600 Items, Faith, and Co-Op: Neon Abyss 2’s Key Changes Explained

At first glance, Neon Abyss 2 looks a lot like its predecessor: stylish pixel art that's true to its name, alongside frantic run 'n' gun roguelite gameplay that evokes the genre's "one more run" addictiveness. While the broad strokes remain the same, there have been significant changes in terms of systems and features, resulting in a completely refreshed title that earns its spot as a proper sequel; for this follow-up, Veewo Games implemented co-op, an absurd amount of new items, the all-new Faith system, and overhauled boss fights, to name just a few of Neon Abyss 2's improvements to the formula.

In an interview with Game Rant, Veewo Games' Creative Director, Lans Wang, spoke about the most impactful changes brought by Neon Abyss 2, including three things he felt were crucial elements to nail in order to deliver a true Neon Abyss sequel. He also weighed in on how even the game's bosses have seen a substantial upgrade.

Neon Abyss 2 Aims to Constantly Surprise Players

With over 600 new items in the mix, Neon Abyss 2 boasts a mind-boggling number of potential synergies that lend the game extreme replayability. This only gets more chaotic as more players join in, which is one of Neon Abyss 2's new features. When asked about the most significant improvements Neon Abyss 2 brings, Wang singled out its co-op functionality—and for good reason. "Co-op. Hands down. The ability to play with up to three friends in online co-op completely changes the experience. It’s something players begged for and something we always wanted to do, and…now we’ve done it."

"The synergies have increased, and that’s saying something! We really wanted to make the choices of combinations limitless for players. We wanted them to say, “What if I tried combining…” and watch the chaos unfold. With more development experience under our belts, we’ve really been able to lean into this.

Neon Abyss 2 introduces over 600 new items (plus some fan-favourite classics), giving players even more ways to stack up combos. We’ve been developing the game for a couple of years now, and we still encounter new combinations!"

Co-op was one of the community's most requested features. In fact, Wang noted that the community's requests for a co-op mode in Neon Abyss were "one of the core reasons we pursued a sequel." That's not the only feature that was inspired by fan feedback, though: more diverse weapons, greater boss variety, and refined Hatchmon mechanics were all goals based on input from players.

Neon Abyss 2's Most Important Features

When asked about aspects of the game that were especially important to "get right," Wang pointed to multiplayer, item variety, and the new Faith meta progression system as the game's focal points in terms of design. Each of these features introduces a common element—surprise—by adding unpredictability and variety to gameplay; this is something that Wang says is vitally important for making a highly replayable roguelite game. Wang says:

"Three things had to be nailed: multiplayer, increased weapon/item variety, and our Faith System. Neon Abyss is our baby, and we strive to do everything we can to make the game as fun as possible for our players, but also for ourselves. When we created the mission statement for this sequel, these were among our biggest considerations. We didn’t want a game where players just run and gun; we wanted our game to surprise players, challenge them, and make them feel clever. That was our vision for Neon Abyss 2."

It's not just the players who get to enjoy more variety in their playstyles, but the game's challenging bosses, too. Wang notes that "each boss is now built around randomized skill sets, which means no two encounters play out exactly the same, even when you’re facing the same enemy." This eliminates the predictable pattern recognition aspect of boss fights and makes them one more element that keeps players on their toes—no matter how many runs they've conquered.