Phantom Abyss is coming to Xbox Series X/S after enjoying a period of exclusivity on PC. This unique platformer challenges players to conquer a randomly generated ancient labyrinth but they only have one shot to claim the relic at the very end.
Phantom Abyss is the breakout title of developer Team WIBY with the help of publisher Devolver Digital. Though the game came out over a year ago last June, it’s still in Early Access; although a roadmap posted earlier this year says we should be able to expect 1.0 to release before the year is up.
In this game, players are thrown into a labyrinth reminiscent of Indiana Jones and are even equipped with a whip. Players are challenged to race through the randomly generated labyrinth with only a handful of “ghosts” representing other players acting as their only clues. Players are only given one chance to tackle each labyrinth, and once a labyrinth is conquered it effectively acts as a literal trophy; conquered labyrinths are removed from the game and that exact variation of the labyrinth can no longer by used by anyone.
Although the game was praised by critics for its unique approach to making a roguelike multiplayer platformer, on Steamcharts the game has only achieved about 1500 max players at its peak and averages about 20 concurrent players in a given month. Phantom Abyss coming to Xbox, and not just that but releasing on the Xbox Games Pass might be what’s needed to breathe life into such an eccentric game.
Phantom Abyss has a unique gameplay loop and price point that speculatively could turn off curious players. Afterall, there’s nothing quite like it so dropping about $25 USD on something uncertain will give some players pause. Once the game reaches Xbox Games Pass which has a built in audience of Xbox players and many PC players, things might be able to turn around for this tomb-exploring game.
You can check out the Xbox release trailer for Phantom Abyss here.
A quick look at the comments reveals this Xbox release could have a positive affect, one comment reads “looks so cool! Count on Devolver games to make such a fun and unique premise!” as if the game hasn’t already been out for over a year. Perhaps what could have been attributed to caution on the part of would-be players may have instead been a failure of marketing. Other similar comments reveal a sense that many players didn’t even know this game existed, and while Devolver Digital might not be the biggest publisher, their recent and consistent releases their influence in indie games has only grown in recent years.
Phantom Abyss is coming to Xbox Series X/S and the Xbox Game Pass on October 20.
