Abandoned Archive

Abandoned Archive is a challenging roguelike dungeon crawler praised for its engaging spellcasting mechanics, atmospheric art style, and immersive soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's rewarding difficulty curve, with bosses and enemies requiring skillful dodging and strategic spell upgrades. The game offers a satisfying gameplay loop where players collect and upgrade spells, experiment with builds, and face varied enemy attacks.

While the story is subtle and mostly conveyed through item and spell descriptions, it complements the mysterious and abandoned archive setting. The game is noted for its fair price point and the developer's evident passion. However, some players find the difficulty punishing, especially early bosses, and the lack of meta progression can make repeated runs feel harsh. Minor bugs and UI/UX issues, such as font readability, camera movement, and control mapping, are present but do not heavily detract from the overall experience. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of challenging roguelikes seeking a fresh, atmospheric adventure.

Highlights

Players highly praise the spellcasting system for its variety and meaningful upgrade mechanics, allowing flexible combat styles. The art direction and ambient soundtrack create a compelling, mysterious atmosphere that enhances immersion. Boss fights are challenging yet fair, providing satisfying difficulty spikes. The game's price is considered excellent value, especially given the depth of gameplay and polish. Reviewers also commend the fluid movement and engaging combat loop, with some comparing it favorably to classics like Enter the Gungeon and Dark Souls in terms of challenge and fun.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the steep difficulty curve, particularly the first boss with insufficient attack telegraphs, which frustrates some players. The lack of meta progression or persistent unlocks between runs makes early failures feel punishing. UI issues such as hard-to-read fonts, excessive screen shake, and awkward default control mappings (especially dodge on Steam Deck) reduce accessibility. Some players note minor bugs and visual glitches, occasional inconsistent popups, and a desire for quality-of-life improvements like an overview map, better item drop choices, and spell swapping flexibility. A few mention the game's brightness and glow effects needing adjustment options.