Brotato: Abyssal Terrors Review (Smooch)
If you are indecise on whether you should get the DLC or not, read this. I'll try to help you out by answering possible questions, as best as I can. For reference, so far, I've completed 26 unique runs on danger 5 on the new DLC map, and also completed a run with all characters (including DLC ones) on danger 5 on the base game map.
Is the DLC worth getting?
In my opinion, yes. Not only does it add relevant content and depth, it also increases replayability significantly. The curse mechanic alone is a huge addition and is creatively balanced.
If it is good, why are there so many negative reviews?
The DLC adds a new map that has VERY punishing enemies. They can be very annoying and oppressive. Should you opt into the curse mechanic, it can be even worse. This means that your item purchasing decisions and your luck play a more important role in your run. This can lead to many frustrating losses, especially if you were expecting your runs to be as fluid/controlled as in the base game map, which you are already used to. This can be less fun to a lot of people, understandably so.
So the problem is that the enemies are unbalanced?
No, I wouldn't say so. Maybe some of them could spawn less often or start spawning later in the run, but I wouldn't say they need to be changed. What WE have to do, in reality, is change our decision making to some extent. Agressive rolling in the shop and looking for specific items or stats are way more important than in the base game. Sometimes you even have to ignore a good blue/purple early on in order to build a more stable foundation.
Do you HAVE to rely on the new curse mechanic to succeed?
I have mixed impressions on this, and have not played enough to say for sure. All I can say is that it can break the game (in your favor or against you), and that all my best wins after the dlc, so far, have come with high curse levels. I had a few "normal" runs end well too, it's just that the cursed run's pop off potencial is off the charts.
How about the new characters? Are they good and/or fun?
Well...it's a mixed bag. I would say most are fun, and some not so much (I'm looking at you, Diver). Usually the characters that increase enemy damage/HP are very frustrating to use, because of the aforementioned variance that you have to deal with in the shop. You need specific things, that are not guaranteed, while the enemy strength is not only guaranteed to oppress you, it will only get worse. Overall, I think they were good additions, with a few bad apples in there that will be the last ones I'll try to get a win with.
Hopefully I was able to give a grounded view of the DLC. I would like to add that most of the frustrations I had, when it comes to failed runs, were my own fault rather than the shop/level ups not consistently giving me what I needed at the time. Map learning, target prioritization and better decision making helped me improve on the new map as well.
At times, when people write reviews while frustrated, they talk about first impressions and not long term learning into consideration, remember to keep that in mind when reading them. However, there are some longer, negative reviews who do have a point, so don't disregard them.