"A harrowing dark fantasy about hapless, bright-eyed children"

Spelunking into hell with MADE IN ABYSS: BINARY STAR FALLING INTO DARKNESS

- DOMINIC TARASON

I'm still not sure what possessed me to return to an obscure, rough-hewn anime tie-in from the depths of my backlog instead of playing any of the fantastic things released this year, but I've not been regretting my time spelunking into hell with Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness. It might not be the best I've played recently, but it's one of the most interesting.

For those unfamiliar, Made in Abyss is a popular (if infamous) anime/manga series that looks like a kids' show but quickly reveals itself to be a harrowing dark fantasy about hapless, bright-eyed children exploring the Abyss, a cursed chasm full of treasure, mystery and horrible hyper-evolved predatory creatures.

No punches are pulled or bones unbroken as they explore its complex dungeon ecology.