Duet Night Abyss is a game that took me by surprise. When it was first unveiled almost a year ago, in 2024, I was left unimpressed. While the gameplay felt something new compared to how the traditional gacha games are made these days, I thought that it would be another generic title with an anime aesthetic that is common in this genre.
However, after playing the CBT 2 for more than 20 hours, I found myself wanting more. There are a few things that make this game special, some things that the genre has been missing. Duet Night Abyss might be the next big evolution of gacha games and how developers approach the genre. Here is how DNA can become the next big thing in the market.
Duet Night Abyss made a strong first impression, with room to grow
A solid plot
Duet Night Abyss’s plot is extremely different from most gacha games out there. I have to give kudos to what the developers are envisioning here. Unlike most other games, where your main character remains the same and you just choose the gender, Duet Night Abyss decides to tell two separate storylines in the form of two protagonists.
When the game starts, you will be able to select any one of the protagonist and experience their storyline, and after a certain mission, the point of view will shift to the other main character. I won’t dive into any spoilers, but let’s just say, narratively, Duet Night Abyss’s story does not hold your hand when it comes to diving into deeper themes.
Most other gacha games will make the story mostly about the main character themselves, where the most focus is given to you as a player, and you won’t be treated negatively by the playable characters. This is not the case for Duet Night Abyss, as you will find that certain characters are outright hostile towards you when playing the female protagonist campaign, due to her race.
The developers are also not afraid of diving into themes of racism, serfdom, and other dark themes that other games in the genre rarely decide to explore. I also love the fact that the game has a villainous faction with playable characters.
Unlike other games, where you will find that the antagonistic characters are given redemption before they become playable, Duet Night Abyss tries something new, which I really loved.
Deep thought-provoking story, deeper RPG mechanics
The gacha space of video games generally does not offer any proper role-play elements. Most of the dialog choices that the mainstream titles, such as Genshin Impact or Wuthering Waves, bring are extremely shallow, and I often felt like they do not need to exist. Those are just some options that give you an illusion of you affecting the story.
Duet Night takes a different approach when it comes to this. Your choice determines your alignment on a Personality Meter. You can be selfish, selfless, wise, etc., all based on how you react to the world around you. Although some of these are quite base level, I can appreciate the vision that the developers have for the game.
Over the years, RPGs have become quite mainstream and casual in my opinion. I miss the old days of Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect, where your choice actually had consequences and not some shallow two-line dialogue. The last time I had a grand time with an RPG where I felt like my choices mattered was Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3.
Your dialog and decisions actually have a sway in the world and how certain characters might treat you. I remember doing a side quest where the dilemma came to revealing the truth that might hurt both parties involved, or simply leave it as it is. I chose the latter, and honestly, the quest concluded with both parties going home happy.
What I am trying to say is that the developers put some thought into where you can influence part of the world, which fits in quite well with the theme of the game. Some decisions also act as a morality system, where your decision can increase certain morality points, and all of them come with their own benefits.
To see that a relatively new studio offers an RPG mechanic (albeit on a base level) in a gacha game was a breath of fresh air, and I honestly can appreciate the developers’ love for the role-playing genre to go out of their way and include a mechanic where your choice actually matters.
Interactive minigames
Duet Night Abyss does things a bit differently when it comes to puzzles and minigames. While the game features your typical run-of-the-mill puzzles that you need to solve, two of the most interesting mini-games that I was able to experience were a Detective-like system that allows you to mix and match clues, and a dice-like check mechanic that you can find in DnD.
The dice minigame was extremely fun and reminded me why I love Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 so much. The developers didn’t need to include this, but they did, paying homage to DnD, the godfather of RPGs in my opinion, and adding in a fun mechanic for players to engage in.
Combat: Warframe meets Anime
The combat of Duet Night Abyss is easily one of the best parts about the game. You get a mix of hack-and-slash combat with shooter mechanics, where you are given a ton of movement abilities to move easily throughout the dungeons while mowing down waves of enemies.
Melee weapons range from katana to sword to axe and a lot more, but I am honestly impressed with the amount of ranged weapons this game has. You get access to anything from rifles to revolvers, grenade launchers, pistols, and even a flamethrower.
Movement in this game is extremely similar to that of Warframe, as you can slide, jump, and climb buildings and the environment with ease. One slight addition that I will really love is the addition of a sprint button that will allow you to move more efficiently.
Design and aesthetics
Duet Night Abyss really establishes itself as one of the most unique-looking gacha games. While it follows the anime cel-shaded art style, which has become synonymous with the genre, it takes the environment design in a new direction, which, while feeling familiar, will still give you a sense of wonder.
The game weaves a high fantasy aesthetic and European architecture, with a tinge of Steampunk thrown into it, making it feel quite unique. Duet Night Abyss’s character designs also follow this same route.
