End of Abyss Final Preview (Summer Game Fest 2026 Exclusive)

Even though a third of Section 9 Interactive is former Tarsier leads, End of Abyss isn’t an evolution of Little Nightmares 1 and 2, it’s something entirely different.

End of Abyss is a dark dystopian sci-fi adventure with a rich atmosphere dripping with horror featuring the mechanics of many genres including metroidvanias and twin stick shooters.

End of Abyss is a love letter to the era of cartridge gaming and experiences like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. Sprawling action adventures that didn’t guide you, but challenged you to get lost, become immersed and familiarize yourself with the world you’re in. Mechanics that have recently been labeled soulslike, such as enemies respawning, actually began decades earlier when your character would leave the screen and come back. All of these reasons play a huge part in why the original Metroid and The Legend of Zelda became cultural phenomenons.

Over the years, games became more approachable to appeal to a wider audience. In the process, this removed some of the magic and wonder that exploration and discovery provided.

During our second sit down with Mattias, Co-Founder of Section 9 Interactive I learned that the biggest goal with End of Abyss was to try to recapture the magic of cartridge gaming, but with a few modern sensibilities.

After first playing End of Abyss at Summer Game Fest 2025 and playing it again at Summer Game Fest 2026, just months ahead of it’s October 1 release on PS5, Xbox and PC via the Epic Games Store what was evident is how much more refined and polished the experience has become over the last 365 days.

Heading into 2026, End of Abyss was at the top of my most anticipated list and after playing it again, this sentiment hasn’t wavered. Just a few months ahead of its release date, I sat down with Mattias to discuss what End of Abyss is , what it’s trying to do, and what makes it different.