Duet Night Abyss Review & Critique (TLDR its Great)


I was hyper lucky and got to play Duet Night Abyss's CBT 2 (and CBT 1 but I didn't make a Review for that (I know I'm super late with this Review but I've been so busy weightlifting and swimming every day so I am sorry for the delay! (**NOTE**: I originally posted this on r/gachagaming but it was Removed because Duet Night Abyss is not technicallyyyyy a Gacha anymore!!!!!!!)); I’ve posted Reviews before for[ Infinity Nikki CBT 1,](https://www.reddit.com/r/gachagaming/comments/1e1tlqy/infinity_nikki_cbt_1_review_critique/) [Wuthering Waves CBT 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/WutheringWaves/comments/13nel07/wuthering_waves_cbt1_critique_feedback_tldr_its/) and [HSR CBT 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/HonkaiStarRail/comments/12lehr8/honkai_star_rail_critique_tldr_its_pretty_great/)\---So I figured it would be fun to share my personal thoughts and experiences and critiques! :D

......OK let's just get right into, **Duet Night Abyss is Amazing. That's it. Review done.**

(jk)

Here’s a Video in case your not familiar with Duet Night Abyss (DNA): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q9rT3-IURs&ab\_channel=DuetNightAbyss](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q9rT3-IURs&ab_channel=DuetNightAbyss)

And Another: [youtube.com/watch?v=X3sCWQTgoZ0](http://youtube.com/watch?v=X3sCWQTgoZ0)

**Note**: I didn’t do every single thing in the game--I finished the Main Story (which I feel is the Most Important Thing) and did a bunch of Side Quests / the Endgame Mode / Explored / etc. ALSO! The Devs have said that they are still adding things and making changes, so this Review is based solely off my CBT 2 Experience----clearly, a lot has changed since then (I mean, there’s no more Gacha now! Wow!!!). Also also--while DNA might not like technically kinda be a Gacha anymore (though technically they never said they wouldn't have Gacha for the Skins / Cosmetics....), it was Gacha for 90% of it's Development so I still think it’s like Gacha-adjacent. Culturally Gacha? Hence why I tried to post this originally on r/gachagaming before it was ultimately Removed :I


**\~Premise\~:** You and your childhood friend Berenica are living in a village on Purgatorio Island but then it gets attacked by Filthoids--dangerous monsters. You and Berenica attempt to flee the island, but there are no boats left........and then the Hyperborean Empire's 13th Legion arrives, intent on capturing You and Berenica...........................I won't reveal anymore! The story starts off with a bang---Several. BUT I will add there are TWO Sides to the Story---the 1st Side is the Phoxhunter with Berenica, and the 2nd Side is The Person in the Dream---who is actually a Soldier serving the Hyperborean Empire; you will Play as Both of them and experience both of their divergent stories.

**\~**

# POSITIVES:


**LOVE the Story**, I can't praise it enough! Usually gacha stories----Especially 1.0 Gacha Stories----can be a little bit mediocre since they need to set Everything up. But Duet Night Abyss (DNA)'s is just immaculate and perfect. Very Character-Driven, the story reminds me a lot of JRPGs; the 1st Side with the Phoxhunter is focused on finding a place to rent, getting money and trying to get a Travel Permit in order to legally leave the country. Seriously! And tbh, it’s the *best*. It has that very classic fantasy vibe---it’s very different from the usualfare gacha game stories, and all the Characters ☆SHINE☆! I am not a person that has EVER Wished for a Character \~solely\~ because of the Character’s Personality……but DNA and it’s Story and it’s Characters……wow. Psyche in particular I didn’t care for at first……....but after the 1st Part, I was like: I NEED to have her! She rocks!!! </3

**Incredible Music.** I am not often a Music kinda Guy, but this time I really noticed it and was impressed by it. Always a good sign!


**Geniemon were Interesting**......so basically they're like Pokemon that are scattered throughout the World that you can catch and then use in Battle; they're kinda like Echoes, in Wuthering Waves---but cuter! :P

**Random Encounters are Fun.** I love getting robbed by Luno Lightfoot ;3 (Basically, as you Explore there are certain Random Events that can Trigger, and 1 of them is an (Attempted) Robbery.

**My Favorite Moment is Getting the Camera </3**


**RPG-esque Impressions were SO Unique!** Basically, as You do Quests, there are certain Choices you can make that will change the Quest’s Dialogue or Outcome. While usually most prevalent in Side Quests, the Impressions do show up in Main Quests. Such a cool mechanic---so much so, that I wanna see it be utilized even More! o(≧▽≦)o

**Tutorial is fucking Epic.** TBH, one of the Best Tutorial Intro segments I've ever played. Very emotionally harrowing and exiciting---it made me Immediately want to play more, more, more! I needed to know what happened next. So many questions.

**VA Performances are AMAZING.** Too many Great, Standout Performances to list, tbh. They all did a spectacular job displaying both Emotional Depth & Nuanced Range.


**Snow is SO Funny.** I feel like she is one of those 'Mascot Characters' done right. Funny and overdramatic and arrogant too, I love her! I hope we get more of her Backstory though soon.

**The Character Profile Stories are Riveting.** I am not usually the type to seek out the Character Profile Stories, but the World and the Lore and Narrative of DNA made me actively seek them out and read them---and take notes too! Each had so much rich content, ughhh they were so good!

**Character Designs Rock!** I am really big fan of their designs; I love the Demonic aspects a lot of the Characters have---and it makes a lot of sense, based on the lore of the world as well. In particular, I really liked Hellfire's Design---Demon Aesthetics rock! It's fun to have such diverse variety in the Characters and their designs.


