Retroview - From the Abyss

Aksys Site: http://www.aksysgames.com/games/fta/
Source: Youtube Channel TeamDSNEWS

From the Abyss for the Nintendo DS was on my list of games to check out long ago and I eventually played through it earlier this year.  The game was like a very watered down "Secret of Mana" with its own little mechanics and gimmicks that sets it apart.  From the Abyss is an Action-RPG that's dungeon based rather than an open-world.  The player will go through different parts of the Abyss gate and travel through 4 areas before fighting the boss.  The game is extremely difficult in the beginning as enemies take quite a few hits before dying and the player won't be able to withstand that many attacks before dying.  Once I got through the first 2 areas for the first stage, I was strong enough to get through the rest of the game fairly easily with no problems at all.

The player will end up leveling up very quickly as long as they're killing enemies along the way.  There's one problem already: not having a balanced leveling system that keeps the game challenging or fresh.  I one-shotted most enemies if not within 3 hits and I had so much money that I could buy the strongest items several times over and still have some left over.  The levels themselves go from one block to another much like the original Legend of Zelda games were like.  Everything in that particular stage that you're on will look the same.  Exploring everything didn't reward the player much as it "sometimes" gave a better equipment if not a regular potion to use, and so near the end I decided to rush the game and ignore going to dead ends if possible.  There's the other problem: exploration wasn't fun.  There wasn't much of an incentive to check the other paths because there was usually very little there or nothing at all.  There there's the most important aspect of the game: the combat system.

The game is a lot like the Mana series where the player can switch between weapons to slash enemies, shoot them from afar, or cast spells.  For melee weapons, the combo system was extremely stiff which left the player extremely vulnerable when attacking and fast enemies were annoying to chase after.  For the ranged weapon, there was only the bow.  The bow attacks really slow, it arcs in a short distance, and it had a very long animation which left the player more vulnerable than any other weapon.  The gimmick the game possessed was the ability to steal enemy skills.  Sometimes, it's a skill that the enemy doesn't even use but will be acquired anyways.  These skills can range from extending a weapon combo, to a special weapon skill, or allow the player to cast magical spells.  Magical spells took long to channel before casting and are generally weak if not useless.  The most useful ones were heals and speed up.  So how was I able to bear through the rest of the game?

The regular attacks from the weapons were ridiculous and useless, but some of the special skills acquired from enemies made them god-like.  The one I used most was an extremely strong and fast arrow shot used on the bow which cuts across the screen and did an insane amount of damage.  It made the game extremely easy and I ended up using it to mow through the rest of the game.  It was semi-entertaining to kill through everything so quickly, but everything about the game just felt dumbed down.  The story was very plain, characters were forgettable, levels were a chore to get through when running into a dead end 10 blocks later, the music was average, and the experience was very mediocre.  There were a few times where some enemies and bosses gave me trouble as there isn't a grace period between each hit which meant an enemy attack can land multiple times as long as the player's within it (a tornado or enemy flying dive can hit the player 8 times in a row with a stun lock with the initial hit).  But knowing to avoid those attacks and using the bow's fast attack skill made it really easy.

All in all, the game wasn't bad, it was just very average and perhaps a little boring.  It's a forgettable game, but one that could provide some entertainment value.  There are some downloadable sequels (sub-titled "Anonymous Notes") available on the eShop.  If anything, they're good for passing the time.