Deep in the heart of the ancient temple lies a legendary artifact. It’s probably some kind of cultural treasure but its greatest power is bragging rights, because there’s only one chance per player to loot the temple and once the artifact is collected that’s it, nobody else gets in. The temple doors seal forever and the only option is to chase after the next treasure, preferably in ruins that have been well-explored already. The phantoms of other players' failed attempts make a great guide to the ruins, and with a bit of attention and a whole lot of familiarity with the explorer’s abilities there’s a chance that the next run is the one that earns the glory.
Phantom Abyss is an asynchronous multiplayer action-roguelike dungeon run through a gauntlet of traps guarding the treasures of a lost temple. In classic Indiana Jones style you’ve got to make it as far as possible using only your wits and a whip, dodging spikes and blades while swinging over pits on a run to the treasure, although whether that ends up being the final one at the end or cutting your losses and taking an earlier one is a matter of personal judgement. A lesser artifact may not be quite so prestigious but making it out alive with something to show for the effort is always better than being a corpse on a spike.
Devolver Digital revealed Phantom Abyss with a new trailer today, giving an overview of how things fit together and showing any number of ways to fail at the quest for better loot. There’s no official release date yet but Phantom Abyss hits Early Access in June, which is coming up much more quickly than expected. It’s a long way down into the temple depths but the run should start fairly soon, so give a watch to the new trailer to get ready for being an example to those who come after you as to what not to do.
