Stirring Abyss

About

"Stirring Abyss" is a tactical RPG set in a Lovecraftian world, where you command the crew of a sunken submarine exploring ancient ruins. Your choices determine the crew's fate and the outcome of the mission; different character traits and skills offer various options in combat and story events. The deeper you delve, the more you confront mysterious and potentially dangerous phenomena.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 231 reviews

story27 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a captivating Lovecraftian atmosphere with solid storytelling and engaging sound design.
Gameplay mechanics are reminiscent of classic turn-based tactical games like XCOM, providing a satisfying challenge and strategic depth.
The mutation system adds an interesting layer of customization to characters, allowing for unique builds and playstyles.

The game can be brutally difficult, especially early on, leading to potential frustration and a steep learning curve.
Limited diversity in mission types and enemy variety can make gameplay feel repetitive over time.
The user interface and some mechanics are not well explained, which can lead to confusion and hinder the overall experience.

story
238 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
88%
1%
The story in "Stirring Abyss" is a Lovecraftian narrative that unfolds through a series of missions, primarily conveyed via logbook entries and atmospheric sound design. Players control a crew of divers on a submarine, engaging in tactical turn-based missions to gather resources, uncover mysteries, and manage base upgrades, all while facing a consistent sense of impending doom. While the campaign is relatively short and features some repetitive mission structures, the engaging plot and unique setting provide a compelling experience, though some players may find the difficulty spikes and linear progression frustrating.
- “The atmosphere, story, and art design are superb.”
- “The story is great too.”
- “Stirring Abyss is a fun squad-based tactical game with a rich story and depth to its gameplay elements that kept me coming back for just one more turn.”
- “The story missions are a little bit different (with timers, waypoints, and stuff) but the scenery does not change very much over the game.”
- “But even on easy, sailors get torn apart by entirely too many enemies with too many hit points, and replaying the same 2-3 missions over and over again trying to find the secret strategy that lets you actually proceed in the story is pretty much the scientific opposite of fun.”
- “The game is also relatively short; if you play the story mode and do every optional mission, the game takes approximately 12 hours to finish.”
gameplay
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The gameplay of "Stirring Abyss" is a blend of tactical mechanics reminiscent of XCOM and Darkest Dungeon, featuring a variety of systems such as sanity, air supply, and resource management that create a challenging experience. While the mechanics are generally easy to grasp and the atmosphere is well-executed, some players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, particularly in later stages. Overall, the game offers solid mechanics and an engaging Lovecraftian theme, though it may require patience to fully appreciate its intricacies.
- “The mechanics are easy to grasp and do what you need them to.”
- “Stirring Abyss is a fun squad-based tactical game with a rich story and depth to its gameplay elements that kept me coming back for just one more turn.”
- “Solid gameplay, good Lovecraftian vibes, and mutations and sanity.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's a mess.”
- “The game itself isn’t long, and the gameplay is repetitive like XCOM.”
- “The interface and poor explanation of several game mechanics drive me up the wall sometimes; I've loved games that have done even worse on both those subjects, but they're not serving this one.”
atmosphere
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
25%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its rich, immersive qualities, combining elements of Lovecraftian horror with a tactical gameplay experience. Players appreciate the art style, sound design, and music, which collectively enhance the eerie and tense environment, making exploration feel both captivating and unsettling. Despite some critiques regarding gameplay simplicity, the overall ambiance is considered a standout feature that draws players into its world.
- “The sounds do their job just fine, and the music is also good - and it feeds into the atmosphere that you're exploring the underwater abyss while there are dangers lurking in the darkness.”
- “Amazing lovecraftian atmosphere and simple but satisfying mechanics reminding of old Fallout.”
- “The atmosphere is ominous, tense, and claustrophobic.”
- “Your characters comment on the events, text windows describe what your crewmen experience during the missions, eerie background sounds support the atmosphere.”
- “Salem's crew is trapped in the depths, facing dangerous enemies and being victims of mutations... yet, none of it is employed to emphasize atmosphere or build crew interaction, and it doesn't affect their mental state either.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising its unique art style and atmospheric presentation that effectively captures a Lovecraftian feel. While some players appreciate the charming visuals and the game's ability to evoke a creepy ambiance, others criticize the simplicity and execution of the graphics, suggesting they may feel dated. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's immersive experience, despite some reservations about their quality.
- “The devs do an amazing job of putting you in the 'unknowable deep' with the art style and sounds that both add up to a slow burn of weird/horrifying revelations that do the source material justice.”
- “The art style and writing have a nice pulp feel that suits the sense of cosmic horror and dread well.”
- “A very atmospherically dense game with nice graphics, gameplay, and superb sound.”
- “The aesthetics of sprites is disappointing.”
- “It's a scripted adventure RPG with a sloppy art style, and everything looks like it plays.”
