2025 has been a smashing year for smaller releases, and Abyssus is a standout title that simply isn’t getting enough love. The rogue-lite shooter with the backdrop of a sunken civilization is an absolute joy to play thanks to its responsive gunplay and challenging enemy encounters.
It’s clear that the game is being marketed as a co-op shooter, but what about solo play? Here is everything you should know if you are debating whether to pick up Abyssus for a solo journey.
Is Abyssus Worth Playing Solo?
Abyssus might have four players in the key art, but like many rogue-lite titles,the game is fully playable solo. I have been deliberately sticking with solo play only to see if it’s balanced around that, and it’s completely worth playing this way.
Given the pace of the game, intensity of enemy encounters, and mob sizes, it’s easy to be overwhelmed early on and feel like you can’t survive the depths alone, but considering this is a rogue-lite with fairly involved meta-progression for permanent upgrades, you’ll slowly get better each time you explore its sunken world.
The game also has a very smart system for perks, cosmetics, and abilities, where completing specific challenges unlocks new in-game items, so you’re not only rewarded for playing well, but tracking goals as well.
Finally, the developers have confirmed that the game has dynamic difficulty applied based on the party size. It is balanced differently for solo, two, three, or four players, and if a player leaves the session mid-run, the game will dynamically scale down difficulty to compensate.
I’m not saying everyone will feel this way about the solo difficulty, but if you stick with it, try out all the tools at your disposal and maximize movement, then you’re in for a fantastic time.
Abyssus Tips for Solo Play
If you’re struggling as a solo player, I have a few helpful tips to get you started:
Never Stop Moving
Even outside of the meta-progression, your character in Abyssus has a pretty solid base kit with plenty of maneuverability options at your disposal. you may jump, double-jump, and perform a dash in any direction both on the ground and in the air.
Enemies are fast, but they aren’t cheap in my experience. You can get out of the way of most attacks, and trying to avoid getting damaged is a sure way to make a lot of progress.
Liberally Use Your Special
Your special ability, which is a grenade at the start, isn’t limited in quantity and continuously recharges, so you’re encouraged to liberally use it. You do not benefit at all from not constantly lobbing it at enemies, so throw it away.
If you like how it works, you can specialize it as well and choose blessings specifically for it. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to summon tentacles from its blast puddle and throw projecticles at enemies. It’s very fun!
Specialize and Synergize
If you’re new to roguelites, it is recommended to tailor your build around a certain style early on. Consider the blessings you receive early and try to commit to them as much as possible. For example, if your primary attack is getting a buff, try to continue stacking buffs for it and aim for the same category as well, such as flame or freeze.
you’re able to always mix and match, but to maximize damage, you should specialize and look for synergies. For example, if both your primary and special attacks freeze enemies, that is better than having one freeze while the other sets them on fire.
Every game with multiplayer is more fun with friends, yes, but Abyssus offers a very enjoyable solo experience that feels challenging but rarely frustrating. Playing solo doesn’t lock you out of co-op either, so if you just want to have a fun time with friends, it’s a perfectly valid way to continue making some progress.
Ali Hashmi
Ali has been writing about video games for the past six years and is always on the lookout for the next indie game to obsess over and recommend to everyone in sight. When he isn’t spending an unhealthy amount of time in Slay the Spire, he’s probably trying out yet another retro-shooter or playing Dark Souls for the 50th time.
