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KickStarter Stirring Abyss - Lovecraftian underwater tactical RPG

Ontopoly

Disco Hitler
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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.
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.
Don't forget that a boat sent bad boy Cthulu back to nappy time.
 

Ulysa

Scholar
Joined
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.
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.
Well yes maybe I shouldn't say that you can't fight some Lovecraftian creatures with guns and force but what I meant is that I don't get "lovecraftian" games that focus on combat. They can be great like Darkest Dungeon I just don't personally feel like they are very Lovecraftian. His stories never gravitate towards constant combat scenes, they follow slow discovering of the horrors maybe running away and hiding like in Innsmouth, all encapsulated in a distinct atmosphere that ends up being the true protagonist. I know about the police raid and all that but that's more like an addendum after or before the story which is, mostly about helplesness.

But yeah you are right some things are resolved by force.
 

bec de corbin

Educated
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Sep 21, 2020
Messages
207
The military eventually blows up devil reef but that story isn't about soldiers fighting fishmen
 

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

Stirring Abyss Traits Sneak Peek

It is only one day now until Stirring Abyss arrives and that means that it will soon be time to unleash the eldritch upon humanity. Before that happens however, there is time to brief you on some of the powerful traits that can be had in Stirring Abyss. Powerful skills and mutations can only truly shine when cleverly combined with the right traits. Today, we will be discussing some of these possibilities.


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Sadist:
Ruining the very essence of your enemy’s minds with eldritch skills seems like an excellent idea. But the toll it takes on your mind may be too much to bear. That is where sadist trait comes in. It generates sanity for every kill you make, allowing you to tow the fine line between deadly force combatant and mental ward patient more easily.

Swift and Ruthless:
Your close combatant expert needs two things. To close on their target swiftly and to really put that hurt in. This is where the swift and ruthless traits can bridge the gap. Swift increases your movement speed, allowing you to close in on your target with terrifying speed. While ruthless increases your critical chance with a melee weapon, ensuring those close encounters are also fatal encounters.

Sturdy and Masochist:
Sturdy personnel take a lot more punishment than most as they enjoy extra hit points. Those extra hit points don’t just have to mean that you will live a little longer if that person is also a Masochist. The Masochist delights in the pain they take and have a chance to reduce the cooldowns of all of their abilities as the punishment they receive rises. Turn that damage into additional power that could save you in a desperate situation by combining these traits.

Lab Rat:
The lab rat enjoys a boost when using all medical supplies. This can really stretch rare and critical resources out for much longer than you otherwise would be able to. Considering half the battle is the battle against dwindling supplies, the Lab Rat may be a welcome addition to any party of divers. There may even be abilities out there that further draw out the Lab Rats true power…

There are many more traits to discover in Stirring Abyss. We hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into some of our favourites. There are also many more powerful combinations to discover. Plan your characters carefully and bring out their true abilities in Stirring Abyss, out tomorrow on the 29th of October.
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,158
Now this tactical game is a RPG, conveniently enough?
Also, women divers :decline:
At least that one is blonde, instead of the "afro-african" black woman that is being shoved in everywhere.
 

Nortar

Arcane
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Messages
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Pathfinder: Wrath
Now this tactical game is a RPG, conveniently enough?
Also, women divers :decline:
At least that one is blonde, instead of the "afro-african" black woman that is being shoved in everywhere.
Wait why can't women be divers?

I guess they can be divers, maybe even better then men, depending on lungs size and air consumption, but it's not a luxury yacht, it's a navy submarine.
And having men and women locked together inside a submarine, with no room for extra privacy and without ability to leave anywhere for months on end is a recipe for a disaster.
 

just

Liturgist
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Feb 6, 2019
Messages
1,298
maybe have some background checks and psych tests so you dont put rapists on board
 

bec de corbin

Educated
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Sep 21, 2020
Messages
207
Guy on a prerelease stream said it's about 10 hours for a story playthrough, and also there's a pure procgen mode, so there's at least some content there I guess
 
Unwanted

You

Unwanted
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Oct 8, 2020
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127
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Basement
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:
what would the ocean floor be without mermaids and sea-monkeys?

0bJOmRf.gif
 

Trash Player

Scholar
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
438
Well, I expect it to be similar to Styigan, only less ambitious, thus actually manage to wrap up with some serious cut corners only. Still, kudos to devs for full release instead of vaporware.
 

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
Released:




https://af.gog.com/game/stirring_abyss?as=1649904300

https://www.slitherine.com/news/stirring-abyss-is-out-now

Stirring Abyss is out now

Stirring Abyss, the first indie game published under our K-Project program, is out now. Loosely based on Lovecraft's short novel The Temple, Stirring Abyss is the story of a submarine crew which bogs down at the bottom of the Ocean during the Cold War. They are forced to explore the bottom of a sea where unspeakable horrors and tentacled abominations run rampant.

Stirring Abyss releases with a 15% week-long launch discount: check it out and Cthulhu-up your Halloween weekend.


Stirring Abyss comes with 13 Story missions plus side quests, along with a roguelike Endless Mode. The game features 4 difficulty levels, from Narrative mode, for players who are more interested in story and exploration, to Hard, which will test even the most experienced players.


REVIEWS

"A capable indie strategy title that does more with its Lovecraftian setting than most similar games of the past decade" - Gamewatcher

"Stirring Abyss is good. It is close enough to the formula set out by XCOM 2 that if you like XCOM 2 you will probably enjoy it, but it also does a great job distinguishing itself, serving as a tight, focused tactical turn based RPG that provides a lot of enjoyable gameplay in its relatively short play time. I greatly enjoyed my time playing it and was really happy that I got an opportunity to play it. Definitely worth checking out." - Turn Based Lovers
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
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Messages
97,236
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
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/372785/Stirring_Abyss_is_out_now.php

Epsom, October 29th. Stirring Abyss, the squad based tactical RPG inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's mythology, is now out on PC.

Stirring Abyss is the story of a submarine crew which bogs down at the bottom of the Ocean during the Cold War. They are forced to explore the bottom of a sea where unspeakable horrors and tentacled abominations run rampant. Loosely based on Lovecraft's short novel The Temple, Stirring Abyss is the first indie game published by Slitherine under the K-Project program.

For those passionate about narrative gameplay, Stirring Abyss comes with a Narrative Mode that is perfect for players who are more interested in story and exploration. If you’re looking for a spooky adventure game set in the Lovecraftian universe, this mode will give you chills with little challenge.

On the contrary if you are an expert strategy player who craves challenge, Stirring Abyss’s Hard mode will test even the most experienced players. You must manage extremely limited resources and survive stronger and more deadly enemies if you are to have any hope of escape.

In Stirring Abyss you follow the horrifying destiny of the members of the USS Salem’s crew, as they suffer from disturbing nightmares and hallucinations after the discovery of an ancient, cursed relic. 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 that of 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 for both combat and 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 horrors of the void hiding in the 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? Only a game of dice with Fate itself will determine the outcome.

Salvaged resources can be turned into weapons, armor, or other useful supplies – or 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 chance you have of finding 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 can 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.

Endless Mode pits your crew in a roguelike battle against a never-ending army of enemies that will grow stronger and stronger as you progress. It is the ultimate test of strategic ability as you not only decide how to improve your own squad, but also pick your poison and choose which powers your foes will gain.
 

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