Former Little Nightmares Devs Talk Upcoming Twin-Stick Metroidvania Game

The team behind Little Nightmares is creating a new game called End of Abyss, which blends the fast-paced action of twin-stick shooters with the exploration and progression of Metroidvania games. Developed by Section 9 Interactive Studios and published by Epic Games, it aims to offer a fresh take on the Metroidvania genre with its unique control scheme.

Section 9 is a Swedish game studio founded by Marcus and Matthews Ottvall, who previously worked on popular games like Little Nightmares and Little Big Planet for the PlayStation Vita. They’re now ready to share their fresh vision for the Metroidvania genre.

Section 9 Co-Founders Discuss Inspiration For End of Abyss

In an interview with GamesRadar+, Marcus revealed that the original concept for End of Abyss was a bright, cartoon-style action game. The team eventually shifted gears and experimented with a top-down Metroidvania design, which resulted in a more mature and darker tone for the game.

Initially, the game was designed as a fast-paced, cartoon-style action game – a top-down shooter with adventure aspects. Players could move quickly and dodge attacks easily. As we developed it, we noticed a lack of top-down Metroidvania-style games and decided to explore that genre. This led us to a more serious and darker tone, drawing inspiration from sci-fi anime and classic horror. We started adding horror elements and slowing down the gameplay.

Marcus preferred to keep details about the game’s plot and characters under wraps, but his brother, Mattias Otvall, discussed the game’s unique scanner feature and how it was created to be different from other games in the same category.

We designed this tool to make exploring the game easier and more fun. It scans your surroundings and creatures, giving you extra details about the world, and might even reveal hidden secrets. Since Metroidvania games can sometimes be confusing, the scanner lets you mark important locations on your map, making it simpler to navigate and find your way back later.

I’m really excited for this new game, but we don’t have a firm release date yet. The current expectation is that it’ll come out in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and on PC through the Epic Games Store. I’m counting down the days!

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2026-01-10 22:18