What does a remaster mean? When I hear that a game is getting remastered, I expect better graphics and slightly tweaked gameplay, but for it to still capture the spirit of the original. That’s also true with Abyss; there’s upgraded visuals, new portal walls, shifted geometry, and added functionality. The screenshots and GIFs you’re about to see will look shiny and new, yet familiar. 

Let’s start with the most obvious - the aesthetic. It wouldn’t be much of a “remaster” if the textures, structure, lighting, and architecture weren’t overhauled. As much as I like the OG Abyss, the remastered version outclasses it in every way. My colleague, n00bintheTube, put it best: It looks like we brought Turok 64 into the 2020s. Here’s some before and after screenshots for you to judge yourself:

It’s already an unfair fight if you ask me, but the new Abyss isn’t just a pretty face, it’s got personality, too. Observe the BFB bridge. There’s a small coin slot on either side that lets you portal to the walls beneath!

It isn’t guaranteed to score you a portal kill, but oh boy, if you do pull it off, here’s what happens:

Yup, those turrets below BFB Bridge aren’t just for show, but they will put on a laser show. 

Gameplay-wise, there’s a handful of changes you should know about. Underneath the Railgun spawn is a gap in the wall that can be portaled through in either direction. This is just one of many ways the new Abyss increases navigation around the map.

Falling down the original Abyss ended in a splash. Abyss Remastered welcomes the fallen to a bottomless pit. Careful, stare into the Abyss long enough and it’ll stare back.

Splitgate is a game of quickness, so we wanted to reward players for gaining height and speed. Above Red Room, we added a key hole for you to momentum-jump through.

By now you’ve probably noticed the new portal walls if you’ve played Abyss enough. The area around Railgun spawn, for example, has a new portal wall and ceiling. The new wall makes Railgun more accessible, and the ceiling helps players who get stuck at the bottom!

This all looks cool and sounds fun, but why remaster a map instead of creating an original one? 

I’m glad you asked. 

We understand the importance of new maps and the value they bring to our loyal players. New maps are coming in the future, but we have some things that have to happen before we can exit Beta. Upgrading our favorite maps to AAA status is one of them.

Map by map, season by season, we’re getting better and faster at development. We continue to grow our map development teams, which will enable us to make new maps in the future. After we've hired even more super talented artists, you’ll see remastered maps and brand new ones being pushed out more consistently. 

Abyss Remastered sets the standard that we want all our maps to meet. We can’t wait for you to sink your portals in it and experience all of its remastered goodness! 

That’s all from me for now. Back to making more Beta Season 2 reveals!

- Endo

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