The Aussies know how to make great Indie games, it’s evident with mega hits like Cult of the Lamb, Unpacking, Untitled Goose Game and Hollow Knight — just to name a few. Phantom Abyss is the latest cab off the rank, boasting action-packed dungeon crawling and putting gamer’s abilities to the test.
Developed by Brisbane’s Team WIBY, the game has been years in the making with an Early Access launch back in 2021.
Quest Daily caught up with Josh Sanderson, Managing Director of Team WIBY, to learn all about their venture into 1.0.
So, what is Phantom Abyss?
“It’s a massively asynchronous multiplayer game, where you explore temples and dodge traps and try to get to the end of those dangerous dungeons and get the relic at the end,” Sanderson told Quest Daily.
“You play alongside the phantoms of people who have played this dungeon before you. Some of them will have failed, some of them will have succeeded,” he said.
“You’ll be able to use their phantoms to educate yourself and also well, sometimes they’ll do something helpful. Sometimes they’ll do something that you shouldn’t do!”
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Team WIBY is made up of members from Halfbrick Studios, best known for Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride. One of their games was also nominated for a Game Award in 2017 with Mr Shifty, a 2.5D beat ’em up.
Phantom Abyss has been in early access since June 2021, now it’s finally ready to launch in 1.0.
“It’s almost a completely different game, probably 10 times as much stuff to do in it now,” Sanderson said.
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Since signing on with publisher Devolver Digital, Josh says the original concept has greatly evolved.
“Essentially, the original pitch is still in the game but that’s kind of no longer the primary focus,” he said.
“The original pitch was very much player versus player. Hardcore. We thought of it as an asynchronous Battle Royale. So, what if Fortnite but you didn’t have to be playing at the same time.”
Where can I play Phantom Abyss?
The full version of Phantom Abyss is out now on Xbox Series X|S and PC, it’s also available on Xbox Game Pass.
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Josh and Team WIBY say they want people to have a great time with the game.
“I want them to enjoy seeing how other people play the game and getting their own amusement out of that,” Sanderson said.
“How they play will be shown to someone else, so if you do something that’s amazing and clever, someone will see it.”
