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KickStarter Stirring Abyss - Lovecraftian underwater tactical RPG

Taka-Haradin puolipeikko

Filthy Kalinite
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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Bubbles In Memoria
There's also mention of mutations but no idea how will that work.
You use void marrow on crewman while in USS Salem and game let's you choose from 2 (3 if you take upgrade from enigma board) random mutations which can be re-rolled at cost of Clues.
Again demo ended before I really could test those.
 

lightbane

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You use void marrow on crewman while in USS Salem and game let's you choose from 2 (3 if you take upgrade from enigma board) random mutations

Yeah, I could deduce this, but I was wondering why would you ever do that. It is a sure-way to lose sanity at the very least. Can the game even be completed without doing those? No way to know yet.

By the way, some things I forgot to talk about in my mini-review: Issues.

The game needs some polishing. There's a yellow filter used to highlight things you can click on, but it's sometimes hard to tell what can actually be interacted with. The game also has your movement be randomly stopped a times, forcing you to click again or keep the mouse button pressed to finish your move choice. It also desperately needs a "confirm choice" double-click to avoid accidentally moving when you wish to select another crewmember and so on. There are no choices to tinker with the game options besides music and sound, which sucks. Granted, the game is nothing spectacular graphics-wise, but I would like to say activate subtitles in the cutscenes.
There's also no information what changes each difficulty mode does, if anything, but that's a minor issue.

EDIT:

Disregard the "lack of information" thing. Apparently due a bug the tutorial tooltips didn't activate for me, lol. Check this video for a short playthrough of the demo. It does confirm that niggers and women in a submarine are in, which is :decline:

 
Last edited:

Wunderbar

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Nov 15, 2015
Messages
8,809
Expected it to be like X-Com terror from the deep, turned out it's much simpler and arcadier which isn't necessary a bad thing. Enjoyed demo a lot.

Disregard the "lack of information" thing. Apparently due a bug the tutorial tooltips didn't activate for me, lol. Check this video for a short playthrough of the demo. It does confirm that niggers and women in a submarine are in, which is :decline:
the only woman in my crew was a science officer, i thought it's alright. Didn't know that all of the crew members are randomly generated.
 

oscar

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NZ
Slitherine have been working wonders the past few years. Rapidly becoming an excellent medium-sized studio of consistent quality.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Oh, there was a release date trailer last week:



https://www.slitherine.com/news/stirring-abyss-mutations-sneak-peek

Stirring Abyss mutations sneak peek

Stirring Abyss will be coming to you soon on the 29th of October. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to wait to get a sneak peek into some of its exciting features. Today we will be looking at some of the dark, profane, nebulous or even totally abhorrent mutations that you can acquire in Stirring Abyss. Remember, when you stare too deeply into the void, the void may stare back into you.

Abyssal Grasp
Transfigured by a blasphemous force, the body sprouts a writhing tentacle that grabs the target in a crushing embrace and pulls it to an adjacent tile. You will also gain the ability to strike out at your enemies with a tentacle strike. It may not have much edge, but it has a lot of power.

e3ab9daaed08a2348f350c9bfb63abe7300ae493.gif


Colony
The diving suit is invaded by a teeming swarm of small predatory invertebrates, bound in symbiosis to the host. Enemies around the diver take damage at the end of your turn. You can also command the swarm to attack a specific target, disorienting it and dealing damage to it at the end of its turn. The Passive effect is disabled while the swarm is away doing your bidding.

0e97085e278110b6ff63311f18249e960e2ae451.gif


Crusher Strike
You'll never need a can opener again, but you will also never be able to perform attacks of opportunity or to use Spearguns with your giant, club-like hands.

18e7e1c61dd99295a4a4cbc2a9fc80fa67d449ba.gif


Dark Reflection
Anger, fear and hatred given form. Reach into your dark emotions and summon a reflection of yourself at the target location. The reflection acts autonomously, attacking enemies using the stats of the diver’s melee attack and inflicting an additional slowing effect on its victims.

949a7a76b7c012a8f47917c4af69306f41e43938.gif


Macabre Gluttony
The flesh of the newly deceased retains a vestige of its purpose, a ripe fruit ready to surrender its secrets to rending teeth. Rend Flesh, devour a corpse and ingest the power contained within. Different corpses might have different effects.

c7999056d2dbbb97454aad0856161f0d86cd1c39.gif


There are many more exciting mutations coming in Stirring Abyss and we hope this brief peek into the darkness is illuminating for you. Get a hold of gameplay and feel the pressure only an entire ocean can bring on the 29th of October.
 

lightbane

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Dark Reflection and Macabre Glutonny sound the most OP, but will probably be the most demanding sanity-wise.
 

bec de corbin

Educated
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Sep 21, 2020
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207
I did try out mutations during the demo, and some of them are quite useful. There's one that generates air for free, for example.

I think they announced it'll only have twelve story maps, though, which is disappointing. Seems extremely short.
 

Ulysa

Scholar
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Feb 26, 2020
Messages
191
I know that I'm an obnoxious bitch by saying this but I don't get these games that are based on Lovecraft but are combat oriented, you don't fight horror with guns. If you can do that, it's not a cosmic horror and it's not Lovecraft imo. Anyway I just prefer adventure/investigation/stealth Lovecraft games.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Messages
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Hmmm, uploaded to developer's own YouTube channel:



https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/1178210/view/2947002949779123187

Stirring Abyss Skills and Items Sneak Peek
Stirring Abyss
hasn’t got long to go as we gear up for the release on the 29th of October. Before that happens, let’s have a sneak peek into some of the exciting skills and items you can obtain and use in the game. Careful item and skill use will be the cornerstone of any survival strategy in Stirring Abyss. Here are some of our favourites.

