden bosses and upgrades
Around the halfway mark, weapon variety, dodge mastery, and unlocked shortcuts converge. Players who struggled early often clear later bosses in one or two tries — persistence in the opening hours pays off.
Strengths & Weaknesses: Should You Buy on Steam?
End of Abyss is best understood as a "darker, creepier Metroid" rather than pure survival horror. The Soulslike enemy resets drain the scares after repeated encounters, but the exploration loop — finding upgrades, opening shortcuts, hunting hidden bosses — stays compelling throughout.
| Category | Verdict | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere & Art | ★★★★★ | Midnight-blue palette, disconcerting stillness, superb art direction |
| Exploration | ★★★★☆ | Strong Metroidvania loop, hampered by map bugs |
| Combat | ★★★☆☆ | Tense early, repetitive late; soft lock helps |
| Bosses | ★★★☆☆ | Imposing looks, but limited mechanical variety |
| Horror | ★★★☆☆ | Great aesthetics; repetition dulls the scares |
If you love Metroid-style exploration and don't mind Soulslike difficulty spikes, End of Abyss is an easy recommendation. Pure survival-horror fans may find the repeated encounters reduce the fear factor.
FAQ
Q: Is End of Abyss available on Steam?
Yes. End of Abyss is a Steam release by Section 9 Interactive, a studio that includes former Little Nightmares creators. Check the official Steam page for current pricing, system requirements, and the latest patch notes.
Q: How long is End of Abyss?
The sci-fi horror campaign takes roughly 12 to 15 hours, longer if you hunt optional areas, hidden bosses, and upgrade pickups.
Q: Is End of Abyss too difficult for beginners?
The early hours are punishing, with an underpowered pistol and aggressive enemies. Difficulty evens out around the halfway point as you unlock weapons and master dodge-roll invincibility frames.
Q: Are the map bugs still a problem?
At launch, maps could display incorrect door-lock icons. A patch fixed several other issues, and the map problem may be resolved by the time you play — check recent Steam patch notes before starting.