Shinonome Abyss: The Maiden Exorcist

If you don’t like slow-paced games that require a lot of strategy, you might not like this one. The game is also heavily influenced by Japanese culture, history, and mythology. But it’s a really interesting experience if you can get past all that. For $15, it’s an interesting pickup.

Shinonome Abyss: The Maiden Exorcist is a diamond in the rough. It's full of clever ideas and dripping with plenty of spooky atmosphere, but it's hard to say that it ever truly achieves excellence. Despite that, players who like mystery dungeon RPGs will likely have fun here.

SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist perfectly fuses the world of survival horror with the surprise and punishing difficulty of the roguelike, especially in the randomly generated mode. It’s held me captive much longer than I anticipated. That said, it is a slow and punishing game, so you’re either going to fall in love with it or it might just not click if that’s not your cup of tea. The puzzle aspects may throw people off, too. But for me, it’s been a genuine sleeper hit for 2026, and I would love to see how far this unique formula can be taken.

SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist is a roguelite action/puzzle game that changes up the approach to each. It presents a fun environment that challenges players to be inventive with limited resources, creating a rewarding experience for those who aren't put off by the game's deliberate pacing.

SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist doesn't make any serious mistakes; on the contrary: its foundation is solid, but it doesn't quite stand out as a spectacular game. It sells itself on its gameplay, since there's almost nothing about the story or characters besides the exorcist herself, about whom we know so little that I had to look up her name on the internet.

Billed as a strategy roguelike horror action game, there’s no question that this is a unique experience, but whether it will get its hooks in you will depend on what you’re looking for