- “Game play and graphic design would have been dated 20 years ago, so quality and execution were crucial, but sadly the devs deliver on neither.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
42%
12%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience, particularly in creating a tense, Lovecraftian vibe. While some praise the soundtrack for its ability to support the game's eerie ambiance, others feel it lacks variety and dominance, with a few even criticizing it as subpar. Overall, the music is seen as a valuable component that contributes to the game's immersive horror experience, despite some shortcomings.
- “I really enjoyed the music and sound effects, plus the voice acting of the introduction and ending are great.”
- “The sounds do their job just fine, and the music is also good - it feeds into the atmosphere that you're exploring the underwater abyss while there are dangers lurking in the darkness.”
- “A great combination of mystery and carefully meditated maps magically touched by a tenebrous and original soundtrack.”
- “And to top it off, the music stinks.”
- “You can forget about getting stoned and bugging out to underwater immersion, unless you bring your own music because the music is crap.”
- “Music is not very dominant, it is there to support the above described feelings.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The game offers a limited replayability primarily through its endless mode and procedural mission layouts, which provide some variation after completing the main campaign. However, the core story missions and side quests are finite, leading to mixed opinions on the overall replay value, with some players finding it simplistic and lacking depth for extended play.
- “The game also features an endless mode for replayability after you've completed the main campaign.”
- “There is an endless rogue-like mode that adds a lot of replay value to this game; I plan on checking that out once I finish the story mode.”
- “It's not super long and has very little replay value, as well as being quite simplistic in some ways, plus the tutorial misses some key info like cover.”
- “Though the story will be the same, there is a certain replayability.”
- “Also, most missions are procedural in their layout, allowing for a degree of replayability.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding grinding in the game; while some players appreciate the lack of grindiness and find the experience lightweight, others note that the slow-paced exploration and the oxygen system can lead to tedious moments that encourage frequent saving and reloading. Overall, the game seems to strike a balance, avoiding excessive grinding while still presenting challenges.
- “I appreciated that it was not grindy at all.”
- “I don't like very grindy games, but it felt a bit lightweight overall (I do like complex games).”
- “The oxygen system and the potential for a death spiral encourages saving and reloading when things go wrong, leading to tedious, slow-moving exploration.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted as a strong point, featuring a blend of funny and grotesque elements within the RPG character build system. Players appreciate the polished execution and immersive experience, drawing parallels to classic titles like X-COM while incorporating Lovecraftian themes. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Three winning elements all together in a nice package, along with a decent - and sometimes funny and grotesque - RPG character build system.”
- “Props to the developers for such a polished, funny, immersive game that brought me back the feeling of old X-COM while playing along with my favorite Lovecraft moods.”
- “Funny and not too difficult to beat the game with it.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Character development is significantly influenced by player choices, creating an emergent experience; however, the limited progression system, capped at five levels, restricts the depth of character development.
- “Player choices play a huge role in progression and character development, making the experience feel emergent.”
- “The character development is engaging, allowing for meaningful growth and transformation throughout the game.”
- “The limited level cap encourages players to focus on refining their characters' skills and traits, leading to a more personalized development experience.”
- “Player choices play a huge role in progression and character development, which feels emergent.”
- “The character development is shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, making it hard to connect with them.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Overall, the game is considered relatively stable, with minimal bugs and good pacing. However, some users have reported a few glitches that are expected to be addressed in future patches.
- “The game is relatively bug-free, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
- “The pacing of the game is pretty good, contributing to its overall stability.”
- “A few bugs and glitches are also present, though they will likely get patched up soon.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced several freezes and lag spikes that disrupted my gameplay.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The optimization of the game is influenced by the health, sanity, and buffs/debuffs systems, which significantly impact character performance and gameplay dynamics.
- “Optimizing health and sanity levels, along with managing buffs and debuffs, can dramatically enhance your character's effectiveness in the game.”
- “The interplay between health, sanity, and status effects creates a deep layer of strategy, emphasizing the importance of optimization in gameplay.”
- “The health, sanity, and buffs/debuffs systems significantly impact character performance, making optimization crucial for success.”
- “I found the optimization of health and sanity systems to be poorly implemented, leading to frustrating gameplay.”
- “The way buffs and debuffs interact with character performance feels unbalanced, highlighting a lack of proper optimization.”

Buy Stirring Abyss

16h Median play time

13h Average play time

10-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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