When you think of bullet hell games, you tend to think of more arcadey experiences, perhaps isometric in nature, and maybe more primitive visuals than what you would expect of the typical AAA title. If you plan to go into Luna Abyss, a brand new bullet hell title from the Bonsai Collective, get ready for those expectations to be quickly blown away.
IGN managed to get the exclusive reveal of Luna Abyss, Bonsai Collective’s debut title, and while the start-up team hasn’t got the reputation that most others (even like Housemarque) have, the way they’ve presented themselves straight out the gate would suggest that their relative inexperience is not going to be a drawback for them going into the future. Bonsai has already promised “an arsenal of weapons and advanced mobility and traversal mechanics” that will undoubtedly be diverse enough to keep shaking up the combat several hours into the experience. They continued by saying “you will be challenged by the alien terrain, twisted cosmic horrors inhabiting it, and the disturbing revelations nestling in its depth.”
Narratively, Bonsai had the following to say with regards to the game. “In the prison atop the Abyss, your one companion is Aylin, an artificial prison sentry watching your every move… She sends convicts deep below for reconnaissance, extraction, and investigation of the collapse. We can’t wait to see what players make of this mysterious world.”
From the press release issued by the Bonsai Collective following the IGN exclusivity, Benni Hill of the development team had the following to say about the game. “Luna Abyss takes place on a moon that used to house a prosperous colony of the New British Empire, but is now wiped out and sealed following a mysterious event known as the Scourge,” says Benni Hill, Creative Director at Bonsai Collective. “In the prison atop the Abyss, your one companion is Aylin, an artificial prison sentry watching your every move. She sends convicts deep below for reconnaissance, extraction, and investigation of the collapse. We can’t wait to see what players make of this mysterious world.”
Luna Abyss will be coming to PC, as well as consoles (though which consoles have not yet been disclosed). No release date has yet been specified. With the game having been announced in the lead-up to GamesCom 2022, and even more specifically Geoff Keighley’s GamesCom Opening Night Live, it’s possible that we may still see more of the game in the more imminent future with the potential for show floor demos being available, as well as a grander splash being available through the live streamed showcase with Geoff.
