Neon Abyss 2 Review Summary

Improves on its predecessor with engaging co-op and vast weapon variety, but broken online multiplayer and excessive similarity to the first game hold it back.

Improved over predecessor: Players widely agree that the game is a significant improvement over the first Neon Abyss, with enhanced gameplay, content, and graphics.

Enjoyable cooperative mode: The addition of co-op play is a highlight, with balanced gameplay that adds chaos and fun, whether playing locally or online.

Game is highly engaging: Many players find the game extremely fun and addictive, often losing track of time while playing.

Large weapon variety: The game offers a huge selection of weapons, items, and artifacts, providing diverse and interesting mechanics.

Attractive pixel art style: The pixel art and neon aesthetic are visually appealing, with vibrant colors and a cyberpunk theme.

Multiplayer and online broken: Multiplayer and online co-op suffer from bugs, high ping (300ms), instability, and poor loot allocation, making them unplayable for many. This is a high-priority issue.

Too similar to first game: Players feel the sequel offers little innovation and feels nearly identical to the first game. This is a common complaint among high-frequency feedback.

Lack of polish and bugs: The game has many bugs, including room-stuck issues, tutorial progression blocks, and long-unfixed problems. Overall polish is lacking.

Weapon progression and RNG issues: Weapon progression is fixed with no default path, poor RNG, and some useless weapons, frustrating players.

Insufficient new content: Players report the game lacks enough new content compared to the first game, feeling more like a DLC. This is a core feedback point.

Weapon modification system: Players can dismantle and upgrade weapons, with a system that includes mods, mutations, and growth mechanics. This allows for deep customization and improvement of arsenals.

Diverse weapons and items: There is a wide variety of weapons, including melee and ranged types, along with items and pet combinations. The diversity enhances replayability and strategic depth.

Expanded content over predecessor: The game offers significantly more content than the first installment, including expanded mechanics and additional features. Players appreciate the richer experience compared to Neon Abyss 1.

Multiplayer and solo modes: The game supports both cooperative multiplayer and single-player modes. This flexibility allows players to enjoy the experience alone or with friends.

Side-scrolling shooter roguelike: Described as a side-scrolling twin-stick roguelike shooter with pixel art and a cyberpunk theme. The gameplay is fast-paced and reminiscent of classic arcade shooters.

Stuttering and lag issues: Many users report stuttering, especially at high frame rates or in specific rooms like treasure rooms and boss fights. Some require a frame rate limiter or blame poor optimization.

Stable on low-end systems: Several reviews confirm the game runs smoothly with 60-75+ FPS on weak PCs, with good frame times and no glitches. This suggests the game is well-optimized for low-end hardware in some scenarios.

Crashes and blue screens: Users report crashes, blue screens, and freezes in various contexts, such as the third run, Fortune Temple, and level 7. Some crashes relate to 13th gen Intel CPU degradation.

High online co-op ping: Several reviews mention high ping in online co-op, around 300 ms. This suggests the game's netcode or server infrastructure leads to laggy multiplayer experiences.

Runs well on Steam Deck: Multiple users report the game runs well on Steam Deck and other Linux systems like Bazzite. This indicates good compatibility and performance on handheld and Linux platforms.

Mixed reception overall: The reviews show a clear split: strong recommendations from genre fans versus warnings to wait or skip from others, often due to early access issues.

Strongly recommended for roguelike fans: Multiple reviewers highly recommend the game to fans of roguelike and fast-paced action genres. It is seen as a strong title within its genre.

Recommended for first game fans: Reviewers indicate that if you enjoyed the first game, you will likely enjoy this sequel. It is seen as a natural continuation.

Buy first game instead: Many reviewers suggest buying the first game over this sequel. They feel the original offers a better value and experience for veterans.

Do not buy in early access: Reviewers advise against purchasing the game during its early access phase, citing bugs and incomplete features. They suggest waiting for a full release.

Community fair range: $4.00 - $7.00.

Game completion: 50.0h.

Session length: 0.7h.

Neon Abyss 2 offers fun through improved core gameplay and multiplayer, but suffers from bugs, repetitive content, and grindy unlocks that can delay or dampen the experience.

Friction: Multiplayer bugs and lag; Repetitive room layouts and enemies; Boring or minor item effects; Shared resource system in coop feels unfair; Grindy meta-progression with many basic functions locked; Low item variety early on.

Unlock drivers: Achievements for rewards and modifiers; New items and artifacts; Hatchmon evolution system; Faith system adding run choices; Meta progression tree significantly changing gameplay.

Disappointed Veteran: Experienced, seeks deep progression and challenging builds; frustrated by lack of impact. Motivation: Nostalgia and expectation of a worthy sequel. Stance: deep sale.

Enthusiastic Newcomer: Casual, open to all content, enjoys the randomness and progression. Motivation: Fun and discovery. Stance: buy.

Co-op Focused Player: Team-oriented, values seamless multiplayer experience; frustrated with technical issues. Motivation: Social play and cooperation. Stance: sale.

Low VRAM users experience significant stuttering, while mid-range VRAM users report smooth optimization.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Optimization is poor: stuttering occurs when entering treasure rooms with effect images and when many items appear on screen simultaneously.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Despite being marked as not recommended, performance descriptions are positive: no stuttering, no lag, and good optimization.

Steam Deck: The game shows promise on Steam Deck with recent optimization updates providing smooth 80-90fps at low TDP, but severe stability issues (crashes, flashbacks) and persistent bugs (unopenable chests, item pickup failures) combined with poor controller customization undermine the experience.

Linux and Proton: All user reviews indicate excellent Linux and Proton compatibility. The game runs smoothly on SteamOS and Linux desktops without any reported issues or required tweaks.

Changed from dislike to support: A player who initially disliked the game later purchased the supporters pack, showing potential for significant change in opinion. This suggests the game may improve over time or has hidden depth that rewards persistence.

Mixed average review score: Players consistently rate the game with a score in the 6-7 out of 10 range, indicating mediocre to slightly above average quality. This suggests the game has notable flaws but also some redeeming qualities.

Exact 6/10 rating given: A specific rating of 6 out of 10 points to a generally average game experience, likely with either technical issues or unengaging content. This aligns with the broader mixed scoring pattern.