From the makers of Demon Gaze comes Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy, another Wizardry-inspired dungeon crawler for the PlayStation Vita. Unlike its predecessor, Operation Abyss is set in modern times and has a science fiction aesthetic with some horror elements.

In the near future, there are a lot of missing persons cases springing up in Tokyo, and it's up to the Code Physics Agency to figure out what's going on. The CPA is a government organization specializing in combating “Variants,” genetically-modified monsters that have sprung up all around Tokyo, and investigating zones with portals leading into an unknown dimension called the Abyss. You are an unnamed teen found in a den of Variants and are about to be another statistic until you're rescued by the Xth Squad, a special group of teens working for the CPA who you'll eventually be joining up with because that's basically how video games work.

Gameplay is similar to Demon Gaze—you create a party of characters with a wide range of choices such as name, gender, character graphic class and personality. This can be achieved with preset characters and custom-made characters. For beginners, the game recommends using a preset squad built with optimized stats, although if you're not satisfied, you can always “enlist” more characters that are more to your liking as well as reprogram existing characters' personalities through “therapy.”

After you assemble your squad, you'll take on missions from the CPA and explore various areas of the city for Variants. Each dungeon you visit is a labyrinth you must traverse. The labyrinths are typical Wizardry fare, with fixed grid-like movement, random monster encounters and lots and lots of traps. Thankfully there is an automap feature so getting lost shouldn't be an issue. However, you can't save inside dungeons unless you carry a specific item, and some of the treasures are rigged with traps that can be disarmed. Failure to disarm a trap will cause detriments to your squad, like shock, poisoning or fear. It's always a good idea to get back to CPA headquarters whenever things are getting dire to heal up and save before going into further uncharted territory.

There are some issues I have with Operation Abyss. Like with Demon Gaze, the progression is reeeeaaaalllly slow. Unlike Demon Gaze, however, there isn't a difficulty spike early in the game, so the leveling is a lot more reasonable. What isn't reasonable is that the level cap that is enforced; once you've capped at a certain point, you'll have to advance further into the game plot-wise, so there's no power-leveling to coast through the game. Blood Codes and squad unity regarding Codes are also something casual players most likely won't keep track of. Just rushing in to fight won't do you good, so optimizing your squad with the right skills is important if you wanna survive in later outings. (Who says teamwork is overrated?) 

And with lots of traps trying to mess with you, it's good to stock up on curative goods and to enlist an Academic into your squad, who can disarm traps better than anyone else. The graphics are neat, although they're nothing too special, and there is some disturbing imagery, so it's not a good idea to play it if you're squeamish. But if you're a really patient gamer with a a high tolerance for customization and dungeon crawling then you'll probably like Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy. 

Hint: Don't forget to rest up in the medical lab after each mission. Failure to do so won't allow you to level up!

by Ray n.