Pixel art roguelike action platformer Neon Abyss launched in July and was briefly free on the Epic Games Store. It was the storefront’s free mystery game for December 17th, part of an annual tradition where Epic rings in the holiday season with a free game every day.
Unfortunately, it appears that the Epic Games version has a problem not encountered on other storefronts. The Epic Games Store version of Veewo Games and Team17’s Neon Abyss contains a major game-breaking bug due to lacking the most recent update.
An item called “Ticket-4” causes the glitch in question. The Ticket unlocks one of Neon Abyss’ secret levels. Said level sees the player dodge hazards to nuts and bolts for a metal dragon in the starting zone. However, a glitch in the Epic Games version prevents the player from interacting with the dragon. This prevents them from completing the objective and leaving the area. Since Neon Abyss is a roguelike, trapped players have no recourse but to restart their entire playthrough. Fortunately, the developers patched the Ticket-4 glitch out of the steam version of Neon Abyss.
While it may seem strange for different PC storefronts to have different versions of the same game, it’s not unheard of. Publishers like Square Enix and Rockstar both dragged their feet when it came to updating the Steam releases of some of their games. In fact, the GOG version of Neon Abyss is even further behind, missing several months of critical updates.
There are, of course, many logistical issues when it comes to keeping a game updated on every platform. It’s also worth remembering that Neon Abyss developer Veewo Games and publisher Team17, better known for tactical shooter Hell Let Loose, are both small companies. Thus, it’s not entirely unsurprising they might have this problem. On the other hand, it’s also completely reasonable for players to be frustrated that the Epic version contains such a game-breaking bug. This is especially true considering that the free day was likely many players’ first experience with Neon Abyss.
Some players in the Epic Games subreddit also levied blame at the storefront itself. They argue that publishers and developers don’t prioritize the distributor because, unlike Steam, the Epic Games Store still doesn’t allow user reviews. Ostensibly, this is to prevent review bombing. Not everyone believes this to be the real reason, though there’s no hard evidence disputing Epic’s claim.
Regardless, players who got Neon Abyss from the Epic Games Store should avoid picking up the “Ticket-4” item. Players don’t need it to complete the game, and skipping the level shouldn’t lock players out of any other side content. Hopefully, though, Veewo Games does a better job of keeping their game updated in the future.
Neon Abyss is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
