Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy transplants the classic dungeon RPG into present-day Tokyo, where beneath the city's streets lie spaces called Abyss, full of monsters that threaten the population. A government organization deploys students with special abilities against them, gathered into a unit called the Xth Squad, and the player assembles and leads that very group. The combination of school setting, secret official organization, and classic maze gives the game an unusual character: between expeditions the player returns to the city, takes on assignments, restocks equipment, and reads fragments of investigation reports that gradually piece together what is really happening beneath Tokyo.

The core of the game is thoroughly old school. Exploration happens in first person on a grid, the map reveals itself step by step, and the dungeons are full of hidden doors, teleporters, and traps. Characters are created by choosing a class and a so-called code, which determines their abilities, and a party of six is arranged into two rows, where position determines attack range. Battles are turn-based, with orders issued to the whole group at once, and the game doesn't hold back from situations where a single misjudged skirmish sends the party straight back to the city. Character injuries only heal once you return, moreover, so managing resources matters just as much as the fighting itself.

On the Vita the game makes good use of the handheld format, since exploring floor by floor can comfortably be split into short sessions and the map stays clear on the display. Visually it relies on character art and simple but legible corridors, while calmer electronic music fills out the atmosphere. Reviews acknowledged it as a solid, accessible representative of the genre, while also pointing out the flat storytelling and how quickly the environments repeat. Today the game is a good entry point for anyone who wants to try classic map-drawing without being punished for it right away.