All in Abyss: Judge the Fake Review: Poker Meets Anime Visual Novel!?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined elements of visual novels, mystery sleuthing, skill upgrading, quirky characters, AND an anime art style with Texas Hold ‘Em? No? Well, neither have I, but someone certainly did, and the result of this unlikely combination is the latest game from publisher Alliance Arts--All in Abyss: Judge the Fake. Co-developed by ACQUIRE Corp and WhySoSerious Playground, this “poker battle mystery adventure RPG” has you taking on the role of the self-proclaimed “best gambler you’ve ever met,” Asuha Senehara, a quirky but confident young lady seeking fortune in the Designated Gambling District of a place known only as “The City.” This is a realm of haves and have-nots where the extreme gap between rich and poor would make even Jeff Bezos blush. But does All in Abyss go all in, or is it a total flop? Let’s find out in our full review!

You begin All in Abyss: Judge the Fake in a disoriented state, already in the midst of a poker game with a sinister-looking young woman across the table from you. After a bit of memory jogging, you remember that you got into this situation by challenging famous gambler Ula Amamino, aka the Witch of Sweets, a member of the WCW, right alongside Hollywood Hogan! I was half waiting for Sting to come out and give me a stinger splash! In seriousness, the WCW is a notorious group of witches with incredible gambling power. This is where we are first introduced to the core gameplay element that drives this title: Texas Hold ‘Em poker. It’s also here where you are introduced to the beautiful anime art style of the game and excellent character design.

If you’re unfamiliar with Texas Hold ‘Em poker, there is a tutorial to start that will introduce you to the core elements of the game. Essentially, you are dealt two cards, and then there are five community cards that are dealt face-up on the table in three stages: the flop, the turn, and the river. Eww…I hate the word flop. Pre-flop and between each stage there is a betting round where you can either fold, check, bet, call, or raise with your gambling chips.

 In this version of Hold ‘Em, though, it doesn’t take long to realize that there is more going on with these witchy witches than meets the eye. Without giving too much of the story away, you soon find yourself looking for answers from the Witch of Sweets’ questionable tactics after suffering your first loss. Helping you on your quest of discovery and redemption is Mina, a passerby who comes to your aid after your loss to the Witch.

At this point, you are free to explore the available locations of the city in search of clues and answers as you prepare for your rematch with the Witch. More locations open up as chapters of the story progress, but some of the staples include the Shopping District, where you can purchase story-related items as well as items that could help you in your poker games, and the Entertainment District, where you can spend your hard-earned money to earn SP (more on this in a moment) and boost your luck for your next poker match.

Getting back to that aforementioned SP, this is the next introduced gameplay element that makes this version of Texas Hold ‘Em unique and interesting. Through the earning of SP, you will be able to unlock and assign new skills for use during your poker battles. Examples of these skills include Ace in the Hole, which allows you to pick the next card that will be dealt in the hand, or Sharp Eye, which is a passive skill that hints at what your opponent’s cards might be for the duration of the match. Unlocking and determining which skills to assign in battle could be the difference between booming or busting, and I found the introduction of this element to be both refreshing and enjoyable. It never ceased to be satisfying turning my two of a kind into a three of a kind or going all in when I knew I had my ace in the hole. It takes a standard game of Hold ‘Em, which is fun in its own right, to the next level with the added unpredictability of putting your skills to use.

But the card play is really the glue that holds the All in Abyss package together gameplay-wise. Outside of that, there aren't a whole lot of unique elements to this title. There will be some minimal cutscene interactions and dialogue choices, but generally outside of the poker battles, you’ll be entrenched in dialogue screens and bouncing around the city menu in search of items and clues for your battle against the next witch. I played this game with both mouse and keyboard and controller, and both were equally simple to play with, but to be fair, there isn’t a whole lot of complexity here, with the majority of gameplay options coming in the form of which button to press or which item or skill to use during the poker battles.

Graphically, I found the poker battles to be well (if not minimally) animated, and the interface is very clean and easy to understand. The showdown and victory splash screens keep the energy high, and overall, I found it to be an appealing visual package. The witches, in particular, have a creative design and unique personalities that make playing against them especially fun. The core, story-centric characters of the game have excellent character design that perfectly suits their personalities, and I am a sucker for anime art. Background art was a bit inconsistent for my taste, and most of the non-critical characters were lacking any sort of distinct facial features, which was a bit of an odd choice. Perhaps it was to emphasize their insignificance, but in contrast with the more fleshed-out main characters, it felt a bit inconsistent. The cutscenes, however, are delightfully disturbing, and the game offers the player a gallery to view them in as you progress and unlock the different and unique images through gameplay.

Moving on to the soundtrack, there is a lot here to like. During the poker battles, you’ll generally be treated to shredding guitars and blistering drums to match the intensity of the battles, and it is during these encounters where you’ll find the majority of track variation. The vast majority of music seems to be more rock/metal-focused with some notable standouts during Witch battles. On the world map and during most dialogue sequences, you’ll get more of a funk and hip-hop track, which luckily is pretty enjoyable because you’ll be hearing that one quite a bit. There are several other standout tracks as well, such as the quirky pop of Mina’s room or the more jazz-infused flavor playing in the Entertainment District. Each track, however, sets a perfect vibe with a tone that suits the background.

Overall, it’s a very good soundtrack that does an excellent job of matching the story.

Now, about that story… In such a dialogue-heavy game, it’s important to have unique and interesting characters, as well as a plotline that keeps you engaged. Of course, if you’re just in it for the poker and skill-building, then you can quickly skip through the cutscenes, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the writers. Admittedly, the premise of this whole game is a bit thin. The main character, Asuha, isn’t especially fleshed out early on. In fact, I found her sidekick Mina and the Witch of Sweets to be far more entertaining, but you do warm up to Asuha as things progress, eventually even finding yourself rooting for her. 

The dialogue itself I found to be a bit surprising at times, but not necessarily in a bad way. I suppose it was just more adult than I anticipated. So too, was the storyline, with some disturbing and entertaining results, but never in a way that feels all that serious. During the game, witches challenge you to an “Abyss” match, which essentially means a poker duel to the death. This can lead to some surprising and disturbing (but highly entertaining) results. Regarding the witches themselves, there is always more than meets the eye, and I enjoyed progressing the story and learning more about what makes them who they are. Overall, I found myself entertained, if a bit capriciously.

In summation, if you’re looking for a solid and unique way to play Texas Hold ‘Em while engaging in a mystery adventure and building up your skills along the way, you might want to check this one out. I don’t think it will be for everybody, as it does attempt to combine a lot of elements that might work for some, but not for others (think hot sauce on your eggs), but I commend the developers for doing a solid job of making it all come together. And, perhaps most importantly, poker is fun, and in that aspect, All in Abyss: Judge the Fake is successful. Everything else wrapped around it? Your mileage may vary.

GOOD