Info about Neon Abyss:

Official game description:
Combining furious run ‘n’ gun action and deep, roguelike mechanics, Neon Abyss pits you as a member of ‘Grim Squad’ – a task force set-up by Hades himself to infiltrate the Abyss and defeat the New Gods. Death is not the end as every time you die, you’ll find yourself more empowered than before.
As you progress through each dungeon, random item drops will be key in helping you infiltrate the Abyss and these passive effects can stack between every item. With no limit to how many can apply; a wide variety of combinations will make each run unique.
With each run, you will be able to unlock new rooms, items, bosses, special rules and even new endings! This means each dungeon is unique and expandable, being tailored to your own specific playstyle.
Hatch and Evolve Pets
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If you need some company on your journey into the depths of the abyss, or just some additional firepower or assistance, eggs can be found which will turn into a random pet that has a special ability and will evolve the longer you survive.
Mini-Games
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Take a short break from slaying minions and take part in random mini-games that will also bag you some loot! Jump into Piano Performances, Meditation Challenge, Dance Competitions, and more – staying alive just got a lot more interesting!

Release date: Jul 14, 2020

Categories: Roguelite, Bullet Hell, Side-scrolling Shooter, Run and Gun, Platformer, Procedural Generation, Skill Tree Progression, Cyberpunk

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 90; verdict: Predatory; summary: The game exhibits several predatory monetization practices, including real-money gacha mechanics and Day-1 DLC. Players are frustrated with the need to pay for additional characters and content if the game is purchased after the first week of launch. There are also mentions of game-breaking bugs that have not been addressed, indicating a focus on monetization over game quality.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The primary issues highlighted by users revolve around the lack of clear information about item effects and game mechanics, the inability to view character attributes and item properties within the game, and poor item classification and guidance. These issues significantly disrupt the gaming experience and force players to rely on external resources, which is a major design flaw.
- Steam Deck: score 75; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals significant stability and gameplay issues. Users have reported frequent crashes, unresponsive controls after resuming from sleep mode, and various gameplay mechanics problems. These issues severely impact the user experience, making the game less enjoyable and more frustrating to play. Additionally, there are complaints about the game's design and progression system, which add to the overall dissatisfaction.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth purchasing when it is on sale for less than its launch price of $15. Multiple reviews mention that the game is enjoyable and worth the money when bought on sale for less than $5. This indicates that the community considers a fair price range to be significantly lower than the current base game price of $19.99.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 90.0h
  - Story completion: 7.0h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct mentions of playtime metrics. The first quote mentions 7 hours of gameplay to reach the second-to-last boss, indicating a significant investment for story completion. The second quote mentions 90 hours to unlock the full skill tree, suggesting a high playtime for game completion. The third quote indicates that a single session or run can take at least an hour, providing insight into session length. The fourth quote suggests an average playtime of around 40 minutes, which could be interpreted as an average session length or a shorter run time.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is initially fun and addictive due to its aesthetic and progression system, but it can become repetitive and grindy over time.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Progression system and unlocks
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive gameplay; Grindy progression; Lack of enemy variety
  - Unlock drivers: Permanent progression system; New enemies/bosses; Meta-progression unlocks
  - Conditions: Good soundtrack; Vibrant aesthetic; Responsive controls; Multiplayer mode (in mobile version)
- Player Archetypes:
  - Experienced Roguelike Veteran (sale)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and familiarity with the genre.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and comparative, often referencing past experiences.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: 老玩家; Roguelike veteran
    - Reference games: Binding of Isaac; Enter the Gungeon; Metal Slug
  - Aesthetic and Challenge Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of visual style and gameplay challenge.
    - Playstyle: Engages with the game for its visual appeal and challenging gameplay.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: 赛博朋克风格爱好者; 挑战寻求者
    - Reference games: Dead Cells; Hades
  - Critical but Hopeful Player (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Hope for game improvement and value for money.
    - Playstyle: Critical and evaluative, often pointing out flaws and areas for improvement.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: 批判性玩家; 希望改进者
    - Reference games: BoI:Rebirth; Enter The Gungeon