Brawler:
Outnumbered? Maybe. Outmatched? Never. Strike several different targets in melee range with blistering speed.
05d8c0140b085f4dcc897f12fc768aca9cdc5c45.gif


Chemist
Not insane, just... creative. Sets off an improvised shaped charge, dealing damage in a cone in front of the Chemist. Damage falls off with increased distance to the target.
979043cc068fb16d28653ca886879b935475679e.gif


Clustershot
Fire a projectile filled with explosives, dealing a small amount of damage to the initial target. The cluster bombs attached to the spear then break off and deal heavy damage to the initial target and to all targets adjacent to it.
e2faaa5ebfa82fc1c4d96a1ddb24f45b03df820c.gif


Geologist
Always ready to rock. Launches an improvised Test Charge that disturbs the silt of the ocean floor, resulting in a cloud of sand which offers cover from ranged attacks and increased Defense Rating to friendly units standing inside it.
ab4d200c4beb4f95d3a8ebafd245100362e35be5.gif


Shrapnel Charge
Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective and military grade explosives are certainly both simple and effective.
94c72e9a17eb875c838f2c1868b2bf725d601cdc.gif


There are tons more skills and items to use in Stirring Abyss, from arcane dark arts to automated defenses. Even humble flares will be a limited and precious resource in the depths of the ocean. We hope you are looking forward to getting hands on with everything Stirring Abyss has to offer when it arrives next week on the 29th.
 

lightbane

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I did try out mutations during the demo, and some of them are quite useful. There's one that generates air for free, for example.

I think they announced it'll only have twelve story maps, though, which is disappointing. Seems extremely short.

There will be multiple endings, hopefully. Are there negative consequences for using mutations? I suppose permanent sanity loss is one of them, right?

Your crewmembers shouldn't be okay with you deciding one of them now must have crab-hands in order to survive.
 

KeighnMcDeath

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Makes me wonder if such things will cause terror and madness like Darkest Dungeon.
 

bec de corbin

Educated
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Sep 21, 2020
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I don't remember exactly, but I think the mechanic is that running out of sanity triggers an episode of madness and also permanently lowers max sanity for the character. It didn't happen to any of my squad during the demo, though.
 

Fedora Master

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Does 12 stroy maps mean ONLY 12 maps or just 12 specific story missions with random maps in between?
 

luj1

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I know that I'm an obnoxious bitch by saying this but I don't get these games that are based on Lovecraft but are combat oriented, you don't fight horror with guns. If you can do that, it's not a cosmic horror and it's not Lovecraft imo. Anyway I just prefer adventure/investigation/stealth Lovecraft games.

Clive Barkers Undying is a Lovecraftian shooter (yes it does have puzzles)
 

lightbane

Arcane
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Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,158
I don't remember exactly, but I think the mechanic is that running out of sanity triggers an episode of madness and also permanently lowers max sanity for the character. It didn't happen to any of my squad during the demo, though.

True, but I was wondering if mutations also affect your sanity, because it's not a sign of mental stability to inject yourself with unknown chemicals that make your arm turn into a giant claw (and thankfully trannies didn't exist in the 50's).
Sanity from what I got from the demo, is like a secondary HP bar, since only certain enemy attacks and specific conditions affect it. Your men are trained and fight ugly monsters without issues, instead of being scared of their own shadow like Jack from Dark Corners of the Earth. I get why toxins can cause HP and sanity damage, but why does running out of oxygen also cause sanity damage, instead of "just" HP one?
 

Taka-Haradin puolipeikko

Filthy Kalinite
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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Bubbles In Memoria
I know that I'm an obnoxious bitch by saying this but I don't get these games that are based on Lovecraft but are combat oriented, you don't fight horror with guns. If you can do that, it's not a cosmic horror and it's not Lovecraft imo. Anyway I just prefer adventure/investigation/stealth Lovecraft games.
In Lovecraft's stories there are minor horrors that get fought off by using conventional weaponry.
Militia destroying one lair in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward for example.
 

chuft

Augur
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
496
I know that I'm an obnoxious bitch by saying this but I don't get these games that are based on Lovecraft but are combat oriented, you don't fight horror with guns. If you can do that, it's not a cosmic horror and it's not Lovecraft imo. Anyway I just prefer adventure/investigation/stealth Lovecraft games.
In Lovecraft's stories there are minor horrors that get fought off by using conventional weaponry.
Militia destroying one lair in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward for example.

Yes people who say things like that (the board game Arkham Horror gets similar criticisms) clearly haven't read Lovecraft.

Wilbur Whately was killed by a guard dog in The Dunwich Horror.

Inspector LeGrasse and his police took down the Cthulhu cultists in the swamps of Louisiana with guns and clubs. The cultist crew of the Alert was taken out by Johansen's crew with hand to hand fighting. Both of these were in The Call of Cthulhu.

Federal forces raided Innsmouth and cleaned up the "problem" using 1920s weaponry. A submarine was used to fire torpedoes into the depths below Devil's Reef to attack the Deep One settlement there.

In From Beyond, a gun is used to shatter the Resonator.

It goes on and on. Physical means to deal with baddies are a staple of Lovecraftian stories.
 

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