WARRIORS: Abyss – Everything We Know

WARRIORS: Abyss is the latest instalment in the Mosou genre. More precisely, it is a new spin on the genre. While it features familiar mechanics, it also introduces new features and mechanics that make it stand out from the crowd.

Mosou fans didn’t expect another instalment to launch, especially considering that DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS launched fairly recently. However, the new game is now here, and many players are curious about what it offers. This article covers everything we know about WARRIORS: Abyss, including important gameplay features.

What is WARRIORS: Abyss?

WARRIORS: Abyss is a new, action-packed roguelike based on the Mosou genre. However, it is a spinoff, and while it incorporates many gameplay mechanics from the WARRIORS game series, it also introduces new, game-changing features and mechanics.

The game was unexpected and came as a shadow drop at Sony’s recent State of Play. Moreover, it was announced on February 12 and and released the next day, taking many players by surprise. However, the game is already enjoying a positive reputation from fans of the Mosou genre. Interestingly, Sony confirmed that it kept the game secret by design.

Story

The background story behind WARRIORS: Abyss is brief but quite intriguing. Interestingly, it involves heroes descending to hell, not for damnation, but to save the cruel underworld from ancient evil beings.

Enma, a small boy who rules the underworld with an iron fist, informs the heroes that an ancient race of evil beings called the Gouma have broken loose and taken over. The beings could corrupt hell, with potentially devastating effects to other realms. As such, Enma summons the heroes to fight and vanquish these evil beings. He also spouts dialogue that unravels the story as players progress through each level.

Gameplay

WARRIORS: Abyss blends intense action and adventure with extensive character customization and a bit of storytelling. Many of its gameplay mechanics are based on the general WARRIORS gameplay design. However, as a roguelike, it also introduces new, exciting features and mechanics that make the gameplay feel unique.

Action is the best and most prominent aspect of the gameplay. Players must fight against hordes of undead souls and more sinister beings. The game applies a hack-and-slash combat system, and the action is intense.

Players can choose from over 100 heroes to use in battle. However, they can deploy up to seven heroes in one battle. The game lets players choose about a dozen heroes to start with. They can then unlock more heroes using Karma Embers and Crystal Saplings as they advance through the depths of hell. Players can summon any hero they want to join fights. Hero combinations are crucial, as fights are strategic.

Each hero has unique skills and abilities. As such, players must learn to synergize and combine different heroes’ skills and abilities to execute complex attacks with devastating effects on enemies. Moreover, different mini-bosses and bosses also have varying skills and abilities. Players must thus approach and fight every battle strategically. There are endless ways to fight, as players can execute over 16 billion attack combinations.

Players can unlock temporary and permanent upgrades for their heroes’ skills and abilities. Permanent upgrades last forever, while temporary ones disappear when a hero dies. Players must collect Karma Embers during runs to unlock permanent upgrades.

Besides action, the game also delivers a chaotic, dangerous adventure. Hell is divided into multiple floors, each with unique layouts and environments. Exploring is important, as players can find many exciting rewards such as Karma Embers and Crystal Saplings hidden along paths. Players choose which path to take after clearing one floor, and some paths lead to more rewards than others. However, paths with more rewards also harbor more dangers.

In addition to the main campaign, players can also unlock smaller missions with unique objectives. For example, they can go on a mission to eliminate a particular boss or defeat a certain number of enemies. Missions are usually hidden along double routes.

WARRIORS: Abyss is highly replayable because of its rogue-lite elements. For example, it features randomly generated maps and items, making every run different. Moreover, the developers plan to add even more heroes over time, according to the game’s review of the PlayStation blog.

It is worth noting that the enemies in WARRIORS: Abyss are formidable. Moreover, the combat system can be difficult to master at first because of the numerous hero combinations, attack styles, and upgrades. As such, dying and starting over is a common, and players should use every death as a learning experience.

Development

WARRIORS: Abyss is developed and published by Koei Tecmo. The studio is also the brains behind various other games in the WARRIORS series, including DYNASTY WARRIORS 7, DYNASTY WARRIORS 8, DYNASTY WARRIORS 9, and the recently launched DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS. The developer kept the game a secret until its recent announcement.

Trailer

The official trailer for WARRIORS: Abyss gives a brief glimpse of the gameplay. Most of the scenes focus on epic fights between heroes and the monsters of hell. Moreover, most of those scenes highlight combined attacks from multiple heroes, and one of the closing scenes simply reads “16,000,000,000 BATTLE STYLES.” Besides action, some of the scenes also showcase the hero skill tree and selection systems. Fortunately, players don’t have to wait to replicate the scenes in the trailer.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

WARRIORS: Abyss launched on February 13, bringing its fast-paced action to multiple platforms, including PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Switch. Players can choose from three editions: Standard, Hack’n’Dash, and Hack’n’Dash Ultimate, each offering unique content and features to enhance the experience.

The latter editions come with a few extra features. The Hack’n’Dash Edition 3,000 Karma Embers and a set of 57 costumes from SAMURAI WARRIORS and DYNASTY WARRIORS 3. Additionally, the Hack’n’Dash Ultimate Edition includes 5,000 Karma Embers, 75 costumes from DYNASTY WARRIORS, and 68 costumes from SAMURAI WARRIORS, in addition to the costumes in the Hack’n’Dash Edition. Moreover, both editions feature more heroes. It is also worth noting that players get an additional set of five costumes from DYNASTY WARRIORS when they purchase the game before March 14.