Luna Abyss is an interesting review for me, not only is it a game I’ve been anticipating ever since its initial reveal, but thanks to its reliance on Unreal Engine, most of my time with the game has been spent in VR, making it a surprise contender for VR game of the year.
Of course, this review will be my experience with Luna Abyss as both a flatscreen game and one playable in VR, as ultimately Luna Abyss is a game designed first and foremost as a flatscreen experience. Saying that, let’s get the VR stuff out of the way: If you’re lucky enough to have a PC powerful enough for some brute-forced VR gaming, you’ll be happy to know that fan efforts that utilize the popular UEVR injector have already resulted in some stellar conversions that transform Luna Abyss into one of the most atmospheric and fluid VR games out there.
From its lock-on system to its focus on fast and fluid platforming, playing Luna Abyss in VR is a different beast entirely, one that works surprisingly well and ups the already intense gameplay to new heights. In general, despite how you enjoy Luna Abyss, if you’re a fan of movement-based shooters or are coming off the high that is Saros (or Returnal, if you’re only on the PC platform), Bonsai Collective continues the trend of delivering a modernized take on the bullet-hell genre.
“Luna Abyss is a game designed first and foremost as a flatscreen experience.”
Before delving into the gameplay loop of the game, those who may not have been following Luna Abyss should know that the game places emphasis not only on its solid gameplay but on the story as well. Luna Abyss has players take on the role of Fawkes, a codename given to a prisoner with an impossibly long sentence forced into servitude for an enigmatic presence behind the titular cosmic underworld.
As players delve deeper into the sprawling brutalist mega-chasm, Luna Abyss trickles in a steady stream of characters, exposition and worldbuilding through lore pickups. The smaller story segments are punctuated with interesting boss encounters that reward the player with even more juicy tidbits that paint the broader picture of the game’s narrative.
In truth, however, although interesting and well-realized, I did not care for most of the game’s characters. That is partially due to how abstract and bizarre their designs are, making it hard to care for what essentially felt like a cast of doll parts strewn apart before being haphazardly Frankensteined together. Despite my lack of empathy, I found the story a strong driving force throughout Luna Abyss’s eight- to 10-hour runtime. Of course, gameplay is what mattered the most, and Luna Abyss delivers on this front in spades.
“Bonsai Collective continues the trend of delivering a modernized take on the bullet-hell genre.”
In essence, Bonsai Collective has taken the time to craft a game that feels mechanically similar to Doom and Metroid Prime, in terms of movement and how the player can lock on to enemies and targets. What sets Luna Abyss apart is the deluge of bullet-hell-inspired enemies that pepper the screen, making every encounter feel like a ballet of manoeuvring between targets.
Complimenting the tight movement of Luna Abyss is a healthy amount of platforming and environmental puzzles, which gradually become more complex as new abilities and weapons are unlocked. Early on, you’ll be spending your time just focusing on taking on hordes of enemies while weaving through bullets. Eventually, a double jump, dash, the ability to create platforms, possess mecha, and even swing around the environment while dealing with time-sensitive puzzles all contribute to the fast and frenetic nature of Luna Abyss.
Stronger enemy types also often come equipped with shielding that requires specific weapons, such as the shotgun or sniper, to become vulnerable, adding to the flow of the gameplay. Fawkes also has access to a temporary shield of her own, which is on a cool-down, making it possible to tank hits, something that is particularly useful when facing a particular exploding enemy type that likes to spawn in between waves.
“Luna Abyss is a standout game that FPS fans looking for a challenge will love, offering players a title that is equal parts about shooting stuff and mastering its parkour mechanics.”
Luna Abyss offers 4 weapons to play over the course of the game, which might not sound like a lot. Still, for a roughly 10-hour experience, the weapons that are present all feel well-realized and offer utility beyond simply dispatching enemies, making them feel more like powerful tools that add to the experience overall. Hidden upgrades for each weapon also add some incentive to hunt them down, making them even more useful in the often claustrophobic environments.
Finally, in terms of performance on PC, Luna Abyss is very well optimized, at least on my 7900XTX. That said, there is one crucial quirk I have to mention that applies to anyone planning to play the game on an HDR display. Luna Abyss uses a striking bicolour scheme, mostly red and black, which looks fine on any SDR display (like the Meta Quest) but can look absolutely awful on an HDR screen, with blacks appearing washed out and ugly. Thankfully, using something like the Special K overlay tool and tweaking either the HDR10 setting or, in my case, the scRGB setting netted me a much better level of contrast, making the game truly pop and come to life.
Luna Abyss is a standout game that FPS fans looking for a challenge will love, offering players a title that is equal parts about shooting stuff and mastering its parkour mechanics.
