14 DAY TRIAL // 
A mutated jellyfish appears in the distance, backed by something that looks like a weird puffer fish and an overgrown shark. A speargun takes the first one down, a blinding dart manages to confuse the second one, and a knife takes down about a third of the health of the last enemy. This is just the beginning of a level in Stirring Abyss and I’m not sure my group of three intrepid divers can make it to the end.
The title is a relatively classical take on the turn-based tactics genre created by Sleeping Sentry and published by Slitherine. Players get to use a squad of three to take out enemies, explore locations and solve tactical puzzles while also upgrading a submarine, leveling up their team, and unlocking new combat capabilities.
The story is slight but atmospheric. The U.S.S. Salem submarine has wandered too far down, too close to some eldritch source of power and terror. A small team of surviving crew members, each with their own personality and abilities, slowly try to put the submersible back together while finding out exactly what happened and why. Stirring Abyss’s writing is good, even if there’s not too much of it, and the mystery at the core of the game will keep gamers engaged, eager to try new missions to find out more.
Most of the time players will be on the ocean floor, leading a group of three. There are primary and secondary mission objectives and enemies that need to be avoided or taken out to reach them. Each of the crew members has two action points (unless boosted in specific ways) to be used for movement, attacks, special abilities, eldritch help, and more. An air supply for their diving suits needs to be managed, in addition to personal sanity and health.
The actual missions are well built, making it hard to get all the resources, reach all objectives and make sure that the crew takes as little damage as possible and does not drown (make sure to take one tank with you and always check out vents). One action point allows a diver to move within a range, which means that it is possible to scout a few squares ahead and then move back to prepare for enemy attack.
The undersea enemies range widely in power and abilities but it’s always a bad idea to face them with less than a full group. The combat itself is not very exciting but rewards players who carefully use abilities and prioritize keeping characters healthy over reckless attacks. Stirring Abyss works because of the tension between the instinct to always be prepared and the always dwindling supply of air.
Once a mission is over the team travels back to the sub. Each of its rooms needs to be first pumped of water and can then become a location that offers bonuses or allows certain actions. The most important one is the Officer’s Quarters, which unlocks a clue based tech tree. These, coupled with individual crew member level-ups, make the entire unit better able to survive and take out foes. Other rooms are also important to gain back health and sanity. Make sure to put the sub back together before spending precious scrap metal to craft consumables.
As the game progresses mutations can add an extra dimension (sometimes literally) to characters. Invocation powers can offer extra options during missions, including powerful chain lightning. There’s depth to Stirring Abyss and plenty of options for experimentation. The presentation works well with the mechanics and story, with some deeply crawly designs for enemies. The soundtrack and sound effects do not aim to scare but to convey the anxiety that comes from mixing the ocean depths and eldritch horror.
The Good
- Solid tactics focused mechanics
- Tension between preparedness and speed during missions
- Endless Mode
The Bad
- Some difficulty spikes
- Consumables cost too much
- Limited level-up paths for characters
Conclusion
Yes, there are difficulty spikes, especially the boss battles, that can frustrate. But the tension between preparedness and speed that the mechanics created is something that more modern tactics focused titles should try to replicate.
