When it comes to gaming, I sometimes think of myself as a corvid. I see a game with new and shiny graphics, and I immediately need to pick it up. Conversely, if a game doesn’t have the ‘shiny polish’, I may very well miss out on it despite its quality. I’m not proud of this, I can admit it. (RIP Shovel Knight, one day I’ll get back to you.) However, for Steam Next Fest: June 2025 I decided to try and be a bit more than just a shiny-hunting goblin and picked up Abyssal Blade. As someone who gets an equal rush from a good challenge as he does from finding shiny things, I’m very glad I did.

What is Abyssal Blade?

Abyssal Blade, by Vifer Games, is a top-down hack-n-slash boss rush where you play as a (currently) nameless knight. As a boss rush, you won’t be dealing with various mooks as you traverse levels. Each stage is an arena with a single boss, and the bosses are not to be taken lightly if the single boss in the demo is anything to go by. Expect to die a lot as you face the boss and learn its attack patterns. You’ll likely be tempted to get greedy with your blows, but that would be a huge mistake. On the other hand, while patience is a virtue, lethargy is not. Don’t think you can just take too long to defeat the boss either, less you find yourself met with a nasty surprise as punishment for your laziness.

The controls are simple. I used a keyboard and mouse, but Abyssal Blade does boast full controller support. Light attack with left click, heavy attack with right click. Movement via the WSAD keys, dash forward with space. Charge your ‘energy’ gauge with E and release at full charge with Q to enter a brief state where you can deliver many light attacks in quick succession. Nine keys you need to care about in total, but there’s a genius in the simplicity.

Having such few controls laid out simply allows the player to focus on memorizing the boss’s attacks and dodging them. This is especially important as you have no room for error. Even a single hit will launch you right back to the start of the fight. (Of course, controls can be changed so feel free to change the key binds to whatever will work best for you.) This isn’t to say that the bosses are unfair though. Each attack is clearly telegraphed, and you do have time to react, if only by the skin of your teeth. The developers advertise the game as “taken direct inspiration from high level MMO raid mechanics’ and I believe they’ve managed to translate said style of boss fights flawlessly into a single player experience.

Visuals and Sound: Simple but Effective

As for visuals, Abyssal Blade isn’t the flashiest game out there, but I think that ultimately is the right call. There is a simple somberness that is conveyed through the minimalist pixel art that really helps sell the gloomy, even despondent, atmosphere. This isn’t some fun and knightly quest you’re taking. This is gothic, dark, and just sad, all in a beautiful way. The music plays into this as well. The theme for the hub area named ‘Fleeting Hope’ (in case things weren’t depressing enough) is slow and mournful but altogether a very simple piece. The boss theme, while far more energetic and a bit more complex, is still ultimately a rather straightforward and simple piece of music. Though one that does a good job communicating the struggle with the boss’s namesake. (But I get ahead of myself.)

The one exception to this choice of simple music themes is the title screen. The theme playing for the title screen is optimisitc and uplifiting,. Very 80’s synth-wave in style, it begins simply before building up slowly to a powerful electronic crescendo. Percussion instruments kick in, the tune then lulls for a bit, before once again slowly building up and then finally hitting that peak. The drums return, the electronic beat becomes more active, and the overall tone for the rest of the piece is one that feels inspiring and hopeful. I don’t go over all this just because I’m a sucker for good music. I’m certain this piece was written specifically with the themes and story the game will explore in mind.

The Story So Far

What I am most excited for in the full release is learning more of the game’s story. While it’s wrapped in the veneer of gothic knights and swordsmanship, Abyssal Blade is clearly a story about overcoming grief and trauma.

Spoilers ahead

The game opens with a chilling monologue from a black sword bathed in a red glow, talking about how we had to “endure much to stand here” and how we have to “break the cycle or fall like the rest.” From there we find ourselves in the ‘hub’ area: a clearing with large swords sticking out of it. The creepy blade is in the dead center, and attacking it just sends you flying. Nearby is a specter, apparently us, who says they were us before losing their way and the blade won’t let them leave.

The other major note of interest is a gate of sorts, a portal of shadow and stars glowing ominously red. Above the gate is a counter which starts at the number one when we enter the clearing. Going through it takes you to the first boss, Denial. Yeah, in case the rest of the atmosphere was a bit too subtle, the first boss is literally named after the first of Kübler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief. Defeating the boss will have you return to the clearing, now with a new addition. The shade of Denial rests in the clearing, as a trophy of sorts.

This is where the story ends in the demo, and I am chomping at the bit for more. Who exactly is this knight we play as? What tragedy befell us that we’re now struggling with grief? What is this sword and place, how did we learn of it? Is it real, is it all in our minds? Is this some sort of purgatory that we must move on from? The mystery is an undeniable draw.

Confront Your Grief and Overcome

As someone who has had to go through his fair share of tragedy, I think Abyssal Blade is an excellent way to translate the struggle with grief into a game form. Keeping things simple in design helps make the emotional experience itself all the rawer. There’s no getting distracted by shiny graphics or deafening sound. It’s just you and the emotional struggle. It’s therapeutic in a way. You can see yourself as the knight, can really feel yourself wrestling with grief and all of its components.

Ultimately, I heavily recommend Abyssal Blade if you’re the sort who likes a good challenge, enjoys gothic undertones to your stories, or feel like you need some way to help process grief. I will be eagerly awaiting the game’s full release.

Abyssal Blade releases June 20, 2025, on PC through Steam. Retail price is unannounced as of yet.