Abyss Odyssey

Odyssey combines elements from multiple video game genres, has a unique art style based on the Art Nouveau movement and has characters based on Chilean mythology. It received mostly positive reviews from critics who praised its atmosphere but criticized some aspects of gameplay.

• Title — Abyss Odyssey • Developer — ACE Team • Publisher — Atlus Sega (Windows) • Engine — Unreal Engine 3 • Platforms — Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 • Released — Windows, PS3 Xbox 360 16 July 2014 PS4 • Genre — Platform, action-adventure • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer

• Illustration — The game's developers described Abyss Odysseys fighting style as "a bit like Street Fighter meets Super Smash Bros." The gameplay has a fusion of elements from a number of gaming genres. The player controls an avatar who battles enemies and advances through dungeons to reach the conclusion of the stage. The game's levels are procedurally generated, providing a new experience on each. The player only has one life but may be revived. If the player character dies, the player is put in control of a much weaker human who tries to avenge their death and can revive the player at specific altars. The game's fighting system combines elements of the Super Smash Bros. and Street Fighter franchises, and rewards players for timing their blocks and attacks at the right moment. Players can capture the souls of enemies they encounter—once collected, a player can then assume the form and abilities of the enemy in-game. Abyss Odyssey uses a community-based unlock system; upon its launch, only the first "phase" of the game was available. After a certain number of players defeat the game's final boss, the Warlock, the next phase of the game is unlocked for all players.

• Illustration — The art was inspired by the works of Harry Clarke Developer ACE Team revealed Abyss Odyssey on their blog on 4 March 2014. The developers were inspired by the Art Nouveau movement and they used Harry Clarke as a direct reference for much of the game's art and atmosphere. The developers intended the game to be extremely replayable and designed the combat mechanics to be simple to understand, after initially considering a more complicated fighting layout. An Enhanced Edition titled Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition introduced competitive multiplayer as well as new types of enemies and bosses to the game and was released for the PlayStation 4 in July 2015. A "nightmare" difficulty mode is included in the Enhanced Edition.