To be honest, my first impression of this ARPG developed by Chengdu Yuanzhongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. is that it combines the two seemingly contradictory elements of "hang-up leisure" and "hardcore PVP" in an interesting way. The background setting of the game is that the continent is encountering a mutation crisis, and the adventurers have regrouped. The gameplay of shadow maze, alchemy mine, and goblin riot sounds quite like the PC games of the year.
Speaking of mobile game trends, I don't know if you have noticed that mobile games are becoming more and more polarized. On one side is the ultra-casual side gameplay, and on the other side is something like "Alien Abyss" that provides you with a hard-core experience of in-depth PVP competition. The free mode of this game can be run on Android 5.0. The threshold is not high, but the content inside is not ambiguous at all.
To be honest, I really miss the days when I played "Summoner" or "Chaos and Order". At that time, mobile games were not so fancy, but every system was very solid. "Alien Abyss" feels to me like it balances the hard-core spirit of that time with the popular idle gameplay now. Office workers don't have much time to play, so they can accumulate resources by hanging up. When you want to find someone to PK, the arena and dungeons can give you a passionate experience at any time.
From an industry perspective, this "combination of light and heavy" design will indeed be a direction for future mobile games. After all, we old gamers have grown up, started families and started businesses, and we don't have so much time to spend the whole time with our mobile phones, but the passion for hard-core games in our hearts has not yet cooled down. "Abyss: Awakening" is exactly at this point - hanging up keeps you from falling behind in progress, and PVP allows you to regain the energy you had when competing with others.
What I want to talk about most in this game is the Shadow Maze, which reminds me of the time I spent playing the mobile version of Diablo. Positioning, skill connection, and understanding of the BOSS mechanism, these hard-core elements are all there. But fortunately, you don't need to manually run the map. The automatic pathfinding and on-hook system save you a lot of trouble.
Not to brag, there is definitely room for improvement in the game, such as the details of the graphics and the sense of impact, which are still far behind some of the top masterpieces I have played before. But considering the free model and the positioning of this development team, the sincerity is in place.
Finally, I would like to say that the development trend of mobile games is not actually a big topic. To put it bluntly, it is what we old players want to see - no longer simply using IP shells, nor blindly making money, but truly finding a balance between the depth of gameplay and player experience. Today's recommended "Abyss: Awakening" is worth taking the time to download and give it a try, especially for old friends who want to get back to the passionate feeling of the past. Maybe they can find some resonance here.
Okay, I've written too much, so that's it. Thank you for listening to my chatter, see you in the game! 😎