The clock is the water.
Every deck floods on its own clock, a minute and a half or two. When it runs out, the sea is over your head.
Out now · Free · Windows too
ABYSS
The Last Night of the Titania
Nine decks. One way up. The Captain behind you.
Escape a sinking liner: nine flooding decks, a monster on every one, and the Captain behind you all the way up.
The game
What ABYSS is
You wake up in Cabin 47. The ship is going down in the worst water on earth, and the boat deck is nine decks above you.
Every deck between is a maze, and every one of them is flooding. Every one has its own thing waiting in it, each worse than the one below, and on the Grand Staircase, the Captain, who does not let anyone leave his ship.
Three lives. Lose the third, and you wake up in Cabin 47 again.
What makes it scary
You are not alone down there.
A monster on every deck.
The Steward, the Crawler, the Stoker, the Runner, the Butcher, the Maître d’, the Bride, the Thing on the Ceiling. Each one worse than the one below.
He follows you up.
The Captain watches from the end of a passage, hunts you round the Grand Staircase, and on the boat deck he comes out behind you.
Don’t look away.
The Maître d’ in the dining saloon only moves while you are not watching him.
Some of the signs lie.
Stairs that stop halfway, signs that point the wrong way, and a map that never shows what is down there with you.
Three lives.
Caught, drowned or out of time, one goes out. Lose the third and you wake up in Cabin 47 again, with all nine decks still above you.
G deck · a passage
Keep your light on him.
The game’s title screen, as it was on the old front page: the Captain at the far end of a passage. Point at him and he stays put. Look away and the lamps stutter, and when they come back he is closer.
The way up
Nine decks. One way up.
Each deck floods on its own clock. Each has its own way up, and its own thing waiting on it. Pick a deck.
- Way up
- Waiting
- Water
What’s down there
One on every deck.
Each one worse than the one below. Every one of them gives you a moment when it notices you. That is your moment to turn and run.
Deck 8 · The Grand Staircase
The Captain
The master of the ship, and of everything on it. He gets closer every time you see him:
- He watches you from the end of a passage, in the stokehold and the galley.
- He hunts you round the Grand Staircase, a bell tolling closer.
- On the boat deck he comes out behind you, and he is not walking any more.
Deck 1 · G deck
The Steward
Still doing his rounds. Slow, but he holds on, and he holds you under. Shove him off.
Deck 2 · The hold
The Crawler
On all fours, in bursts. It goes for your legs, and it is waiting under the ladder.
Deck 3 · Boiler Room 6
The Stoker
The fires are still lit. He never stops once he has seen you.
Deck 4 · Scotland Road
The Runner
At the far end of the longest passage on the ship. Once it sees you, it is faster than you walk.
Deck 5 · The galley
The Butcher
The galley is still serving. The cleaver comes down once.
Deck 6 · The dining saloon
The Maître d’
He only moves while you are not looking at him. Don’t look away.
Deck 7 · First class
The Bride
The first time, she goes straight through you. After that, she comes for you.
Deck 9 · The promenade
The Thing on the Ceiling
Flat against the deckhead, face down. It drops once you have passed, then goes back up, ahead of you.
How to get off her alive
The rules of the ship.
- The clock is the water.Every deck floods on its own clock. When it runs out, the sea is over your head.
- Find the way up.Stairs, a spiral, a ladder, a lift, the Grand Staircase: walk into them and they take you. Some stairs stop halfway. Higher up, some of the signs lie.
- Watch for the moment.Everything down there hesitates when it notices you. That is your moment to turn and run.
- Tear yourself free.The Steward and the Crawler grab you: shove them off (F, right click, B on a controller, or SHOVE) and run while they get up. The others don’t let go.
- Don’t look away.The Maître d’ in the dining saloon only moves while you are not watching him.
- Use the map, or don’t.The porthole in the corner shows the deck around you and the way up. It never shows what is down there with you. M (or Y on a controller) turns it off.
- Reach the panel.On the boat deck, get to the stern before she goes down, with the Captain behind you.
- Three lives.The flames under the clock. Caught, drowned or out of time, one goes out and you are back at the foot of that deck. Lose the third and you wake up in Cabin 47 again, with all nine decks still above you.
Trailers · sound on
Lights off. Sound on.
Nine decks. From Cabin 47 to the boat deck, one deck at a time.
Play ABYSS freeGameplay · filmed in the game
Below decks.
Point at a clip to play it (on a phone, they play as you scroll); open one to see it big.
How to play ABYSS
How to get off her alive.
- Get out of Cabin 47. Open the door (E). From then on the deck floods on its own clock.
- Find the way up. Stairs, a ladder, a lift: walk into them and they take you. The porthole map shows the way.
- Run when it hesitates. Everything down there pauses when it notices you. That is your moment.
- Reach the panel. Nine decks up, on the boat deck, with the Captain behind you. Then hold on.
- WASDMove or the arrow keys
- MouseLook click the game first
- ShiftRun or Q · it costs breath
- EOpen the door · take the panel or left click · ladders and the lift take you when you walk into them
- FShove something off you or right click
- MMap on or off or Tab
- SpaceHold on the boat deck, the water
- CBrace the boat deck
- EscPause and settings
- Left stickMove click it to run
- Right stickLook
- RTR2Run
- A✕Use
- B○Shove something off you or RB / R1
- Y△Map on or off
- LBL1Hold on or X / □
- LTL2Brace
- MenuOptionsPause
- Xbox names first, then PlayStation. Plug it in (USB or Bluetooth) and press any button.
- Your left thumb moves you; your right thumb looks.
- RUN (SWIM in the water), SHOVE, HOLD ON and BRACE come up when you need them, with a button for what is in front of you. ✕ pauses; ⛶ goes full screen.
- Upright or sideways.
Tips
- The clock at the top is the water. Every deck has its own.
- Some stairs stop halfway. Higher up, some of the signs lie.
- The porthole map never shows what is down there with you.
- Running costs breath. Out of breath in the water: hang on and rest.
- Plug in an Xbox or PlayStation controller and press any button: it names the right buttons and shakes when something gets you.
Questions
Before you go in.
Can I play it on my phone?
Yes, upright or sideways, in your browser.
Does it work with a controller?
Yes: Xbox and PlayStation controllers, by USB or Bluetooth. Press any button and the game switches over.
Is there a Windows version?
Yes: a free download on itch.io, as an installer or a portable copy. F11 goes full screen.
Do I need a microphone?
No.
How long is it?
Nine decks, each flooding on its own clock of a minute and a half or two. A clean run is quick; most first nights take a few tries.
What happens when I die?
You have three lives. Caught, drowned or out of time, one goes out and you’re back at the foot of that deck. Lose the third and you wake up in Cabin 47 again.
Is it free?
Yes. Free in your browser, and free on Windows.
Credits
The trailers and gameplay are filmed in the game itself.
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