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Variety of weapons and items (weight 0.27): The game offers a wide range of weapons, items, and artifacts, each with unique abilities and designs. This variety enhances gameplay by providing different strategies and experiences.
- Enjoyable and fun gameplay (weight 0.2): Players find the game enjoyable and fun to play, with interesting mechanics and engaging gameplay. The overall experience is positive and entertaining.
- Positive feedback on visuals and art style (weight 0.18): The game features attractive pixel art with a cyberpunk aesthetic, which is visually appealing. The unique and high-quality art style is well-received by players.
- Fast-paced and chaotic gameplay (weight 0.16): The gameplay is described as fast-paced, chaotic, and frantic, providing an exciting and energetic experience. This pace keeps players engaged and entertained.
- Roguelike elements (weight 0.15): The game incorporates addictive roguelike elements that players appreciate. These elements add replayability and a unique charm to the game.
- High replayability and addictive gameplay (weight 0.11): The game is highly addictive with high replay value, offering hours of gameplay. This keeps players coming back for more.
- Positive feedback on Chinese language (weight 0.1): Chinese-speaking players appreciate the game's item icons, names, and mini-games. The game is also considered player-friendly with expanding gameplay and collectibles.
- Good value for money (weight 0.09): Players feel that the game offers good value for its price, making it a worthwhile investment. The content and enjoyment justify the cost.
- Unique characters and abilities (weight 0.06): The game includes various characters, each with unique traits and abilities. This adds depth and variety to the gameplay.
- Multiple difficulty levels (weight 0.05): The game includes multiple difficulty settings, catering to different player preferences and skill levels. This adds to the game's accessibility and appeal.

Common complaints:
- Unclear and repetitive item effects (weight 0.25): Item effects are often unclear and not explained well, leading to confusion. Additionally, many items have limited and repetitive effects, making them feel useless.
- Repetitive and shallow gameplay (weight 0.24): Many players find the gameplay loop stagnant and repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement over time. The game becomes tedious quickly, with little variation in activities.
- Uninteresting and easy bosses (weight 0.18): Bosses are often described as uninteresting, easy, and lacking variety. They do not present enough challenge and can be overpowered quickly.
- Lack of item synergy and balance (weight 0.13): Items lack meaningful interactions and synergy, leading to a lack of originality and balance. This makes the item system feel underdeveloped.
- Poor controls and game feel (weight 0.1): The controls feel off and poorly designed, particularly the joystick controls. This results in a horrible game feel and affects the overall gameplay experience.
- Lack of memorable content (weight 0.09): The game is described as average and not very replayable. It lacks outstanding memorable points, making it forgettable and not exciting enough.
- Inferior to mobile version (weight 0.08): Players feel that the game is worse than the free mobile version, which offers more content and a better overall experience.
- Poorly designed mini-games (weight 0.08): Mini-games are often described as useless, frustrating, and poorly designed, adding little value to the overall gameplay experience.
- Lack of story and plot depth (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for its lack of story and plot depth, making the overall experience feel shallow and unengaging.
- Game-breaking bugs and flaws (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for having flaws and game-breaking bugs that need to be fixed, affecting the overall playability.
- Difficulty distinguishing bullets (weight 0.06): It is hard to distinguish between enemy bullets and player bullets, as well as differentiating them from the background, leading to frustration.
- Inconsistent hitboxes (weight 0.06): Hitboxes are described as inconsistent and strange, particularly with melee attacks, leading to a poor gameplay experience.
- Lack of updates and new content (weight 0.06): Players are frustrated with the lack of updates and new content, with no significant updates for a long time.
- Over-reliance on RNG (weight 0.06): The game is criticized for being too reliant on RNG, which can be problematic and poorly implemented, affecting the gameplay experience.
- Tedious achievements (weight 0.06): Some achievements are described as ridiculous and very tedious, requiring excessive effort and adding little enjoyment to the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Roguelite platform shooter blend (weight 0.23): The game combines elements of roguelite, platformer, and shooter genres, featuring procedural generation and skill tree progression.
- Action-packed platforming and shooting (weight 0.12): Gameplay includes side-scrolling shooter mechanics, platforming, and run-and-gun action, reminiscent of Metroid-Vania style.
- Cyberpunk aesthetic and visuals (weight 0.09): The game features a cyberpunk art style with neon visuals, creating an intense and colorful atmosphere.
- Item stacking and synergy mechanics (weight 0.08): The core mechanic of item stacking allows for mindless yet strategic gameplay, with a focus on item synergy and rotation.
- Combat and difficulty mechanics (weight 0.08): The game includes various combat mechanics and difficulty settings, providing challenges for players to overcome.
- Mini-games and special activities (weight 0.08): The game features various mini-games and special activities, adding diversity and extra challenges to the gameplay.
- Randomness in exploration and bosses (weight 0.07): Random exploration and boss encounters contribute to the game's chaotic and unpredictable nature, enhancing replayability.
- Challenging boss fights (weight 0.07): Boss fights are a significant part of the gameplay, requiring player skill and strategy to overcome.
- Bullet hell gameplay elements (weight 0.07): The game incorporates bullet hell mechanics, providing intense and challenging shooter action.
- Talent and skill tree system (weight 0.06): Players can progress through a skill tree, unlocking new abilities and enhancing their character's capabilities.
- Melee and varied playstyles (weight 0.05): Players can engage in melee combat and explore different playstyles, adding depth to the gameplay mechanics.
- Weapon upgrade system (weight 0.05): Weapons can be upgraded, allowing for stacking enhancements and improving player capabilities.
- Unique weapon and item combinations (weight 0.05): Players can experiment with different weapon and item combinations to create unique effects and strategies.
- Casual and short gameplay (weight 0.05): The game offers casual gameplay with a relatively short playtime, making it accessible for quick sessions.
- Deep progression and resource management (weight 0.05): The game features deep progression systems and resource management mechanics, typical of roguelite games.
- Pets and eggs mechanics (weight 0.05): The game includes a system for hatching pet eggs and utilizing pets, adding an extra layer of strategy and companionship.
- Similar to popular roguelite games (weight 0.05): The game draws comparisons to popular titles like Dead Cells, Enter the Gungeon, and Binding of Isaac, offering a familiar yet unique experience.
- Enjoyability varies with experience (weight 0.04): The game's enjoyment may vary depending on the player's experience with similar games, being more enjoyable for those new to the genre.

