Abathor | PS5 Review

Much like the high adventures of Conan the Barbarian and his misfit crew of anti-heroes/heroines, "Abathor" follows the journey of four unique individuals beholden to class based archetypes with accompanying names into a world only hinted about in the writings of Plato. We find a world where the Atlanteans succumb to their own greed and conquering efforts. A world engulfed by the demons which lie beyond the gate of Abathor that they opened for selfish gain. 

It is the barbarian's, mage's, thief's and valkyrie's goal in all of this to kill off all of the loosed demons, and close the gate before anymore can come through. They'll travel mythical lands of fable and fortune as they seek to destroy the dark gems empowering Abathor at the end of each given area. Should they fail the world as they know it will fall to unspoken peril.

Through local 4 player co-op or solo play onboard players will choose their hero or heroine which each come with two unique weapon based attacks, and an evasive move. These heroes and heroines are tasked with killing the mobs of demons in each locale as they loot treasure for currency and precious jewels so they can spend said loot on equipment upgrades that enhance their core abilities and performance later on. These characters of choice come with a certain health, stamina/agility, and defensive stats making their survival wholly dependent upon their role. 

To combat certain death along the way you'll find pink chests that offer up food items, and other chests that offer up throwing weapons or Atlantean summons that will help attack and clear enemies within the vicinity. That and refill potions. Each area of the map, which is named and themed accordingly, also has a certain amount of enemies to kill off and a dark gem to destroy at the finish. That and a breakable save point monolith for returning to should you lose all health before reaching that dark gem.

Between start to finish you will clear mobs, loot chests for currency and items, spend said chest's content at the resident ogre vendor, and sometimes even face an end boss or enemy clearing mini-game with multiple waves of spawning enemies. The stages themselves differ thematically, and in said locations your health meter management will determine whether or not you'll live long enough to complete a full playthrough. At the end of the stage you are awarded bonus currency via a soul sacrifice tally based on the number of enemy kills you have secured up to the end before you shatter the dark gem.

Before getting started with all of the above, and choosing a character or characters for your party, you will choose the difficulty, which in turn, effects gameplay difficulty and longevity. Going with easy will net you 99 continues while normal gets progressively more difficult with more formidable foes. Leaving hard to be the difficulty where the enemy threat is at it's peak, and is the only access to the game's true ending. Something that unlocks after you have beaten normal difficulty.

In total there are 50 stages to battle your way through, and not all stages play out in the straightforward linear path. Sometimes there are puzzles to solve, challenge stages, and boss battles thrown in the mix as mentioned before. Leaving it up to player skill, and character mastery to see them through to the end.

The Presentation ...

Abathor is an obvious nod to games like Castlevania, and the Gauntlet arcade games of old. Even Mega Man, dare I say it. It is made up of detailed 2D pixel art that is intricately animated, and articulated. The stages are mostly layered and parallax in perspective with the gory details of the war being waged scattered hither and yonder. The game does feature blood and gore which slightly heightens the game's rating. Overall it is a nice looking mature Metroidvania style of game with a soundtrack fitting of the Atlantean fantasy that surrounds it. A solid and complimentary package with a quality presentation.

The Verdict ...

While solo play is an option, and doable, I have no doubt the four player couch co-op is the best experience for Abathor. That being said I went solo with this review. The game is balanced in that regard, thankfully, and the challenges not too overbearing for a lone wolf player. With the equipment upgrades, summons, and throwing items working in tandem with a stamina based soulslike combat mechanic the game does good to give the player the toolkit needed to fight off the fearsome fiends before them. 

I personally enjoyed the game, and made it far in one session. The highlight for me was the storytelling nod to Conan the Barbarian, and the hints of Castlevania features intertwined in the gameplay loop. It is a solid indie and if you haven't given it a try yet you should!