We played Abathor (Xbox Series X/S)

Spanish Conan the Barbarian

A very interesting game comes to us from Spain by the development studio Pow Pixel Games and publisher Jandusoft S.L.

The game was released on July 25, 2024, on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5 Cross-buy, Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S also Cross-buy, and on Nintendo Switch.

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The writing of this article was greatly aided by the detailed description sent to us by the developer David Garay, who conveyed how he always aspired to create the game he wanted to play but could never find anything similar. Driven by that desire and will, I dare say he surpassed himself. David is a software developer who has not only written code but has also worked on everything, including drawing, writing, and composing music. As he grew up, he mentions that significant consoles that influenced his path were the ZX Spectrum, NES, SNES, and later PSX. However, the story changes significantly as in 1995 he finally owned a PC, which opened the doors to future development for him. In 2009, he worked in a team of 13 people, one of whom was a former Nintendo developer. He tried all 2D and 3D games and realized that something was still missing, a game that would truly describe him as a person. He set himself the goal of combining his three main passions:

-a rich mythological setting of the Dungeon & Dragons campaign

-his favorite cinematography Conan the Barbarian (1982)

-the works of Lovecraft and Howard, as well as Plato's original texts on Atlantis

The game is credited to the Garay brothers, David and Havier.

Great job, guys!

The Soul of Abathor

This is how Abathor was born. It was a world where Atlantis and its mythology intertwined with charismatic characters. The ancient barbarian Crantor (literally Conan), the valkyrie Sais, the ninja warrior Kritias who was a blend of Subotai and Ryu Hayabusa, and the albino martyr Azaes in the style of Elric—channeling the spirit of Alucard, Sephiroth, or the tragic heroes of Dark Souls.

As for gameplay, Abathor draws inspiration from Rastan, Black Tiger, Cadash, Castlevania, and ActRaiser with references to Zelda 2 and Wonder Boy.

The structure of the game is truly classic, featuring a world map, a tile-based saving system, and exploration reminiscent of Super Mario World.

An important note is that the soundtracks of Abathor were created by a truly top-tier team:

-Soyo Oka (composer of Super Mario Kart)

-Gryzor87 (Maldita Castilla) whose palette ranges from orchestral to tribal in inspiration Basila Poledourisa.

-Martin Tello, adaptive music used with vertical remixes and procedural composition techniques

-Sebastien Gulluni, a true connoisseur of the golden age of arcade games.

Abathor

Abathor is a 2D arcade-action hack & slash platformer for up to 4 players. We are the last hope for the salvation of Atlantis, encountering numerous enemies and challenges. A true delight with beautiful pixel art and epic music.

Our battle progresses through over 50 levels with a gradual increase in the game's difficulty and incredible Boss battles.

Although the game is designed for up to 4 players, it can also be played in single-player mode, however, throughout the game, you feel a gradual increase in difficulty, which is great otherwise the game could become too easy and ultimately monotonous. Here we actually see that we miss another player or players because it is far more fun to play in company while coordinating tactics to defeat the boss together.

Pixel art visuals

The graphics in the game are something beautiful, literally everything that can be used has been utilized to make the game a true feast for the eyes… Beautiful backgrounds, flying on a majestic bird that looks stunning, and it’s surprising how the animation of the feathers further brings the pixel art to life. The first battle with the Kraken, etc.

You find yourself in a cave with a large void, the ground begins to tremble, the image on the screen gives us a slight shake, we realize that these are footsteps and suddenly a huge silhouette appears in the middle of the screen. It was a boss battle with a gigantic Cyclops. A true experience!

A significant influence on the game definitely comes from the beautiful art and excellent music, i.e., soundtracks that elevate the game to a new higher level.

Gameplay

There are a total of 10 main levels in the normal difficulty of the game, each with a different number of sub-levels, for example, the first level contained 5 sub-levels. In the end, we have around 50 levels in total plus some bonus levels that I have if we replay the game on bravery difficulty to test the true experience we have gained. At first, it doesn't seem like many levels, although some levels take longer than others.

In the game, we collect tokens or Oracalcum, which is a unique material that is actually the currency we gather by opening chests and defeating enemies. At a certain point in the level, we encounter a vendor where we can buy various upgrades or items such as Critical Hit chance, increased weapon damage, tokens, or health potions.

Note that if we go back to the main menu, you will literally experience what you could experience in an old-school arcade, losing everything you bought, you don't lose progress in the game but you end up with empty pockets ;)

Each purchase relates to each character individually, so it's not the same for everyone, which adds a certain charm to the game, which is actually fine!

When you finish each stage, you receive a bonus for the number of enemies killed.

Combat

The combat in the game is really good although there are no downward or upward jump attacks while some enemies can, so it's good to plan your moves and which character with which abilities to use better in advance.

Below the Health bar, we also have a Stamina bar that, when emptied and refilled, indicates that it is full by making the character flash briefly. This way, we know when dodge or attack is available again.

We have basic attacks: Basic Attack, Jump, Dodge, Crouch, and Special attack, as well as some abilities. The Special attack of our Conan was something like a Charge attack.

Each character you could choose had some uniqueness in their attacks and abilities, but for some, this meant a plus and for others a minus… Some had a greater jump capability than others, some also had different dash distances and speeds.

The game from the very beginning does not provide a specific experience, it gives the impression of monotony that at first seems like it could go on like this, but after 2 or 3 levels, you already feel that it is something different, something that changes and the difficulty gradually increases. That’s why it’s very important to level up your character, buy special items for them because it will greatly help you in further battles, especially if you are playing alone.

Overall Impression

If you have a good team of old retro gamers, this is a great game that will keep you engaged and entertained for hours because everything is really more interesting and better in company. This is where the game truly shines and exudes old retro arcade vibes.

We believe that the game would entertain everyone, and that's why I would recommend everyone to give it at least a chance because you will really immerse yourself in the game, and the pixel art will become more and more realistic over a short period of time. The game truly sparked our imagination and took us back to the era of mythology and Atlantis, especially our first protagonist Crantor, who was a true Conan.

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