Abyssal

Abyssal is a 3D turn based strategy game in which you will have to fight hordes of Eldritch-like creatures. To do so, you will control Archivald, a monk weilder of magic, and his loyal minions, Anan, Banan and the Caudron.

By interweaving their actions and their active and passive abilities, you will be able to make your way through the infested landmarks of the city Vathýs Terskel. The closer you get to the heart of the city, the closer you will be to unveiling the truth behind the presence of these abyssal creatures.

Download and Play Abyssal here: Installer Download

Since the very beginning, we knew we wanted our game to have a powerful cosmic-horror component and atmosphere. We started developing our characters using our protagonist, a monk capable of reviving his minions, as a base.

The initial idea we had for this strategy game, was to create the maps by modules, which would have more or less cubic shapes. These modules would be mini maps of different kinds,  with different objectives and functions, and would appear as the player advanced in one direction or another. For example, the player would start the game on a module with enemies, and once these have been defeated and the objective has been completed, the player can advance either towards a healing module, a merchant module or another enemy module.

We even contemplated the idea of making the different modules appear randomly or in a procedural way, so that each game and experience was different, but without being unfair or unplayable.

We soon scrapped the idea of making different kinds of modules, and consequently, their randomness of appearance. But since we did visually like the idea of the emerging cubes, we maintained the division of each level's map in mini cubic sections, at least for the time being. This divisions were interesting regarding level design, since depending on the level's objective, we could temporarily block the entrance to some sections and make the player go back and forth through the levels.

With these new guidelines in mind, the next step was to determine the level progression and the scenarios in which the action would take place. 
By this point we had already determined the art style we wanted: an in-between of Gothic and medieval architecture in a stylized style, all wrapped up by elements of cosmic horror. So with this references in mind, we started creating concept art and assets that adapted to the needs of each level.

LEVEL PROGRESSION

The player starts in a wooded area  and makes their way towards the city of Vathýs Terskel. The closer they get to the Cathedral, the heart of the invasion and the city, the more obvious the presence of the Eldritch creatures would be. 

FOREST  - CITY EXTERIOR -  CITY INTERIOR - CEMETERY - CATHEDRAL EXTERIOR

In the end, due to technical limitations and difficulties, we also scrapped the idea of the map sectioning, being left with big maps with already defined structures. On the one hand, this made our levels less dynamic and more repetitive in case of replay. But on the other hand, it gave us more control creatively and technically, enabling us to make much more cohesive and polished scenarios, and reducing the possibilities of bugs and errors.

ARCHIVALD

Archivald is a monk wielder of magic and the protagonist of our game. He is the sorcerer of the group and a ranged unit.  Among his special abilities lies the most powerful and lethal attack of all characters: the Fell Flare, a fire ball that annihilates all enemies in its area of action.

As the protagonist, Archivald's death supposes the player's defeat. To balance that out, his passive ability drains his minions' vitality to heal himself.

TURNAROUND

THE CAULDRON

The Cauldron is the healer of the group, acting as both a ranged and area of effect unit. His top special ability, the Overflow, allows him to simultaneously damage enemies and heal allies in its area of action. 

Every time the Cauldron uses his special abilities, his arcane vital liquid gets slightly drained. To avoid his sudden demise, his passive ability activates whenever an enemy is killed, partially restoring his health.

TURNAROUND

ANAN & BANAN

Anan (the orange little guy), is the swordsman of the group, and Banan, his little brother (and the blue guy), is the tank. Both of them are melee units but with their peculiarities.

Anan's first special ability, the Shadow Step, allows him to dash to a distant location in the blink of an eye; and his second ability, the Winged Dagger, can work as a long distance attack and be pretty useful when used on a line up of enemies.

Banan's first special ability, the Earthrocker, creates an area of damage in the zone where he smashes his mace against the ground. But that does not end there, because due to his naughty personality, sometimes he cannot resist but to mock on the enemies: that is, his Taunt ability, which makes the ones affected aim their attacks exclusively towards Banan.

