End of Abyss Review: A Stylish Survival Horror That Loses Its Way in the Scale

Section 9’s End of Abyss has officially launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC. Published by Epic Games, the game attempts a unique marriage between the fixed-camera survival horror of the PS1 era and the intricate, sprawling world design seen in titles like Dark Souls or Metroid. In its review, The Guardian finds that while the game succeeds as a visual piece of art, it struggles under the weight of its own ambitious scope.

A Dollhouse of Horrors

The game distinguishes itself with a striking visual style that resembles a ‘model-village’ recreation of sci-fi horror classics like The Thing or Alien. Viewed from a top-down perspective, players control a small hero through beautifully rendered, dimly lit dioramas. This aesthetic draws clear inspiration from the Scandi-chiaroscuro design language popularized by games like Inside and Little Nightmares. By shrinking the action down to this ‘dollhouse’ size, the developers create a unique atmosphere where players are forced to peer into shadows, often catching movement at the edge of the frame just as a monster strikes.

Conflicting Mechanics and Pacing Issues

While the atmosphere is a high point, The Guardian’s reviewer finds the core experience hindered by questionable design choices. The game leans into survival-horror staples like scarce ammunition and tense, backpedaling combat, but these are hampered by a “confounding” control scheme—notably mapping the reload function to the right thumbstick—that forces players to fight their own muscle memory during high-stakes encounters.

Furthermore, the game attempts to layer complex, interconnected map design onto this slow-paced survival foundation. Because the character moves quite sluggishly, the backtracking required to navigate the facility becomes a chore. A map system that often fails to accurately reflect locked doors or room transitions compounds the problem, leading to repetitive travel through previously cleared zones.

Why it matters

For players looking for their next horror fix, End of Abyss offers a visually captivating experience that excels at setting a moody, claustrophobic tone. However, The Guardian’s reviewer reached the final boss after 12 hours with much of the map still unexplored, and found the experience marred by a lack of variety in its encounters and a navigation system that can make exploration feel more like a tedious slog than an engaging mystery.

If you enjoy the “ghost train” style of scripted jump scares and don’t mind a slower, more deliberate pace, the initial aesthetic payoff may be worth the price of entry at £22.69. However, players who value fluid controls and tight pacing might find that the game’s ambition to be a grand, sprawling experience ultimately detracts from the immediate, punchy thrills it initially promises. As of now, the game is available across major consoles and PC, but prospective explorers should be prepared for an experience that potentially feels larger and more repetitive than it needs to be.

Updated to correct details.