Stirring Abyss
Sleepy Sentry · 2020 · Lovecraftian, Underwater, RPG, Tactical RPG, Psychological Horror
PC
Very Positive88% · 33176Metacritic
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About Stirring Abyss
Stirring Abyss is an indie tactical squad-based game with strong RPG elements in which you uncover the ancient mysteries of the depths depicted in the classic vein of Lovecraftian horror.
You take charge of the surviving crew of the USS Salem, a U.S. Navy submarine that sinks while on a top secret research mission during the early years of the Cold War. They find themselves surrounded by the ruins of a forgotten civilization, their vessel too badly damaged to escape the seabed.
In Story Mode, you slowly unravel the mysteries of the depths in a desperate quest to rescue your missing crewmembers and fix the crippled Salem. The choices you make determine the fate of your crew - and the entire world.
Every expedition lives or dies by the strength of its crew. You have a diverse array of character traits and skills at your disposal, each opening exciting new options in both combat and in story events. As you delve ever deeper, you may also subject your crew to powerful but grisly mutations; the price of survival is high, and no one escapes the abyss unchanged.
The horror and the void which hide in deep waters can become too much to bear, and your crew may experience episodes of exhaustion and insanity. Will their psyche get stronger, or will it be forever damaged? A game of dice with Fate itself will determine the outcome.
Salvaged resources can be turned into weapons, armor, or other useful supplies - or they can be used to repair and upgrade the Salem, giving your crew a crucial edge in the fight for survival. The more you explore the abyss during the missions, the more chances you have to find the lost treasures of the deep.
The hauntingly beautiful environment holds many secrets and mysteries to explore, but danger lurks just outside the feeble circles of light you bring with you. Be wise, and use your skills to scout the black waters and light up the path: unseen terrors may be hiding just out of sight. 
The Endless Mode pits your crew in a roguelike battle against an army of neverending enemies that only grow stronger as you progress. It is the ultimate test of strategic ability, as you not only choose how to improve your own squad, but also pick your poison as to what powers your foes gain.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
Its trying to mimic X-Com Terror From The Deep. Which was launched in 1995. It does it a little better. Still, it felt like it was made back then. Not for me.2 found this helpful
Excelent game, quite hard but beatable If you play smart. Ambience and sound are superb.1 found this helpful
Great game, I reccomend
Interesting take on the Lovecraftian horror. Not a horror itself, even though it has creepy moments, but with good atmosphere and campaign. Somewhat repetitive maybe, but just don't try to harvest all resources and the game will be more dynamic.
TLDR; nice setting, ok gameplay loop, limited builds, needs more content, claims of the difficulty are greatly exaggerated I like a lot about this game, just feels like it's missing quite a bit to be more fun. Once you realize exactly how much runway you're going to get and how little there actually is to do, it becomes a rather joyless march toward the end. I would recommend playing on hard to start as that is probably the only way to keep any sort of tension in the game. I can't imagine what the easy or story modes are like, the normal difficulty is basically point and click. You will get so many side missions and you'll have every meaningful submarine room so early, you'll almost never suffer casualties unless you're really trying - in one mission I separated everyone, got ambushed with my weakest character alone, and there is just so much firepower and different elements you can bring to bare that while it was my tensest moment it was fairly easy to remedy. Your strong melee characters or officers with the right mutations or equipment are basically unkillable and once you unlock your fourth diver everything goes straight to autopilot. There are relatively few mutations an…
Stirring Abyss is a dark and oppressive tactical RPG that blends turn-based strategy, Lovecraftian horror, survival mechanics, and underwater exploration into a deeply atmospheric experience filled with tension and psychological dread. Developed by Sleepy Sentry and published by Slitherine Ltd., the game follows the surviving crew of the USS Salem after a disastrous Cold War expedition leaves them trapped beneath the ocean inside the ruins of an ancient and terrifying civilization. What begins as a military survival scenario gradually evolves into a descent into madness as the crew encounters monstrous creatures, supernatural forces, and secrets humanity was never meant to uncover. The game’s greatest strength is easily its atmosphere. From the opening moments, Stirring Abyss creates a constant feeling of isolation and danger through its underwater environments, eerie lighting, and oppressive sound design. The abyss itself feels hostile and unknowable, filled with ancient ruins, strange biological growths, abandoned structures, and grotesque creatures lurking within the darkness. The deeper the crew descends, the more unsettling the world becomes, creating a sense that players are…
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