Today, we are playing the “pre-alpha” demo version of The Path Into The Abyss. The demo has been released by the developer and publisher MXR Productions. The game is a first-person survival shooter with NPC AI, weather systems, faction wars, and paranormal events, and will be available on Steam at launch. But you can also try the demo version now.
The developers have revealed that the game is about beings, or, I guess, aliens, that arrive from another world. The city of Buenos Aires and its surroundings are engaged in a relentless struggle to contain the invasion, the flooding, and a climate shift that has transformed the region forever. During the relentless struggle, Buenos Aires was almost entirely evacuated, and only those who were willing to resist, fight, or pursue their own personal motives chose to stay or venture into these unforgiving lands.
What is the “Abyss”?
The game takes you deep into the hostile territory known as the “Abyss,” an ever-changing world where the map is divided into territories that are controlled by different groups. You can capture land by leading or assisting; it’s up to you.
According to the devs, all NPCs persist and are constantly simulated, and each one has personality stats that influence their actions. Since every NPC is unique, you can develop different relationship levels with each one, which is a really cool feature.
There are also several major factions and many smaller ones. You can join any one of them, but being on all of the teams would be impossible since your actions for or against that faction affect your reputation with that faction and its rivals.
The radio system in the game allows you to stay aware of the surroundings, updates, tasks, or missions, and more, and every NPC within range communicates through the radio.
The game is very challenging and immersive, from scavenging for makeshift weapons and supplies to crafting and repairing these items. It features a complete weather pattern system, from rain to snow, and shifts constantly depending on the region. You will have to adapt and protect yourself at all times from NPCs and the weather. Minor faction skirmishes to paranormal occurrences spawn constantly, so you are never alone; you have to keep on your toes and adapt.
Gameplay and Options of the Abyss
In the game’s settings, you can adjust options such as navigation icons, camera weight, language, and subtitles. Under the video settings, you can adjust the resolution, window mode, v-sync, anti-aliasing, max FPS, and more. You can adjust the audio to your preferences and even remove the background music.
In the controls, you can adjust the mouse sensitivity, which I had to tweak, and there are preset keybinds; you can change or add a second bind to them, which is an excellent feature since I set a few of mine to my mouse buttons.
Unfortunately for me, this demo version is in Spanish with English subtitles, and I started my first journey into the game incorrectly, since I did not understand what they were saying, and I did not interact or read anything. So, I will spare you that miserable experience and show my second start from the beginning, the right way.
I adjusted my settings for the first run (mouse and graphics settings), thought they saved, but when I restarted, I saw that after playing, the settings reverted to the default ones, so the game might look and feel a little better at optimal settings than this video might represent.
Head on over and talk to this guy named Rodrigo Ortiz. Chat a little, let me say, whatever he is saying, then let him lead the way and help clear out the squatter trouble area.
Final Thoughts
Basically, what you do in this game is talk and accept tasks. For completing them, you are rewarded and so on. You can watch the gameplay video and see what the game has to offer.
According to the devs, the demo includes just a small piece of the final world, the whole first story chapter: “Carhué’s Journey”, beta Abyss Life AI system, freeplay mode, weapon modding, attachments, and crafting. A faction system with the ability to switch factions and become friends or enemies of any NPC, regardless of their faction. You can even recruit NPCs and build your own crew.
As of this demo, you are not able to access the complete map, trading, or bartering, and limited weapons.
This game is off to a great start, so feel free to download the demo on Steam, make your own judgment, and help the devs develop this game further.
