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Genre/Control

Specific tags for the title's features

Ranking

Similarity & Review

Review

Multiple Sources

Similarity

Compared to VS. Not a review!

Similarity Scale

Percentage of possible points earned scored -1 to 1 in tenths in 60 categories

Genre Controls Modes Progress Builds Stages Content Aesthetic Vibe
[edit]

Return to Abyss

DLC Released

Underworldly anime styled mowing game with some cute character designs. I like the vibe and gameplay a fair amount so far but localization isn't quite there yet, with some text layout bugs and confusing explanations. You can save game mid run to quit out, which I appreciate as a steam deck player. Overall I'm hoping to come back to this one later and find it a bit easier to navigate. It's certainly very similar to Vampire Survivors (except for the hub world) but it may not be the most notable survivors-like on the list, currently with about a 7.5 on the review.

Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]

Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Hack and Slash Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
8.3 Combined Ranking Score
15/72 Ranking Position
1472/1600 Total Points
7.4 Final Review
80% Steam
7.1 Scale
7.0 Vibes
811 Steam Reviews
321/400 Review Points
9.2 Similarity Score
96% Diagnosis:
Similar
1151/1200 Comparison Points
100% Genre 8/8 genre
94% Simple Controls 6.2/7 move
100% Survival Modes 4/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build
98% Stage Features 6.7/7 stage
97% Content Breadth 8.5/9 stuff
83% Aesthetics 3.9/6 style
93% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.6/10 vibe vibe

Return to Abyss Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 3.4

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/16/2023

Underworldly anime styled survivors-like staring cute gals sweeping up baddies and operating out of a cafe hub world. First impressions are generally positive!

Enemies feel slow and awkward at first, because the less lofi art style kind of exposes that mechanic in the early game (some games do some great work to make the slower movement feel more natural, but I can accept it as a quirk.) It's not quite as bad as it is in some of the 3D titles and some characters like the bats feel animated quite nicely even while slowly drifting in. It's not something I spent too long worrying about as they can quickly overwhelm you. Map obstacles like lava on the ground add another level of complexity to dodging enemies.

You can save the game on quit which is pretty useful. There is a dash unlocked via in run ability selection (so possible to go without seeing at times). Sound effects are a little crunchy. There's a store in Endless Mode.

The translation issues were kind of persistent through the game, often confusing me as to basic mechanics. I think most of the meta upgrades are actually fairly typical of the genre, so the stumbling wasn't too bad, but when it came to the weapon related menus I admit I'm still not entirely sure what the options mean. I wish "drinks" (crafted difficulty modifiers) didn't limit other achievements and could be saved for later if the particular mix of positive and negative changes doesn't appeal for the next session.

I got the DLC for it, not really sure why honestly. I don't feel upset about it but it does feel a little silly in retrospect with a genre that's mostly about unlocking stuff in terms of giving you a reason for another run. Generally all the paid DLC and cosmetics and stuff is what has turned people off from other popular genres and lead them here - but it's worth noting that Vampire Survivors also has DLC now!

One reviewer seemed confused they couldn't "get the nsfw scenes" but I don't think there are supposed to be any haha. I didn't get the impression it's particularly horny. I like the art style but can't help wishing it was a pixel style or at least closer to the cut scene style in game. I hope it gets better localization and more descriptive stats, I'll be checking in to play more.

Free on Android, but with gacha transactions.

Return to Abyss Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

Measured in 60 categories via likert-scale style options -1 to 1 in tenths, how does this game compare to Vampire Survivors. This allows 1200 total "points". It's easier to have a point of comparison and we just picked Vampire Survivors since it's the most popular and commonly referenced game in the subgenre. For detailed methodology read the explainer. For in depth examples at score value, see the scoring guide and for term definitions see the key.

9.2 Similarity Score
96% Diagnosis:
1151/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 1/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 1/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 1/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 1/1
Move Only 1/1
No Dash 0.2/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming 1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
1/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map 1/1
BIG Maps 1/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0.7/1
Enemy Variety 1/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 0.5/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art -0.1/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.5/1
Bumpin Music 0.9/1
Fun Writing 0.8/1
Subtle Humor 0.8/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 1/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.8/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 0.6/1
Technical Check 0.8/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 0.8/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Return to Abyss Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

The review scale is judged from -1 to 1 in 10 categories, with 200 possible "points" earned. Steam review positive percentage is worth another 100 points, and a "ten point" pure vibe review number adds extra subjectivity. Converted into points, that's 400 points total. The points aren't used directly in the ranking, though, which averages the three number scores for the final review score listed in the game line above.

7.4 Final Review
80% Positive Steam Reviews
811 Steam Reviews
7.0 Pure Vibes
7.1 Review Scale
321/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 0.9/1
Not Janky 0.7/1
Good UI 0.2/1
Controller and Deck 0.8/1
Lots of Content 0.8/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.7/1
Fun Feel 0.9/1
Unique Twists 0.2/1
Vibe Check 0.9/1

Return to Abyss Tag Cloud

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More sortable taxonomies and categories associated with the game (genre tags are available in the main game table line!) We've just started adding tags to enable more sorting options, this section will get more filled out as we go!

Release Tags

AndroidSteam DeckWindows PCDLCReleased

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHack and SlashHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCartoonCute

Setting / Story Tags

FantasyHorror ThemedUnderworld

Control Styles

Auto-AimAuto-FireController

Game Mode Tags

Unknown15m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Joychasing Games

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: No
  • Online: No
  • Player Count: 1
  • Leaderboards: ?

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 48
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: No
  • DLC Available: Yes
  • Soundtrack Available: No

Marketing Blurb

 - +

Some description of the game and its features from the creators.

"Return to Abyss is a mowing survival game with Rogue-Lite elements, upgrade your weapons and use your fighting skills to fight through over 10,000 monsters on screen until defeat the culprit who brought chaos!"

"In the abyss, you will face thousands of abominable monsters simultaneously, and they are endless and seemingly endless! There is no need to be afraid, although there is no way to retreat, the artifact in your hand is powerful, and the bullet command room can annihilate a large number of enemies."

"12 basic weapons that can evolve into 72 different artifacts. 25 weapon accessories to choose from. 10 unique props that can be deployed to the battlefield via airdrop boxes. 15 Special Drinks That Change the Rules. 23 upgradeable items."

More info and fan reviews on steam

Control Style Notes

 - +

It can often be played like a single stick shooter, but abilities enable a dash (and possibly other buttons later on? I didn't notice the dash at first.)

Many of the abilities are melee range so it makes sense that they advertise this as a Mowing Game - it forces you to move in different styles depending on your weapon.

Automated Features

Auto-Fire
Auto-Aim

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Full
  • Controller Move Only: No
  • Controller One Handed: ?
  • Mouse Only: ?
  • Keyboard Only: ?
  • Keyboard One Handed: ?

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 15m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

Thanks for visiting The Monstergirl Scale!

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I hope The Monstergirl Scale for Ranking Vampire Survivors Similarity has been useful for you! I spent a positively silly amount of time developing the scale, surveys and websites to collect the data. While it's a personal project, it's also ideally a public resource so I've kept detailed update notes and a discord work journal. There's also a public to-do list open for comment. Hover over any randomly placed sprite to see the source game and click them to be taken to the database entry! Big thanks especially to all the devs who sent in assets and helped, above and beyond just the surveys.

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