- End of Abyss is a sci-fi horror Metroidvania from Section 9 Interactive, a Swedish studio of former Tarsier Studios developers
- Twin-stick combat: slow-firing guns, dodges, flares, and grenades keep fights tactical
- Roughly 13 hours to reach the credits across six-plus interlocking zones
- Brutally hands-off exploration: upgrades and mods are hidden, not handed out
- Verdict: a gorgeous, moody must-play for Metroidvania fans despite some launch bugs
End of Abyss Review Overview
End of Abyss drops you into the rusted, seemingly abandoned corridors of an underground base as Cell, a young technician accompanying a squad of soldiers. A blue-hued darkness coats everything, and the silence between footsteps does more atmospheric work than most horror games manage in entire cutscenes. A mysterious infection has torn through the base's former occupants, leaving fungal-sealed bodies and mutated monstrosities in every dusty hallway.
The game is developed by Section 9 Interactive, a Swedish team composed of former Tarsier Studios developers. While it isn't a Little Nightmares clone, the oppressive vibes will feel immediately familiar to fans of that series.
Video Highlights:
- Full PS5 review covering exploration, combat, upgrades, and performance
- Roughly 13 hours to credits across a constantly expanding map
- Twin-stick shooter combat with tactical gadgets like flares and grenades
- Score: 8 out of 10 — a moody, cinematic Metroidvania with some launch bugs
| Aspect | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere & Visuals | ★★★★★ | Blue-tinted fog, cinematic lighting, shifting perspectives |
| Exploration & Map Design | ★★★★☆ | Expansive but sometimes confusing waypoints |
| Combat | ★★★★☆ | Tactical twin-stick, weak final enemy type |
| Progression | ★★★★☆ | Earned upgrades feel valuable, easy to miss content |
| Technical Performance | ★★★☆☆ | Solid 60 FPS but noticeable bugs at launch |
| Overall | 8/10 | Must-play for Metroidvania fans |
If you enjoy hands-off exploration in the vein of classic Metroidvanias — and don't mind backtracking and hours of self-guided navigation — End of Abyss rewards patience with an alluring sense of discovery.
Exploration and Map Design
Scale is where End of Abyss genuinely excels. Across more than half a dozen areas, locations twist in on themselves across multiple levels, and you'll study your expanding schematics like a wannabe architect. Zones can double in size with the opening of a single door, delivering a discovery rush comparable to uncovering a new region in Elden Ring.
But the game refuses to hold your hand:
- Locked doors and unreachable platforms litter the map from the start
- Waypoints sometimes appear on floors you have no map for until you find a schematic station
- Key-card warnings can persist despite hours of searching
- Manually scanned locked doors stay marked as locked even after you've opened them — a recurring source of confusion
- Radiation zones chip away at health, and the protective mod may be hiding in an easily missed room in a completely different zone
| Exploration Mechanic | How It Works | Frustration Level |
|---|---|---|
| Manual scanning | Scan doorways and objects to mark them on your map | Low — adds engagement |
| Schematic stations | Download area maps to reveal unexplored floors | Medium — missable |
| Locked door markers | Stay marked even after unlocking | High — misleading |
| Hazard zones | Radiation drains health without the right mod | High — mod hidden elsewhere |
End of Abyss is quite unforgiving. Expect to bang your head against its complex maps more than once — but for every frustrating moment, there are two where everything slots beautifully into place.
Combat and Enemy Variety
End of Abyss is a twin-stick shooter, and its combat encounters are intense. Guns fire slowly, shots are easy to miss, and enemies swarm quickly. The dodge roll plus a suite of gadgets — grenades, attention-drawing flares, and more — keeps every encounter tactical from start to finish.
Swarm Enemies
- Scuttling hand-like spiders
- Fast approach, punish missed shots
- Best handled with spacing and dodges
Reanimators
- Spiders burrow into corpses
- Reanimate the dead mid-fight
- Prioritize before swarms build
Bosses
- Drop vault keys for mods
- Some are optional
- Gate your best upgrades
Each enemy type feels like it has its own solution, which makes the late-game reveal of the final enemy type — essentially a bullet-spongier variant — a genuine disappointment. Still, the tactical loop holds up across the entire campaign.
Conserve ammunition, use flares to pull enemies away from chokepoints, and treat the dodge as your primary defensive tool rather than a panic button.
Progression and Upgrades
End of Abyss does not throw upgrades at you. Rare materials upgrade weapons, add health packs, and boost suit power to equip more mods. Mods are found only in vaults, and vaults require keys dropped by bosses — some of which are optional and easy to miss entirely.
Scour Every Hallway
Rare materials are tucked into corners across all zones. Combing the map thoroughly is the only reliable way to stockpile them.
Find and Defeat Bosses
Bosses drop vault keys. Skipping optional bosses locks you out of valuable mods.
Locate Hidden Vaults
Vaults are deliberately difficult to find. Cross-reference your map for unexplored pockets near boss arenas.
Upgrade Strategically
Spend rare materials on weapon damage, extra health packs, or suit power depending on your build needs.
| Upgrade Type | Source | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon upgrades | Rare materials in the world | Medium |
| Health packs | Rare materials | Medium |
| Suit power (mod slots) | Rare materials | Medium |
| Mods | Vaults (boss keys required) | High — missable |
| Weapons | Hidden across the map | At least one is easily missed |
That grind is precisely what makes each upgrade feel valuable. Even at the credits, you won't be overpowered — you'll still get knocked down from time to time, and every rare resource you find feels like a genuine win.
Because End of Abyss withholds power, finding a rare material or unlocking a vault feels earned. This is old-school Metroidvania progression done right.
Performance, Presentation, and Bugs
The blue tint of darkness gives End of Abyss a distinct foggy look, and the game constantly plays with perspective — sometimes strictly top-down, sometimes a side-scroller, often somewhere in between. Each room and area gets its own visual identity, and the lighting, especially with a torch involved, is genuinely cinematic on an OLED screen.
On the technical side:
- Tested on both PS5 and PS5 Pro — both ran a flawless-looking 60 FPS
- No performance options in the settings, for better or worse
- Haptic feedback is well implemented
- Launch build suffered audio issues, invisible barriers, and one instance of getting stuck in the environment after a boss fight, forcing a boss rematch
Many of the bugs are individually inoffensive but stack up over a playthrough. If you're playing near launch, install the latest patch before diving in.
Final Review Checklist:
- Moody, cinematic sci-fi horror atmosphere
- Twin-stick combat stays tactical throughout
- Expansive multi-level map rewards thorough exploration
- Upgrades are earned, not handed out
- Watch for launch bugs and install the day one patch
FAQ
Q: How long is End of Abyss?
Expect roughly 13 hours to reach the credits, plus additional time if you hunt for optional bosses, vaults, and the full upgrade tree.
Q: Is End of Abyss a good End of Abyss game review pick for Metroidvania fans?
Yes. Reviewers scored it 8/10, praising its moody atmosphere, tactile twin-stick combat, and brain-teasing map — calling it a must-play for genre fans despite some bugs.
Q: Who developed End of Abyss?
Section 9 Interactive, a Swedish studio made up of former Tarsier Studios developers, which explains the familiar Little Nightmares-style oppressive vibes.
Q: Does End of Abyss run well on PS5?
Both PS5 and PS5 Pro run at a stable-looking 60 FPS with no performance options. The launch build had some bugs — audio issues and invisible barriers — so install the latest patch.