Hello everyone!
Today marks the beginning of the Prismatic Indie Showcase, and we're celebrating with a major update to the ABSYM Playtest.
We've been working on several areas of the game, from combat and enemy AI to onboarding and exploration.
So here's what's new:
Three New Moves for the Rifter!
The Rifter now has three new tools at his disposal, giving you more options in combat:
Flamethrower
A brand-new ranged weapon that lets you bring the heat to your enemies.
Parry Timing is everything. The Rifter can now parry incoming attacks stunning his enemies in a small area around him, opening up new opportunities during combat!
Charged Attack
Hold your attack to unleash a powerful charged strike.
New Stamina System: Aethergel
We've introduced a resource system tied to some of the Rifter's abilities: the Aethergel.
This resource work exactly like the stamina from most action games.
Aethergel is now consumed by:
Dash
Wrist Gun
Flamethrower
Parry
The goal is to put meaningful limits on how often these abilities can be used, preventing them from being abused while encouraging more deliberate decisions during combat.
Managing and enanching your Aethergel is now another part of mastering the Rifter's moveset!
More Responsive AI
We've reworked the enemy AI to make encounters feel more dynamic and engaging.
Enemies should now be less passive and more willing to fight, creating more pressure during combat and making encounters feel more alive.
Improved Onboarding
We've streamlined the early-game experience to make ABSYM's mechanics and concepts easier to understand.
We've reworked and simplified the tutorials, with a particular focus on presenting information more clearly and naturally as you play.
A new way to Rift Switch!
The Rift Switch has also been streamlined!
Previously, Rift Switch required a separate button combination. Now, simply hold the button used for the regular Rift to activate it.
Think of it as a "charged Rift" if you will.
Riftable Objects
The Rift Switch isn't just for the Rifter and his enemies anymore, players can now Rift certain objects in the environment.
These objects will be clearly marked with visual effects in-game, so players can recognize which elements can be interacted with and avoid unnecessary confusion.
And this new functionality also brings a change to one of ABSYM's environmental puzzles...
We've reworked the environmental puzzle
The puzzle has now been redesigned around this new Rift Switch functionality. That's all we're saying for now.
You'll have to figure out the rest yourself...
Prismatic Indie Showcase
Starting today at 10 am PST ABSYM is part of the Prismatic Indie Showcase, running from September 7–11 on Steam.
If you haven't played ABSYM yet, now is a great time to jump into the Playtest and try out everything that's new!
As always, we'd love to hear your feedback!
Thank you for playing ABSYM and supporting us.