▲ Recommended
2 hrs
Invasion of the Abyss is a pretty interesting game because it gives me two completely different ways to deal with the same threat. One side is an action survival roguelite where I choose a hero, fight through enemy waves and keep pushing deeper into the abyss. The other is a tower defence style mode where I stay at a sanctuary and build up a limited area against increasingly nasty attacks. I like having both options because they feel different enough that I can switch between them depending on what kind of gameplay I want.
The action mode is probably the part I enjoyed most. I choose a hero and fight through consecutive floors while enemies become more dangerous. As I level up, I get choices for new skills and can spend gold to reroll those options when I am looking for a particular build. There is also an equipment shop between waves where I can buy, refresh or lock items. I liked this because each run gives me plenty of opportunities to build around damage, survival or crowd control instead of simply increasing the same few numbers.
The enemies also become more interesting as I go deeper. There are normal groups, elite enemies, mini bosses and special invasion events, while the larger bosses have multiple phases and different attack patterns. I enjoyed having to move around and look for safer positions instead of just standing still and attacking everything. The combination of movement, skill choices and equipment makes the action mode feel quite satisfying when a build starts coming together.
The Abyss Survival mode is where the game surprised me the most. I have a fixed territory with limited space, so building placement actually matters. I can construct offensive towers, walls, control structures, resource buildings and repair support, then upgrade them as I prepare for the next assault. Buildings can eventually branch into specialised versions, but those upgrades also come with drawbacks. I really liked this because it stops the defence from being as simple as always choosing the strongest upgrade.
The day and night structure gives the tower defence side some nice rhythm. Daytime gives me a chance to prepare, while night brings heavier attacks. There are also disasters, weather changes, strange rules and special events that can completely change how I need to handle the battlefield. I found this variety useful because a defence that works perfectly under normal conditions can suddenly have a serious weakness when the rules change. The campaign also has different chapters and multiple endings based on my actions, which gives the mode more of a proper adventure structure than I expected.
The biggest weakness for me is that having two separate modes also means neither one feels quite as deep as a game dedicated entirely to that genre might be. The action combat is enjoyable, but I would not call it an incredibly advanced roguelite. The tower defence has more strategic potential, but the limited territory can sometimes make everything feel crowded. I also noticed that the amount of information coming from skills, equipment, disasters and strange rules can be a little overwhelming when I am still learning how everything interacts.
I think Invasion of the Abyss is a surprisingly ambitious free game. The two modes give me plenty to experiment with, and I particularly enjoyed switching between building a powerful combat character and carefully preparing a sanctuary. The colourful low polygon presentation works well with the dark fantasy setting, while controller support and configurable options make it fairly accessible. There is also persistent progression, missions, achievements, pets, rescued characters and a bestiary, so there is more here than the basic wave survival loop might suggest. I also noticed that the developers openly disclose extensive use of AI generated assets and development assistance, which is worth knowing before playing.
Overall, I think Invasion of the Abyss is a fun and ambitious combination of roguelite action and tower defence. The two modes complement each other surprisingly well, and I especially liked the build choices in the combat mode and the limited space management in the sanctuary mode. It still has some rough edges and I think both sides could benefit from even more variety, but there is already a decent amount to experiment with. For a free game, I think it offers enough different ideas to keep me interested, especially when I want something that mixes action, strategy and roguelite progression.
Rating: 6.4/10
The action mode is probably the part I enjoyed most. I choose a hero and fight through consecutive floors while enemies become more dangerous. As I level up, I get choices for new skills and can spend gold to reroll those options when I am looking for a particular build. There is also an equipment shop between waves where I can buy, refresh or lock items. I liked this because each run gives me plenty of opportunities to build around damage, survival or crowd control instead of simply increasing the same few numbers.
The enemies also become more interesting as I go deeper. There are normal groups, elite enemies, mini bosses and special invasion events, while the larger bosses have multiple phases and different attack patterns. I enjoyed having to move around and look for safer positions instead of just standing still and attacking everything. The combination of movement, skill choices and equipment makes the action mode feel quite satisfying when a build starts coming together.
The Abyss Survival mode is where the game surprised me the most. I have a fixed territory with limited space, so building placement actually matters. I can construct offensive towers, walls, control structures, resource buildings and repair support, then upgrade them as I prepare for the next assault. Buildings can eventually branch into specialised versions, but those upgrades also come with drawbacks. I really liked this because it stops the defence from being as simple as always choosing the strongest upgrade.
The day and night structure gives the tower defence side some nice rhythm. Daytime gives me a chance to prepare, while night brings heavier attacks. There are also disasters, weather changes, strange rules and special events that can completely change how I need to handle the battlefield. I found this variety useful because a defence that works perfectly under normal conditions can suddenly have a serious weakness when the rules change. The campaign also has different chapters and multiple endings based on my actions, which gives the mode more of a proper adventure structure than I expected.
The biggest weakness for me is that having two separate modes also means neither one feels quite as deep as a game dedicated entirely to that genre might be. The action combat is enjoyable, but I would not call it an incredibly advanced roguelite. The tower defence has more strategic potential, but the limited territory can sometimes make everything feel crowded. I also noticed that the amount of information coming from skills, equipment, disasters and strange rules can be a little overwhelming when I am still learning how everything interacts.
I think Invasion of the Abyss is a surprisingly ambitious free game. The two modes give me plenty to experiment with, and I particularly enjoyed switching between building a powerful combat character and carefully preparing a sanctuary. The colourful low polygon presentation works well with the dark fantasy setting, while controller support and configurable options make it fairly accessible. There is also persistent progression, missions, achievements, pets, rescued characters and a bestiary, so there is more here than the basic wave survival loop might suggest. I also noticed that the developers openly disclose extensive use of AI generated assets and development assistance, which is worth knowing before playing.
Overall, I think Invasion of the Abyss is a fun and ambitious combination of roguelite action and tower defence. The two modes complement each other surprisingly well, and I especially liked the build choices in the combat mode and the limited space management in the sanctuary mode. It still has some rough edges and I think both sides could benefit from even more variety, but there is already a decent amount to experiment with. For a free game, I think it offers enough different ideas to keep me interested, especially when I want something that mixes action, strategy and roguelite progression.
Rating: 6.4/10
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