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The Abyss | |
Authors: |
Mikko Sandt |
Episode: |
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The Snowbase The Revolution (Optional) |
The Abyss is the third mandatory story mission of Episode 1 of the AMC Squad. It is preceeded by Dis Base. Completing it gives the player access to the missions Welcome to Millhaven, The Snowbase and the optional mission The Revolution.
While the mission can be accessed from the world map, completing Dis Base takes you directly to this mission instead of back to the AMC Base.
Mission Summary[]
After narrowly escaping Dis Base, the team appears in a hellish dimension crawling with terrible creatures that appear to be literal demons. They must survive and try to escape.
Plot[]
The AMC Squad navigates the hellish landscape, passing an eerie dark void with enormous skulls looming over them, and a tower built from literal flesh and bone before climbing a dark temple and facing a stygian tower. At the top of this tower resides an entity that appears to be the master of this realm, taunting the squad all throughout the dimension.
They eventually defeat the foul creature, and it's death sends ripples through space and time, causing another portal to open up, which the team hastily enters. Having finally made it back to their own realm, they find themselves on another part of the Ganymede base that luckily wasn't caught in the blast.
James summons the Epion to pick up the team, and they succeed in escaping from Ganymede, but they discover that the creature's death has had consequences. In its final moments, the lumbering creature unleashed an energy wave of some form that caught the attention of cults and fanatics all over the galaxy, and lead to reports of scattered demonic attacks and strange ghostly sightings. Where the paranormal was only a rare sight beforehand, now it has seemingly become commonplace.
Wondering whether their actions may have caused more harm than good, the team sets off on their own individual tasks. Rusty is sent to investigate a town in rural Texas where reports of high cult activity surfaced, while James and Sang investigate a town in the mountains of Providence for similar reasons.
Mikko, Zaxtor and Highwire meanwhile respond to a hostile takeover of one of Sandt Industries' bases by mercenaries, located in Les Laurentides.
Gameplay[]
You'll find your equipment stripped by the portal when you enter, but dotted throughout the level are hellish weapons you can use instead. In addition, a small part of the base on Ganymede made it through the portal as well, giving you access to some conventional weapons as well. Gameplay is similar to Dis Base apart from the usage of new weapons; the floating red brimstone crystals restore your health so keep an eye out for them.
When you reach the top of the tower you'll fight the Abyss Despot - the Stygian Warcannon is the best weapon to use as it deals good damage against the creature. When it's eyes light up it's preparing to fire a homing energy blast that has a large blast radius, so either get far away or take cover behind one of the pillars.
Secrets[]
- On the floating platform with the level's first Blood Staff, look east by southeast to see a floating island with a Platinum Amulet on it. Stand to the left of the torch and walk forward to reveal a path to the amulet island that appears as you approach it.
- After you leave the starting area and arrive at the cathedral, to your left you will find a part of Dis Base floating in the lava. By jumping on the rock there and walking around the platform you are teleported to, you can find a hidden Fire Shield at the other end.
- When you reach the section with the floating platforms and the Skull-Duster weapon, behind the switch at the top of the ascending platforms is an hidden path that reveals itself as you move close - follow this route, and when it stops, jump into the black void to reveal a room with a Platinum Amulet, and Super armour in it.
Evidence/Lore[]
The black stone tablet with an undecipherable, but unmistakably human inscription: behind the gate with two abyssal locks, just before the climb up the mountain with the dark temple.
Other Items of Interest[]
After picking up the two keys and making your way up the mountain, but just before climbing the stairs of the dark temple, make your way around the structure to find 3 far-away platforms located around it. Each one holds a different item; a Stygian warcannon, a megasphere, 2 Gold Amulets and a Fire Shield. You only need to perform a leap of faith to reach them.
Trivia[]
- Quite clearly inspired by Doom, Abyss was mostly made by James with Mikko contributing the end section with the tower and the boss arena. Sangluss originally also contributed a part to the map, but this was eventually cut.
- There was a couple of cutscenes planned for the map, but voice acting was never recorded for it and it would also have broken the flow of the level. The strange black tablet just before the climb to the black building would have been the central topic of this conversation.