Finding a quality first-person shooter with meaningful narrative elements isn’t as easy as it used to be. Most of the genre has shifted toward extraction shooters, multiplayer-focused experiences, or live service titles that demand a long-term commitment. If you’re like me and still chasing games that feel closer to what we grew up on, it can feel like you’re constantly coming up empty. Thankfully, it’s not impossible. I recently got hands-on time with a title called Luna Abyss, and it checks more of those boxes than anything I’ve played in a while.
Scrappy British Development Team
I should probably start with who Kwalee Labs (formerly Bonsai Collective) is, because chances are most people haven’t heard of them yet. The studio is a small team with just under 20 developers, focused on building narrative-driven gaming experiences. That might sound modest on paper, but the talent behind it tells a different story. Several members of the team have worked at well-known studios like Ubisoft, Rare, and Team17, among others. This isn’t just a small team trying something new. It’s a group with real experience behind it.
Now that I’ve hyped up the team, let’s talk about their upcoming game, Luna Abyss. I grew up on deep, narrative-driven titles like BioShock, Titanfall 2, Half-Life, System Shock, Metro, and Dishonored. Those kinds of experiences, where story and gameplay work hand in hand, feel like they’ve become increasingly rare in today’s PC gaming market. So when I first came across Luna Abyss during a previous Steam Next Fest, I was immediately pulled in by what I played. When I later got the opportunity to check out a newer, more fleshed-out build, there was no hesitation on my end.
What is Luna Abyss
In Luna Abyss, you’re thrown into a situation that immediately feels unsettling. Your character, renamed Fawke, is taken from her normal life and sent to an outer space prison colony located on the moon, all because she was born with red eyes, something that clearly carries a deeper meaning. Confused, frustrated, and understandably terrified, she’s forced to come to terms with her new reality while being guided, or perhaps controlled, by a massive talking entity. This being makes it clear, in no uncertain terms, that her previous life is over and that she now belongs to something known as the All Father. Sure, she can be freed, but only after working off a debt of 9,100 days, which comes out to 24 years.
While she’s still trying to process everything that’s happening, she’s suddenly summoned by the All Father and tasked with dealing with something unknown. There isn’t much explanation, and more importantly, there isn’t much choice in the matter. She’s forced to comply, connecting herself to a remote body called a Warden that she’ll control via a remote neural interface. It’s through this process that your journey in Luna Abyss truly begins, shifting from confusion and fear into something far more deliberate and dangerous.
What starts from there is a story of discovery, curiosity, and a driven character who wants to stop whatever it is that’s happening.
Glorious Gameplay
Jumping into the gameplay, it feels like the developers of Luna Abyss grew up playing old-school, narrative-driven FPS games and understand what it takes to make one. Out of the gate, I found myself picking up a weapon and immediately using it to open gates, before coming across a segment of enemies complete with a bizarre creature that makes it very clear you simply aren’t welcomed where you are.
During my time with Luna Abyss, I managed to pick up three weapons. First, an assault rifle that did decent damage, opened certain doors when fired at them, and featured a really cool secondary lock-on mechanic, similar to what you’d find in an action RPG, and incredibly useful when you’re running and dodging enemy fire. Then there was the shotgun, a much stronger weapon introduced right as the game throws color-gated enemies at you wielding blue shields that can only be broken by that specific gun. Fittingly, it’s called the Shield Breaker. Finally, right before a particularly punishing boss encounter, I acquired a high-powered sniper rifle that handles purple-shielded enemies but can also dish out massive damage across the board.
Sounds manageable? It isn’t quite that simple. With the color requirements, blue shields can only go down to one weapon and purple to another, and you can’t swap them out. Combined with a mass of enemies hammering you from all sides, things get very interesting very fast. Frankly, it’s a lot of fun to find yourself in the middle of that ballet of incoming damage.
Speaking of incoming fire, another standout feature is that enemies don’t just throw ordinary projectiles at you. Luna Abyss incorporates bullet hell-style attacks that can be genuinely brutal to navigate, but you have options. You can dash past them, crouch and let them sail overhead, or activate a shield that soaks up some damage before going on a cooldown. It sounds hectic, and it is, but I was grinning the entire time.
Like platforming? There’s plenty of it here. From simple jumps to vertical moving platforms, mid-air hops between surfaces, and a dash mechanic that lets you punch through red barriers. It’s very old-school in the best way. And if you fall, it’s not game over. You lose a bit of health and get placed back on the prior platform, ready to try again.
Of course, there are plenty of challenging enemies, and a boss I won’t name here who will test everything you’ve learned up to that point. I’d actually fought this same boss in a prior Steam Next Fest demo, so I went in overconfident and promptly got humbled.
Accessible to All Skill Levels
If you’re reading this thinking it sounds great but aren’t sure you could keep up, don’t worry. Kwalee Labs has thought of that. There are several difficulty settings, including a story mode where you take no damage at all. It’s a welcome option that lets players focus entirely on the narrative, which is genuinely one of the stronger stories I’ve encountered in a first-person shooter in some time.
The Bottom Line
As a sucker for this type of game, I really cannot wait for the full game to be released. From what I’ve played, it’s clear that Kwalee Labs has built something truly special, and I’m sure that once other players get a chance to play it, they’ll be in agreement. Sadly, there’s no release date for the title, so we’re going to have to wait until the game is finished, and I’m fine with that. Well, not totally, but what choice do I have.
