Ludography
70/100
Players8 ratings
72/100
Metacritic11 critic reviews
More scores
Metacritic usersuser score
48/100
GameFAQsTough-Unforgiving
4.33/5
Player reviews
81% positive1,960 reviews
Steam Deck
Verified
Runs on
Windows
Price
US$19.99

Where to get it

Phantom Abyss cover

2021 · Team WIBY · Action-adventure · Adventure

Phantom Abyss

Xbox console exclusive

Phantom Abyss is a massive asynchronous multiplayer game that casts players into procedurally-generated temples and tasks them with retrieving the sacred relics hidden within deadly chambers. Intrepid adventurers will dodge scores of hidden traps, leap treacherous chasms, and flee relentless guardians through branching paths until one of the relics are claimed or the devices of death overwhelm them. Be warned, you only get one attempt at each temple and failure or settling for a lesser relic means you will never see that temple again...

Released
21 June 2021
Platforms
WindowsXbox Series X/S
Genres
Action-adventureAdventureIndie
Developers
Team WIBY
Publishers
Devolver Digital
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
First person
Themes
ActionSurvival
Country
Australia
Age ratings
GRAC ALLESRB E10+ACB G
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, English (UK), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat
13hmain story43hcompletionist

About

Phantom Abyss is a 2024 action-adventure video game developed by Team WIBY and published by Devolver Digital. Players attempt to escape trap-filled temples using a whip, like in the Indiana Jones franchise.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Players explore ancient, trap-filled temples while equipped with a whip. It combines elements of action-adventure and 3D platform games using procedurally generated maps. It features asynchronous multiplayer in that players play alongside phantoms of players who have previously attempted that level, similar to how ghost cars work in racing games. However, the phantoms can affect the current game by setting off traps and opening doors, for example.

Development

Some of the developers had previously made Mr. Shifty. ", a previous title for Phantom Abyss. They are based in Brisbane, Australia.

The game designer, Ben Marrinan, wanted to explore some aspects of battle royale games, such as having multiple players competing against each other. Despite its similarities to the Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider franchises, Marrinan said he was not very familiar with them, though they remain influences. Some of the features, such as asynchronous multiplayer and procedural generation, came from having a small development team. Phantom Abyss entered early access in June 2021.

Reception

Phantom Abyss received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. TechRadar called it "mediocre-at-best". Though they enjoyed the premise, they found the maps repetitive and frustrating. Polygon recommended it to fans of Mirror's Edge and said the gameplay is "undeniably fun" despite issues they had with the story, progression system, and user interface.

Sports Illustrated praised the adrenaline-fueled gameplay and said it is "endlessly satisfying" to get through a trap-filled room unscathed. Though they enjoyed the level design and exploration, Hardcore Gamer felt that players were sometimes rushed through the rooms too fast to enjoy these aspects. It won the award for excellence in technical design at the 2023 Australian Game Developer Awards.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
WindowsEarly Access21 June 2021Worldwide · Worldwide 25 January 2024
Xbox Series X/SEarly Access20 October 2022Worldwide · Worldwide 25 January 2024

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Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.