Luna Abyss

Luna Abyss is an atmospheric and challenging FPS steeped in style and substance in equal measure.

First-person bullet hell shooters aren’t all that common, so Luna Abyss immediately stands out as something fresh. It’s a polished and confident game overall, and it doesn’t try to layer on too many systems or mechanics. It’s pretty linear and although the environments are atmospheric, they’re also static, darkly creepy but clinical, and somewhat repetitive. Fluid action and platforming that’s both forgiving and respectful of players’ time make the experience a lot of fun. Strong mechanics and engaging combat make Luna Abyss worth playing.

Luna Abyss is a great first-person shooter that shines in its Bullet Hell aspects. While it never reaches the heights of the best of the genre, the combat feels fluid, and the need to switch between weapons to defeat certain enemies adds a layer of strategy that prevents gameplay from going stale. Each boss feels different, all filling the screen with a beautiful array of bullets, making Luna Abyss feel sometimes like a spectacle, especially by indie standards. Platforming is done very well, and while it rarely ever poses a challenge, I found myself having a great time jumping, grappling, and dashing across large gaps to progress further into the Abyss. The dark story is a standout that features unsettling twists, surprisingly great voice acting, and plenty of secrets for lore enthusiasts. Overall, Luna Abyss is perfect for those looking for a short, but focused, first-person shooter experience.

Despite this, from a gameplay perspective, Luna Abyss is a gorgeous, excellently paced FPS that mixes up the platforming and shooting in a way that makes it easy to keep on playing without feeling like either is getting repetitious. The story does come together eventually but by the time that happens, it's easy to have written it off, despite a few fun side-characters hanging around the abyss. The setting picks up the slack for the plot, though, and the levels are designed to make full use of every single one of Fawkes' abilities. Luna Abyss is a gorgeously atmospheric FPS that expertly mixes in its platforming elements, creating a dark and moody adventure where the response to each challenge is to look forward to what the next area has to offer as soon as its beaten.

Luna Abyss is more than the sum of its parts, with individual pieces that will all feel familiar, so much so that you've likely played a dozen games just like it. But it's standout character design, environmental storytelling, performances, writing, level design, first-person shooting combat and 3D platforming that ends before it has a chance to outstay its welcome make it a must-play for single-player shooter fans.