Duet Night Abyss beta impressions: A few great ideas, shaky foundations

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One of the Upcoming Games, “Duet Night Abyss“, aspires to tread in the footsteps of Genshin Impact towards global acclaim and continuous income streams. Their proposed concept? Genshin Impact and Warframe unite.

As a devoted enthusiast immersed in the ongoing second beta test of DNA, it’s evident to me that the impact of Warframe permeates every aspect. The seamless transition between close-quarters melee and long-range attacks in combat mirrors Warframe’s combat system, while the ability to customize both characters and equipment echoes its distinctive gameplay mechanics.

Different from games such as Genshin Impact or Wuthering Heights, DNA doesn’t require you to alternate between characters during combat. Instead, you directly manage one fighter from your team, with up to two more allies assisting you on the battlefield under artificial intelligence control. This setup resembles Arknights: Endfield, but unlike Endfield, it does not include the character-switching mechanic.

Characters possess a standard collection of fundamental attacks, special abilities, and ultimate moves that can be enhanced through leveling, featuring cool-down systems and a resource known as ‘Sanity’, to prevent excessive use of skills.

Each character within DNA possesses a unique expertise in both close-combat (melee) and long-range (ranged) weaponry, though they can handle all types of weapons. They excel in specific weapon categories, ranging from conventional options like swords, spears, and handguns to more unconventional ones such as whipswords and rocket launchers.

In a manner similar to Warframe, characters and weaponry can be customized extensively using items acquired during missions. This flexibility allows for the enhancement of key statistics on these items, although it may come at the expense of diminishing certain lesser-important traits.

When playing on a PC, switching weapons during battle is quite straightforward: Your left mouse click is for melee attacks, while your right mouse click lets you aim and fire. Admittedly, it requires some practice to get accustomed to, but once mastered, it functions smoothly. The combat, while fast and exciting, could use a bit more impact as the attacks and shots lack a sense of power or weight. However, the various weapon categories offer a good range of playstyles. The characters’ kits also play a significant role in shaping the gameplay experience.

In this game, the shortcoming lies in the DNA’s movement system. Oddly enough, it seems the creators have yet to incorporate a sprinting function, making rapid travel across the map less than ideal. Instead, you must resort to slide-jumping, which, fortunately, is the only movement mechanic that provides an enjoyable experience in this game.

Climbing feels unrefined most of the time, contrary to the significant emphasis on parkour within the title. In comparison to Wuthering Waves, it’s miles behind in terms of execution. Even in combat situations, dodging is so awkward that I’ve found myself leaning heavily on the slide-jump for my evasive maneuvers.

If you choose to model your combat and gear systems after Warframe extensively, it’s crucial that the movement system, which is often considered Warframe’s best feature, is well-executed. Otherwise, any comparisons made are likely to be unfavorable by default.

At present, the game doesn’t seem visually superior to its contemporaries, but considering it’s still in beta, there’s room for improvement post-launch. I’m hesitant to pass final judgment on character designs due to their current state, but the overall presentation is strong with excellent music and good voice acting.

In this game, DNA boasts an impressive array of content options. Beyond the primary and side quests (which I must commend for their engaging and thought-provoking narrative), there’s a plethora of speedrun and shooting challenges to conquer. You can also embark on Geniemon hunts, which not only offer combat abilities but also contribute to your character development. Fishing is another option, as is diving into the roguelike game mode. Lastly, Commissions provide opportunities for farming level-up materials, crafting resources, and equipment modifications.

In this game, there’s a daily energy system: You have to spend Sanergy to collect rewards from Commissions, which can limit your farming and grinding activities. However, playing story missions or additional content doesn’t require Sanergy usage. This mechanic is quite common in gacha games nowadays. Unfortunately, the game’s DNA feature doesn’t hold any excess Sanergy, so if you don’t log in at least twice a day, some of your Sanergy will be wasted. This isn’t a major issue for most players, but min-maxers might find it less than ideal.

In many gacha games, decisions seem inconsequential. However, DNA addresses this concern by keeping track of all your dialogue choices and giving you points in various categories like Empathy, Chaos, or Wisdom based on your answers. Some missions incorporate dice rolls similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, where these accumulated values play a part. For instance, if you’ve often selected Wisdom responses before, you receive a higher bonus during your Wisdom dice roll. This feature adds significance to dialog choices and even impacts your connections with the characters, as they each have unique preferences and personalities.

Initially appearing as an open-world game, DNA in reality operates on an instance-based system where the world is divided into multiple smaller sections. However, the downside is that the transition times between these sections, including even small structures like houses, are currently quite lengthy, which can be rather annoying.

If Pan Studio manages to address the core problems, particularly those concerning the movement system within DNA, it significantly increases their chances of thriving in the competitive market for gacha games.

The impressions described in this article are based on the PC build of the game.

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2025-06-18 13:16