Performance notes:
- Frequent game-breaking bugs (weight 0.15): Players report numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues and frequent crashes. These bugs affect gameplay significantly and are widespread across different platforms.
- Controller and gamepad issues (weight 0.11): There are multiple reports of problems with gamepads and controllers, including button remapping issues and general controller malfunctions. These issues hinder the gaming experience for those using controllers.
- Optimization and performance issues (weight 0.1): The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to performance issues such as frame rate drops, stuttering, and crashes. These problems are exacerbated by excessive items on screen and light pollution effects.
- Compatibility with Steam Deck (weight 0.07): The game generally works well on Steam Deck, with reports of better fluidity compared to other platforms. However, there are issues with the game becoming unresponsive after sleep mode.
- Resolution and display issues (weight 0.04): Players have encountered issues with resolution changes and black screen problems. These issues affect the visual experience and can make the game unplayable at times.
- Smooth performance on specific devices (weight 0.04): The game runs perfectly on certain devices like ROG Ally, indicating that performance can vary significantly depending on the hardware used.
- Movement and character issues (weight 0.04): There are reports of janky movement and characters disappearing during level transitions. These issues affect the overall gameplay experience and immersion.
- Consistent performance (weight 0.02): Despite various issues, there are reports of consistent performance, indicating that the game can run smoothly under certain conditions.
- Mouse and keyboard preference (weight 0.02): Some players find that the game is better played with a mouse and keyboard rather than a controller, suggesting potential issues with controller support.
- DLC mentioned (weight 0.02): There is a mention of DLC, but without specific details on what issues or praises are associated with it.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for roguelike fans (weight 0.1): The game is highly recommended for fans of roguelike and action games, especially those who enjoy dynamic gameplay and cyberpunk visuals.
- Worth trying at a low price (weight 0.09): The game is considered worth trying, especially if it is priced below £5 or available on sale.
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.07): The game comes with strong recommendations for its quality and content, making it a worthwhile purchase.
- Alternatives in the genre (weight 0.07): Games like Enter the Gungeon, Nuclear Throne, and Hades are recommended as alternatives within the roguelite genre.
- Suggested improvements (weight 0.07): Players suggest several improvements, such as removing the effect of mines or grenades on items, adding item attribute inspection, removing the rotation mechanism, and improving cheat code functionality.
- Consider buying the sequel (weight 0.06): The upcoming sequel is mentioned as an additional incentive for potential buyers.
- Recommended for specific player types (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for players who enjoy bullet hell shooters and meat pigeon games, as well as beginners and experienced players with extra money.
- Suitable for chaotic gameplay lovers (weight 0.04): The game is recommended for those who enjoy chaotic and visually intense gameplay, as well as roguelite loops and power fantasies.
- DLC recommendations (weight 0.04): It is recommended to buy the characters DLC, specifically Amir and Saya, and to consider the DLC if the base game is enjoyed.
- Multiplayer and competitive aspects (weight 0.04): The game offers multiplayer options and competitive gameplay, adding to its appeal.
- Praised combat and boss systems (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's combat and boss systems, finding them enjoyable and well-designed.
- Recommended for casual players (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for casual players looking for a beautiful and relaxing experience.
- Try the free demo first (weight 0.02): It is recommended to play the free demo before purchasing the full game to get a better idea of its gameplay and features.
- Positive review score (weight 0.02): The game has received a positive review score of 08/10.