But, yet again, things do not end there: it is a big brother's duty to protect his siblings. 
Anan & Banan's passive abilities are interconnected so that whenever Banan is harmed, Anan's attack is boosted during a couple of turns, making him lethal to any enemy he finds in his way. And when Anan deals damage to an enemy, Banan gets a part of his health restored.

TURNAROUNDS

The creative process for the enemies was more complicated than with the rest of characters. We needed to stay away from anthropomorphic designs to maintain their Eldritch nature, but at the same time, they needed to be functional, stylized and relatively simple to not stumble with their modelling and rigging. And on top of that, we had limitations regarding time and resources, so we needed to optimize our enemies.

We chose a specific design and split it in three different ones, giving each of them distinctive features depending on the kind of enemy they would be.

VOID RAVAGERS are the melee enemies, having longer and shiny arm tentacles that they use as whips.

ABYSS SPEWERS are the ranged enemies, having a shiny head and being able to spew acid from the distance.

DEEP SCORCHERS are the explosive enemies, having bigger and shinier carapaces that explode when they are close to the player.

Enemies can spawn from the eggs that may be laid across the maps, hatching every two turns unless the player steps on the egg, stopping it temporarily. 

Since the enemies always outnumber the playable characters and can re-spawn in hordes, they are weaker, inflicting less damage and being easier to kill.

TURNAROUNDS

At the beginning of the game, the player has Archivald as their only character, and as they advance throughout the levels, they will encounter his minions, fallen in combat protecting their master. 
By progressing through the game, the player will get closer to the truth of what happened; the why and most importantly, the who behind the abyssal creatures' presence: Alaric, none other than Archivald's brother.

Alaric attempted to murder his brother, killing his minions in the process. In a frenzy of greed, he also made a deal with the abyssal creatures, which soon got out of hand, infesting and tainting  Vathýs Terskel's old glory.
The player's ultimate mission will be to defeat Alaric, stopping the abyssal chaos and finally restoring the peace.

The player starts in wooded area in the outskirts and makes their way towards the fortified city of Vathýs Terskel, getting closer and closer to its heart. Both the Forest and the City Exterior (along with the Tutorial level itself) serve as tutorial levels since the enemy presence is reduced. 

Once in the City Interior, the enemies increase in number, which becomes evident by their trail of destruction.

Deeper into the city, the player would arrive to the Cemetery, an area with a lot of artistic potential due to the aesthetic and style we had chosen. It would also be an area that, along with the Cathedral Exterior, would show the power and havoc these Eldritch creatures can bring, even to the most sacred lands.

Against all odds, we ended up being able to create a level for the Cathedral Interior, which was the ideal setting for the climax and final battle of our game.

GAME ARTISTS

Susana Villar  - Art Producer | Lead Environment Artist | Material Artist | Lead Texturing Artist | VFX Artist  
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Miguel Santos - Lead Character Designer | Animator | Environment Artist 
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Ávaro Rodríguez - Character Designer | Environment Artist | Material Artist | UI Artist
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Pietro Cazzaniga - Lead Animator | Environment Artist | Lighting Artist 
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GAME PROGRAMMERS

Guillermo Hurtado 
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Jokin  Martínez 
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Mikel Etxabe 
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ADITIONAL PROGRAMMERS

Elgar Pagnussatt 
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Iñigo Ojinaga
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MUSIC AND SOUND DESIGN

Pietro Cazzaniga - Composer & Sound Designer
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INSTRUCTORS 

Ignacio Santalla - Main Art Instructor

Gerardo Basabe - Concept Art Instructor

Daniel Andia - Programmer Instructor

SPECIAL THANKS 

Claude Comair - President 

Thank you to the instructors and staff of Digipen Institute of Technology Europe-Bilbao, our families and friends for making this game and experience possible

-Pina Studio