That is not a typo in the title: Abyssus is not steampunk, and it’s not cyberpunk either.

Big Sugar (nomen est omen) seems to see big sugar in DoubleMoose’s game. The studio, based in Sweden, is developing a brinepunk roguelike first-person shooter. The term brinepunk is an original idea: it takes cyberpunk basics but is brought into an underwater setting (hence the word brine). It isn’t a bad idea.

Here is an overview of the game via its Steam page: “As a late 19th Century brinepunk mercenary-for-hire, you are employed to explore the subaquatic ruins of an ancient civilization. However, your mission of discovery turns to one of survival as the underwater kingdom’s corrupted inhabitants make it clear that interlopers are not welcome.

Wield an array of exotic, adaptable weaponry, and fortify yourself with mysterious, enhancing powers as you engage in a seemingly perpetual battle against the watery domain’s ranks of mutated guardians. Abyssus is the latest creation from Swedish developer DoubleMoose, founded by ex-developers from Coffee Stain and Ubisoft.

Use outlandish guns to kill outlandish enemies: equip yourself with human brinepunk firearms or strange, ancient weapons as you prepare to face foes, unlike anything you’ve ever encountered before. Experiment with weapon and character mutations: modify and customize your guns to suit your playstyle, and harness the power of passive and active abilities to give you an edge over enemies. Explore the underwater ruins of an ancient civilization: inspired by the folklore of Atlantis and the designs and architecture of the Aztecs and Incas, the world of Abyssus is richly atmospheric and steeped in mystery,” DoubleMoose wrote.

The studio is so confident in its game (Steam-only for now) that they revealed it more than a year before launching in 2023! That is still a minimum of 1 1/4 years away.

Source: Gematsu