- End of Abyss IGN review praises its atmosphere and audio design as standout strengths of this horror Metroidvania.
- The game blends twin-stick shooting with Metroidvania exploration and survival horror resource management.
- Exploration suffers from repetitive gray-blue zones, weak shortcuts, and frustrating backtracking.
- Combat stays strong moment-to-moment, but boss fights feel formulaic compared to regular encounters.
- The campaign runs roughly 10 hours, with the story only gaining momentum in the final third.
End of Abyss IGN Review Overview
End of Abyss is the debut game from Section 9 Interactive, a studio founded by former Little Nightmares developers. The IGN review frames it as an atmospheric horror Metroidvania with twin-stick controls, set inside a gargantuan, labyrinthine abandoned facility. Players control Cell, a young combat technician who explores the desolate complex alongside oversized soldiers, guided by AI security control units and a mysterious voice, while battling zombified station workers that have turned into enemy husks.
Video Highlights:
- Atmosphere is the game's greatest strength, with a clay doll aesthetic inherited from Little Nightmares veterans
- Twin-stick combat is tense and rewarding, but boss arenas feel repetitive
- Exploration and resource economy fall flat in the mid-to-late game
- The story only picks up momentum in the back third of the roughly 10-hour campaign
If you prioritize dread-soaked atmosphere and strong audio design over tight level design and rewarding exploration loops, End of Abyss is a much easier recommendation than it is for genre purists.
Strengths: Atmosphere, Audio, and Combat
The review highlights three pillars where End of Abyss genuinely delivers.
Atmosphere
- Clay doll aesthetic, isometric perspective
- Flickering lights, fungal corpses
- Harrowing opening habitation sector
Audio Design
- Pulsating clangs and distorted gurgles
- Wet enemy squelching effects
- Sound gives the facility outsized scope
Twin-Stick Combat
- Encounters swing drastically on mistakes
- Encourages weapon experimentation
- Manipulating aggressive enemy AI is rewarding
Combat encounters keep players on a razor's edge between confidence and hubris. Grenades are a staple in large group fights, and tougher enemies like the long-necked Husk Latcher force careful distance management with its perpetually charging, claw-like head swings.
The review calls the tone-setting audio design "some of the best I've heard recently," making the facility feel like it extends far beyond the edges of the screen.
Weapons and Resource Management
The arsenal spans from a reliable unlimited-ammo pistol to a room-incinerating flamethrower. Early resource management evokes Resident Evil-style survival horror, but that tension dissolves once crafting materials become trivially abundant.
| Weapon | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse Gun | Starting sidearm | Unlimited ammo, reliable backup |
| Riotbreaker Shotgun | Close-range burst | Ammo matters early, less later |
| Security Rifle | Long-range | Armor-piercing, trivializes economy |
| Flamethrower | Crowd control | Lights entire rooms on fire |
| Grenades | Group encounters | Staple for large hordes |
| Resource | Availability | Impact on Gameplay |
|---|---|---|
| Fragments | Extremely abundant | Rewards feel meaningless over time |
| Crafting materials | Plentiful after early hours | Ammo tension mostly disappears |
| Radiation suit mod | Hidden, requires searching | Relief rather than elation when found |
Once materials and fragments flood your inventory, the survival horror dynamic weakens considerably. Expect the tension of scarcity to matter mainly in the first few hours.
Where the Review Says It Falls Short
The IGN critique identifies several structural issues that prevent End of Abyss from matching genre juggernauts.
| Problem | Description |
|---|---|
| Repetitive zones | Same gray-blue hue everywhere, hard to anchor landmarks |
| Weak shortcuts | Unlocks bring confusion instead of satisfaction |
| Predictable scares | "Dead" enemies always wake up; ambushes become routine |
| Vague storytelling | Mystery relies on absence of information, low stakes early |
| Backtracking | Slow sprint speed, aimless roaming pads the runtime |
| Bugs | Invisible walls forced checkpoint restarts, losing 10-15 minutes |
| Radiation sector | Health ticks away until a hidden suit mod is found |
The containment sector deserves special mention: radiation steadily drains health, and without knowing a radiation suit mod exists, players are left poking random corners of the map for a solution the game never signals — a disconnect the reviewer notes even classic Metroidvanias avoided.
Most boss fights boil down to rolling away, popping shots, and repeating in circular arenas. The centipede husk boss at least mixes things up by leaving the arena and re-emerging from different corners.
How to Get the Most Out of End of Abyss
Based on the review's pain points, here is a practical play approach that sidesteps the worst frustrations.
Master the Pistol Early
The pulse gun has unlimited ammo. Rely on it for routine encounters and hoard specialty ammo for moments that genuinely matter in the opening hours.
Pre-shoot Suspicious Corpses
Enemies feigning death always wake up. Open fire before approaching to neutralize predictable ambushes.
Use Grenades for Hordes
Large group encounters reward area damage. Learn to bait aggressive enemies into clusters before detonating.
Consult the Map Constantly
Zones look alike. Checking the map every few seconds prevents wasted runs through identical corridors.
Search for the Radiation Suit Early
Before pushing deep into the containment sector, hunt for the radiation suit mod so the area's damage-over-time doesn't force repeated checkpoint deaths.
Before Entering the Lower Levels:
- Unlock the transit system between zones
- Stockpile shotgun and rifle ammo at workbenches
- Locate the radiation suit mod
- Collect notes in the lower levels for late-game story payoff
Final Verdict and FAQ
The review concludes that End of Abyss has "so much going for it" — a Metroidvania with touches of survival horror and twin-stick shooting — but the pieces never coalesce into something greater. The atmosphere matches the best moments of other horror games, yet it isn't enough to offset how the game undermines its own best ideas. There are moments that shine through the darkest depths, but not enough to flood the surface.
An uneven but atmospheric debut. Recommended primarily for horror atmosphere fans; genre veterans expecting airtight exploration should temper expectations.
Q: What is the IGN review verdict on End of Abyss?
The IGN review finds End of Abyss uneven: its atmosphere and audio design are excellent, but repetitive exploration, a weak resource economy, and formulaic boss fights hold it below the bar set by genre leaders.
Q: How long is End of Abyss?
The campaign runs roughly 10 hours, though the reviewer notes that slow backtracking and aimless roaming can pad the runtime considerably.
Q: Does End of Abyss have ammo management like Resident Evil?
Early on, yes. Managing shotgun ammo feels like classic survival horror, but crafting materials become so abundant after a couple of hours that ammo scarcity largely stops mattering.
Q: Who developed End of Abyss?
Section 9 Interactive, a studio composed of former Little Nightmares developers. End of Abyss is the studio's debut game, and its clay doll aesthetic and isometric perspective clearly show that lineage.