Minecraft Dungeons II and End of Abyss review roundup

The last days of September brought two releases with almost nothing in common. Minecraft Dungeons II is the sequel to one of the most popular spin-offs around, out on every major platform for $30. End of Abyss is the first game from Section 9 Interactive, a small Swedish studio made up partly of former Little Nightmares developers, published by Epic Games.

Critics split on both in the same way. Almost everyone agrees on what each game does well. The argument is over whether that's enough to carry it. Minecraft Dungeons II scores 75 on Metacritic and End of Abyss 76, but behind those near-identical numbers sit two very different games and two very different kinds of disagreement.

Scores below were taken at the time of writing and are still moving.

Minecraft Dungeons II and End of Abyss at a glance

Minecraft Dungeons II review scores: 75 on Metacritic

Minecraft Dungeons II is a dungeon crawler set in the Minecraft universe, played solo or with up to four players. You travel through a rift into the Sift, a new dimension, to stop a cabal of illagers corrupting the Overworld. It supports local and online co-op together, plus cross-platform play.

Metacritic lists the Xbox Series X version at 75 from 34 critics (56% positive, 44% mixed, none negative) and the PC version at 73. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 74, with 67% of critics recommending it. On Steam, player reviews are Mixed, with about 63% of 9,000-plus reviews positive.

What critics like about Minecraft Dungeons II

Nearly every review agrees this is a better-built game than the first one. The biggest change is in character builds. TheSixthAxis's Dom Leighton points out that "the jump from six equipment slots to twelve means that you can dig further than ever into character builds," and new Talismans add another layer of stat bonuses and resistances. You can also jump now, which sounds small but changes how levels are built, and IGN says the Sift "adds some fresh color and creatures."

Co-op is the consistent highlight. Leighton says cross-platform play and "the ability to mix and match local and online players" make it easier than ever to get a group together, and at $30 he calls it "surprisingly great value for money." GameSpot's Cheri Faulkner sums up the positive case: it "builds a deeper action-RPG within the same familiar, blocky framework."

Where Minecraft Dungeons II reviews split: depth and length

The lower scores don't dispute any of that. They just think there isn't much of it. IGN's Travis Northup calls it "a shallow ARPG sequel that provides a few evenings of mindless dungeon delving fun," and says the endgame, built around a new activity called Soul Storms, is "equally thin."

How long it lasts depends on who you ask. IGN put the story at roughly seven hours. Game Informer's Tomas Franzese beat it "in under 10 hours" and felt he'd seen everything after about 15. Nintendo Life clocked the campaign at 12 to 15 hours. GameRant calls it "one of the safest sequels on the market today," and GamingBolt (5/10) says it "fails to capture the wonder or creativity of its namesake."

Switch 2 owners should know that Nintendo Life found performance "spotty in both docked and undocked modes," with slowdown in busy areas.

End of Abyss review scores: 76 on Metacritic

In End of Abyss you play Cel, a young combat technician sent to investigate disturbances in a hidden underground facility. The mission turns into a descent through a ruined complex full of monsters. It's a sci-fi horror metroidvania: scanner tools open new routes, and you return to earlier areas as you gain abilities. IGN's Jesse Vitelli says it's clear the studio "was built of former Little Nightmares developers," and several reviews compare it to Dead Space.

Metacritic lists the PS5 version at 76 from 15 critics (67% positive, 33% mixed, none negative) and the PC version at 66 from five. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 72, with only 53% of critics recommending it, which is about as evenly split as reviews get.

What critics love about End of Abyss

The atmosphere, almost without exception. Push Square's Aaron Bayne calls it "a moody and cinematic metroidvania with a tantalisingly dark sci-fi world," and over his roughly 13 hours he was struck by how the map kept expanding. TechRaptor says it does "a fantastic job of creating an eerie world that you'll want to explore." PlayStation Universe goes furthest, calling it "the surprise hit of year," and Shacknews calls it "a strong debut title from Section 9."

On PS5, at least, it runs well. Push Square says both performance and quality modes "ran flawlessly at 60 frames per second, at least to the naked eye."

Where End of Abyss reviews split: the game under the atmosphere, and bugs

The 6/10 reviews agree about the setting but find the game underneath thin. IGN's Jesse Vitelli writes that "a striking atmosphere isn't enough to carry End of Abyss to greater heights," and says the story only gains momentum in the back third of its roughly 10-hour campaign. GameSpot's Mark Delaney calls his time with it "inconsistent," and CGMagazine points to weak exploration rewards and shallow combat.

Backtracking is a common complaint. There is a transit system, but IGN says backtracking "is rough" even so. The bigger issue is bugs, and it comes up in positive and negative reviews alike. IGN hit invisible walls that forced checkpoint restarts, "losing 10-15 minutes of progress each time." Game Informer saw the map mark unlocked doors as locked, CGMagazine found map markers that "refused to update or simply disappeared" on PC, and even Push Square's 8/10 says the game was "marred by a few too many bugs."

Which one to play

Minecraft Dungeons II is a good pick for co-op, especially with kids or friends who don't usually play action RPGs. At $30 with cross-play and couch co-op, it's an easy game to get a group into. If you want a deep loot game to sink months into, the reviews suggest you'll run out of things to do within 15 hours.

End of Abyss is for players who'll forgive rough edges for a great atmosphere. If you love moody sci-fi and metroidvanias, it's worth a look, ideally after the first patches land, and PS5 looks like the safest version for now. If you're new to the genre or have little patience for bugs, wait.

And if you're easing into scarier games this month, our list of horror games for people who don't like horror is a gentler place to start.

Sources

• Metacritic: Minecraft Dungeons II
• OpenCritic: Minecraft Dungeons II
• Minecraft Dungeons II on Steam
• Minecraft Dungeons II official page
• Wikipedia: Minecraft Dungeons II
• Minecraft Dungeons II reviews: Destructoid, CGMagazine, TheSixthAxis, Press Start, DualShockers, PlayStation Universe, Game Informer, GameSpot, Shacknews, GamesRadar+, IGN, Nintendo Life, GameRant, Hardcore Gamer, GamingBolt
• Metacritic: End of Abyss
• OpenCritic: End of Abyss
• End of Abyss on PlayStation Store
• VGC: Epic Games Publishing reveals End of Abyss
• Gematsu: End of Abyss launches October 1
• End of Abyss reviews: PlayStation Universe, GamingTrend, Digital Chumps, Game Informer, Push Square, DualShockers, Shacknews, TechRaptor, COGconnected, GameRant, NoobFeed, IGN, GameSpot, CGMagazine, GamingBolt, GamesRadar+