You will find that each character is designed in such a way that it will give away a taste of their personality. The same goes for gameplay as well, as you have a ton of variety on how each character plays. My favorite characters to play in the beta were Sybille and Psychie.
Duet Night Abyss’s approach to art design is extremely unique and gives the world of Atlasia a refined touch. You know, I will be very honest with you. Duet Night Abyss’s environment design can certainly feel like it is something straight out of the Final Fantasy series and not that of a typical gacha game.
I am honestly waiting for the developers to introduce more areas so that we can see how creative they can get with the style of Duet Night Abyss.
Generous gacha system
When you hear that a game has gacha mechanics in it, it can certainly not inspire confidence at times. We have come a long way from having atrocious rates to having hard and soft pity and a 50/50 system over the years. HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact was certainly one of the most revolutionary titles when it comes to fixing many of the problems of this genre.
But the game still suffers from predatory tactics and banner systems that can leave you hanging dry, and even tempt you to spend the sweet cash in your bank to get a character or weapon you really like. Duet Night Abyss does a fantastic thing when it comes to the gacha.
The game has a first-time 100 percent rate-up system: You can pull the first copy of a limited character without the fear of losing the 50/50 coin toss. I cannot be grateful enough for implementing this change, as some of us simply do not have the time to grind every aspect of these games, or choose to stay F2P. The rates are also very generous from my experience, and it comes with soft pity.
Your characters are also not locked to any particular types of weapon, leading to you being able to use one 5-star weapon on multiple characters. Although only some of them will be able to fully utilize the efficiency of the weapon, it is still a great change to the overtly predatory weapon banner system that you see in these games.
From what I have experienced, Duet Night Abyss is also quite generous when it comes to the rewards. I was able to collect quite a lot of gems in my playtime, but honestly, whether it will be the case after launch is something that remains to be seen.
No RNG artifact grind
Besides implementing a really good change in its gacha system for free-to-play players, Duet Night Abyss has another card in its pocket. You do not have to grind for any RNG-based artifacts in this game, which already makes it a top choice for me.
Instead of artifacts, you rely on a type of item called Demon Wedges. These are your basic gear that you can improve, and will give you various passive buffs to make your character stronger. Character building is also interesting, as certain Demon Wedges allow you to alternate how the character works.
Duet Night Abyss ensures that your buildcrafting is not reliant on thousands of hours of farming one perfect artifact or relic with Crits, only for you to level it up and see that all its rolls are DEF%. I honestly hope this might become the industry standard going forward, as grinding for gear in gacha games is my least favorite thing to do.
Some concerns
Duet Night Abyss’s story and gameplay mechanics are good and will become even better. The aesthetics were also pretty neat for me, as I love 1800s European architecture and Fantasy settings. But what I am really worried about is how the game will run on a phone.
Let’s be honest, gacha games are made keeping both phone and PC users in mind. The game felt extremely rough on my rig, which, while not a top-of-the-line machine, is still powerful enough and can handle better-looking games. Duet Night Abyss’s CBT2 did stutter quite a lot, with occasional freezes, but thankfully no crashes.
I think the developers do need to fix these issues before releasing the game, as it can definitely leave the players with a bad taste in their mouths.
Another problem, which I believe will cause solo players a ton of frustrations is how time-consuming the material grind can feel. See, I can get behind a long raid session or a dungeon hunt, but when it comes to the daily activities, such as clearing domains to spend your stamina, it should not take more than a few minutes.
Due to its co-op-centric nature, these domains are aimed to be challenged with a party of three players. It is time-consuming, as you need to mow down waves of enemies till the timer ends, and it is not a fun experience for solo players. A bit of balancing will certainly fix the issue.
Closing thoughts
I cannot seem to recall the last time I had so much fun in a gacha game. Duet Night Abyss’s CBT 2 left me quite impressed by how much this title had to offer, and despite a few rough patches, it is ultimately one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had.
I can only wish that I could have experienced it more, but it is what it is, and my time with Duet Night Abyss was quite memorable. The game has solid foundations, and PAN STUDIOS only needs to improve them a little bit before it is ultimately ready for release.
Is it the perfect gacha game that fixes all of the problems with the genre? Not really. Duet Night Abyss has grind, and honestly, I think that completing a dungeon solo is extremely time-consuming. But it is a step in the right direction that will revolutionize the genre. This is one of the games that I will be waiting for, and I cannot wait for the release date to come this year, hopefully.
I have only scratched the surface of what Duet Night Abyss offers, and honestly, it has already become a long read. One thing I can say for sure is that the developers have earned my trust, and as someone who has been playing gacha games for well over half a decade, I can say with confidence that you should give Duet Night Abyss a try when it releases.
My main concern regarding the game is still the performance, as given it struggled on my PC, I can only think of how bad the experience would be for mobile players. With a bit more time and effort, DNA might become the new golden standard for gacha games, and hopefully, I will be able to return to the world of Atlasia this year itself.
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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan
