The new Indiana Jones-style game from Devolver Digital is here, but is Phantom Abyss multiplayer or is it a single-player game? The Steam Early Access title launched this week but it’s a little confusing as to what type of game it is — is Phantom Abyss single-player after all? Is it online-only? It’s described as an asynchronous multiplayer title, but what does that mean in gameplay terms? Let’s have a look.
Is Phantom Abyss online multiplayer or a single-player game?
Phantom Abyss is an asynchronous multiplayer title, which in practice means that while the game is technically multiplayer and lots of players are competing for the same relic in the same temple, none of the players seen in the level are live. Phantom Abyss is played single-player, and the ‘ghosts’ represent previous player attempts and are not people currently playing the game. Phantom Abyss is not a Fall Guys-style game where everyone plays at the same time.
The competitive multiplayer aspects come from challenging either friends or other players to recover dropped significant loot, such as keys or relics. The big deal with Phantom Abyss is that the levels are randomized, with the idea that a temple exists until someone claims the relic at its center. Once that relic is recovered, that particular temple is gone forever — so while it is a race against other players, especially if player numbers go up, generally Phantom Abyss is single-player and can be taken at whatever pace the player chooses.
Clearly Devolver Digital hopes to replicate the success of Fall Guys, which continues to go from strength to strength. The launch of Season 4 nearly quadrupled the game’s player count, and it’s now got a range of toys and plushies for die-hard fans. At the very least, Phantom Abyss makes a neat game to play while Bethesda makes the next Indiana Jones game, which is a long way off.
