Zeno Clash developer ACE Team unveils new game: action platformer Abyss Odyssey

ACE Team , the developer behind the delightfully punchy Zeno Clash series, today announced a new game. Abyss Odyssey is a 2D action platformer flavored with the fine spice of randomly generated levels. The new game will also feature a deep fighting engine, along the lines of those normally found in competitive fighting games.

Abyss Odyssey's most interesting trick, though, is letting players explore the game again and again as conquered enemies. “Since most of the enemies in the game have a level of depth comparable to the player characters, we developed a special powerup that allows players to capture enemy souls which allows them to later turn into the enemies and play the campaign as those,” ACE Team's press release says. “Being able to play as dozens of different characters adds a huge level of diversity to the game, since each enemy features its unique moveset and special attacks.”

Fighting these NPCs looks like it will be a white-knuckle affair. In the game's reveal trailer, above, an encounter with a skeleton—a pushover enemy in every other fantasy world—flows back and forth as the player and the NPC trade strikes, blocks and special attacks. Fascinating.

ACE Team will release Abyss Odyssey during 2014. Check out the developer's website for more details.