======== Gameplay ======== From the Abyss doesn't do anything to revolution the genre of action RPGs. In fact, From the Abyss is more of a tribute to games like Shining Souls on the GBA or the old Gauntlet games. It's a simple little action RPG where you largely kill everything that comes into sight by pressing on the attack button. The only thing to really change things up in this game is the ability to capture a monster's soul to gain new abilities. On the downside, the game does suffer from some balance issues. The game is way to generous with SP gain allowing you to spam special attacks with almost no risk. This is especially true in later levels where many enemy will give you full sp recovery items. The game also suffers a bit in terms of stat placement since the game doesn't make the purpose of your various stats very clear. And, on top of that the final boss battle is disappointingly easy. ======== Graphics ======== Graphically the game goes with an old-school look. The dungeons are comprised of rather simple tile structures with your character and the enemies being comprised of 2D sprites. The animations on the sprites are decent, but the game suffers from a lack of enemy variety. The game is probably comprised of about 10 enemies if you don't include palette swaps and bosses. Outside of the dungeons the game is comprised of a few areas you can visit on the world map, but those places are comprised of character portraits and painted backgrounds. They look decent enough, but they don't convey emotions all that well. ======== Sound ======== The sound track while fitting isn't anything amazing. The game also lacks any voice work with a few monsters making a grunt here and there if you hit them correctly. ======== Lasting Appeal ======== From the Abyss doesn't have much to offer in this area. After you beat the game you can continue to enter the various dungeons to grind out levels and earn items, but the only major difference is that the enemies have increased stats and a few drop new items. ======== Scores ======== Gameplay: 7 Graphics: 8 Sound: 7 Lasting Appeal: 2 Overall: 6

This game is an old school Zelda clone with an interesting feature. You can simply kill the monsters, or you can steal their souls and absorb their skills. It is a decent game, with a difficulty level that is simply not suitable for beginners. You can choose to play as 1 of four character sprites (2 guys, 2 girls) and to further "customize" you can change the hair color. It has the basic story of "save the kingdom" from evil that is the standard staple of most games, and since I haven't played too far into it, I can't say it has a good or bad story, but it seems to be mediocre at best. The game utilizes the touch screen in a way that makes sense as well. You manage your inventory with the touch screen. And the bottom screen not only displays your inventory, but it can show your stats, and a map, along with the skills you have stolen from monsters' souls. So if you like action RPGs or want a challenge, this game will be great for you.