**Combat is really Fun.** While not as flashy as Wuthering Waves, there still are a lot of visual effects and polish. Very AOE, there are usually multiple waves of hordes of monsters--it is a lot chaotic fun, especially in Coop. And the Boss Fights in particular have been a major standout. I especially love that you can fight alongside other Characters, it’s very RPG-esque and I love having a Party of my Characters, it’s fun. I wish the Party was a bit bigger though? Right now, you can only have 3 Characters in a Team, but I would love to see 4 or even 5 (I feel like the Bigger, the Better (and, with 5 Characters in a Team there’s a lot of Combat Variety to be had---and, I would imagine, less Powercreep as well since there’s More Options).

**The Gacha......or lack thereof.....is really Interesting!** Plus, there’s No Stamina either---You can run through the Dungeons as many times as you want, to your heart’s content. Very nice. See more thoughts below   v



**Costumes & Cosmetics are Interesting & Fun**.............DNA will have Paid (Gacha??? They never said they would not have Gacha Banners for the Cosmetics.....) Skins & Cosmetics. [People have mixed feelings on this---some think this makes the Game more Predatory](https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Impact_Leaks/comments/1n16tv4/comment/nbxz3mh/?context=3). But, personally, I enjoy this since You can get all the Characters you want for Free. My lil sis always says: *"The Easier it is to get the Characters I Like, the More Likely I am to Play Your Game."* So I definitely am eager to play and get my Faves. The Free Cosmetics that were in CBT 2 were funny and cool and interesting--- you can actually Mix and Match Cosmetics which was really fun and creative, and there will be Dyeing too as well....for Cosmetics, Skins and Weapons! It is very Infinity Nikki-esque haha, I can't wait to see what else they cook up for it.


**Weapons Rock!** You can Equip a Short Range & Long Range Weapon; there are Weapon 'Types' but Every Character can Use Every Weapon which allows a lot of versatility. With that being said, I would like if there even More Weapon Types, more Variety is always appreciated! (\* \^ ω \^)

**Main Character is actually Really Smart for once?!** And great at lying too. It's always nice to see a Main Character not only think---but be smart too. They put things together better than I thought and there were multiple times where I was really legitmately impressed by their deductive reasoning and logic. Plus, they were EXTREMELY involved in the Plot. Definitely not some Bystander Main Character. At all.

**I LOVE having a House!** I hope we get 1 in Every New Region. Early on, you get a House (called 'Sanctuary') that You're Renting (literally lol). It's so nice to have a place to call 'home' and like a Home Base of sorts. With that being said, the 1st and 2nd Floors are Inaccessible, so it would be nice if they were available---at the very least the 1st Floor should be? That would be logical lol


**\~**

# NEGATIVES


**Switching Characters in Combat would be Nice**............bascially, when you are in Combat you can ONLY play as that Character. While you can Equip 2 ‘Party Sigils’, allowing 2 other Characters to fight alongside you, you can NOT switch to those other Characters. Would be nice to be able to Swap from Psyche to Kezhou to Daphne depending on the enemy and flow of combat. Variety! And, as I mentioned before, I would love to have a Team of 4 Characters, or 5! More options is always nice

**Party Sigils could be Better.** Basically, in order to have your Team of Characters, you need to Equip a Sigil of that Character, but the Tutorial for it comes a bit late. I believe the Devs have already said this will be added automatically when You start the game tho! With that being said, you can only Equip 1 Weapon to each of your Party Characters; while You can use both a Gun & a Scythe, your 2 Party Members can only use 1 Weapon each, which is a bit annoying and limiting :/

**Elements could be Cooler**........so there are 6 Elements: Anemo, Electro, Pyro, Hydro, Umbro, Spectro. [I made this post about how I think the Elements Names should be Cooler since, like](https://www.reddit.com/r/DuetNightAbyssDNA/comments/1lpfuba/does_anyone_else_think_the_element_names_could_be/)......they're a bit basic imo. I get that like, hey those /Are/ the Elements of the Natural World but it would be cool for a game for once to have actually Novel Elements beyond the bog standard 'Ice' and 'Electro' and 'Light' stuff. Plus, I also feel like when a Game isn't Limited by having the Hydro Girl NEED to have Water Animations, it allows for about 12000000% More Creativity in Animations & Designs. So why even bother having Classical Elements anyway? I suggested going for something more High Concept like 'Chaos' and 'Wisdom', since those are RPG Impressions they use throughout the game and fit the vibe more


**Bigger Maps......?** DNA is NOT an Open World Game; it has various Zones, that range in size. The biggest, Icelake, is about the size of Genshin's Dragonspine-ish. With that being said, I am a person that loves Exploration so I would love if the Maps ended up being a little wee bit bigger in the future---it doesn't need to be an Open World, but having more places to Explore and nooks and crannies to discover would always be appreciated ;-3


**More Endgame Modes plz.** Right now there are 2 Endgame Modes as is Standard in these Gacha Games it seems, but I feel like the More the Merrier; plus DNA focuses a lot on the Combat, so having a couple More Endgame Modes would be nice and fun. Plus, having more Endgame Modes can't hurt! If anything, it's really great for Meta purposes, since different Endgame Modes should (in theory) play to different Characters' Strengths


**City Needs an Upgrade.** This has been said before, but Icelake gives---to me at least---heavy HSR Belobog vibes. It's defo not the same of course, but I feel like the City could use a bit of a Visual / Aesthetic Overhaul to really make it Stand Out and make it more Visually Distinct. Adding in just a little bit more Flora and Trees and Flowers, or Neon Lights and Signs and Billboards would go a longgg way in making Icelake really POP! There's a part in the story where it gains a bunch of Festival Carnival Lights and Decorations, and that small change alone would be perfect to make it different enough! :)

**Swimming plz.** You can't Swim. And tbh there is really no reason to. But still. I was a Swimmer for 15 years, so I always like being able to swim lol