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I’ve been playing Phantom Abyss since it first entered early access and I will not be stopping anytime soon now it’s officially launched. The adrenaline-fuelled gameplay gives me so much joy every time I do a run, whether I’m playing it casually or seriously trying to challenge myself.

Once the legendary relic at the bottom of each temple is found, the temple goes away forever and becomes the priceless trophy of the skilled adventurer.

Discover terrifying secrets, challenging puzzles, and nightmarish creatures in a tense and melancholic experience of cosmic dread and classic psychological survival horror.

Jon Bitner Whether you're seeking another strategy game or bombastic Marvel adventure, something is bound to catch your eye.

You'll only ever get one attempt to clear a temple, if you fail then you'll be moved on to a new procedurally-generated tunnel. Each of these unique temples shows up for a variety of players who will all try to complete the map. With your trusty whip in hand you'll aim to reach further and further into the temple by picking up keys, and unlocking new boons from the Olmec deity that is trapped in the temple with you.

An Xbox gamer since 2002, I bought the big black box just to play Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. I have since loved every second of the 360's life and am now just as obsessed with the Xbox One and Xbox Series X

Of course you can also use the thunder whip to run like Usain Bolt and leave him in the dirt, but even with it don't assume you'll never be bothered by him, especially if you try to go for chests.

While never impenetrable, the frame rate suffers noticeably, and sometimes proves the difference between thrilling success and devastating failure, given the game’s emphasis on quick reactions. 

Once the legendary relic at the bottom of each temple is found, the temple goes away forever and becomes the priceless trophy of the skilled adventurer. Asynchronous Multiplayer Explore the perilous halls and colossal rooms of each temple alongside the phantoms of fallen players that came before you and use their successes and failures to your advantage to progress deeper than they ever could have hoped. Watch and learn from the mistakes of up to 20 phantoms including your Steam friends that have attempted the same temple and steal their whips as they fall.

Check out 11 minutes of fast first-person action gameplay in Phantom Abyss. In Phantom Abyss, you compete with other players around the world to steal an idol from a temple filled with tough jumps, booby traps, and hidden keys.

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“Phantom Abyss 1.0 is the result of countless hours of development, meticulous iteration, and unwavering attention to our incredible community,” said Team WIBY creative director Ben Marrinan in a press release.

You are Phantom Abyss not alone in your task, however. The temple is filled with the spirits of other adventurers, rendered as ghosts. You’re not playing with other people in real time. Rather, you’re seeing a recording of their run.