Other player notes:
- Ads in paid products (weight 0.02): Players express dissatisfaction with the presence of advertisements in a product that they have already purchased.
- Game in Early Access (weight 0.02): The game is currently in Early Access, meaning it is still in development and may have incomplete features or bugs.
- DLC content available (weight 0.02): The game offers downloadable content (DLC) for additional gameplay or features.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.33): Players are frustrated by a variety of gameplay mechanics and design flaws. Issues such as stagnant gameplay, random elements, and resource scarcity contribute to this frustration. Additionally, bugs, poor controls, and lack of visibility on item attributes further exacerbate the problem, making the game feel unbalanced and unfair.
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players express disappointment due to the game's lack of content, repetitive gameplay, and balance issues. The game is often compared unfavorably to other games, including its mobile version, and is seen as lacking innovation. The focus on mobile games and monetization strategies also contribute to this sentiment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.1): Players enjoy the game for its fun and engaging gameplay, variety of items and weapons, and unique visuals. The game's music, combat, and overall gameplay experience are also highlighted as positive aspects that contribute to the enjoyment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Players feel satisfied with the game's addictive gameplay, variety of weapons and items, and the overall positive experience. The game is seen as a good investment for its price, with high-quality pixel art and enjoyable mechanics.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Players are excited about the game's infinite replayability, complex progression system, and unique character abilities. The anticipation for a sequel and the game's innovative gameplay and visuals also contribute to this excitement.
- Anger (weight 0.07): Players are angry due to poor gameplay mechanics, bugs, and the perception of the developer's focus on monetization over game quality. The lack of updates, poor design, and plagiarism accusations further fuel this anger.
- Frustrated (weight 0.03): Players feel frustrated due to buggy gameplay, ineffective items, and annoying enemies. The luck system and unreasonable difficulty also contribute to this frustration.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Players find the game boring due to its repetitive gameplay and lack of innovation. The slow movement and monotonous gameplay elements further contribute to this boredom.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Players experience joy from the game's positive gameplay experience, funny references, and unique visual style. The game's dynamic visuals and humor also contribute to this joy.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Players are excited about the game's mechanics, variety, and the anticipation for the sequel. The enjoyment of gameplay and leveling up weapons also contribute to this excitement.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgia due to mentions of enjoyable early gameplay sessions and comparisons to other games. Recalling past experiences with the mobile version also contributes to this nostalgia.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the game's art, music, and design. The brilliant artistic direction and engaging gameplay are also highlighted as reasons for appreciation.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players feel satisfied with the game's addictive nature and sound design. The variety of gameplay elements also contributes to this satisfaction.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Players find the game good for relaxation due to its gameplay experience. The game's casual gameplay and visuals contribute to this relaxation.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players feel disappointed due to scenario design problems and misleading descriptions. The game's lack of content and repetitive gameplay also contribute to this disappointment.
- Happy (weight 0.01): Players feel happy due to the enjoyment of the game and its gameplay. The game's visual style and overall positive experience also contribute to this happiness.}