Into the Abyss

**Into the Abyss** is the seventh level of *Switchback VR*. It is the second level themed around *House of Ashes* as part of the "Forsaken Ruins" levels.

## Before Level

The player is back on the train with all the passengers shrouded in darkness except Claudia, who pulls her arm away from Anthony and says something indiscernible.

## Layout

The player emerges on the track from an empty train station and into the catacombs, where they must dodge several collapsing support beams as earthquakes shake the ceiling. The lights on the player's guns go out as the cart stops in a large room that fills with dust when a pillar collapses. As the guns' lights return, several human vampires charge at the player. After killing them, the dust dissipates and two acid-spitting human vampires attack. The cart proceeds down through a tunnel and back to the jail area, with the cells full of human vampires. After going through a skull gate marked with flares, a Demon Crate gives the player a flare gun that must be used to shoot symbols on objects to activate them. After shooting a piece of wood with a glowing symbol on it, the player enters a large room with three more symbol-etched pieces of wood. The cart will start a loop into a side room and back through the large room, with the side room containing a Demon Crate with a flare gun that refills when the player loses theirs and several obstacles for the player to dodge, as well as two more symbol-etched pieces of wood. When all five symbol-etched wood has been destroyed, the cart stops looping through the rooms and goes forward into the temple.

In the temple, the cart stops in the middle of a hallway full of flickering lights as screeching can be heard. Alien parasites rise from from the ground and begin climbing up the wall and leaping at the player to do damage, destroying themselves in the process. After they are all dead, the door at the end of the room opens back into the catacombs and the player can choose to go left or right on the track.

* Going left brings the player over a large chasm, with an alien vampire flying out in the distance and a Demon Crate on the side of the track. At the end of the chasm, the cart stops and the player must kill several normal and acid-spitting human vampires and alien parasites, with another Demon Crate spawning during combat. At the end of the fight, the player must kill an alien vampire before the cart proceeds.
* Going right brings the player through a tunnel, where they must dodge support beams before stopping at the chasm with a Demon Crate ahead. The player must kill several normal and acid-spitting human vampires that attack, with an elevator in the chasm bringing up another Demon Crate during the fight. After killing them, the cart goes back into the cave before reaching the chasm again.

Returning to the main track, the cart continues over the chasm, with human vampires running along the sides of the cave. Vampiric screeching can be heard and a human vampire suddenly jumps in front of the cart before it goes down through a hole and into The Pit. The player must dodge broken scaffolding as the cart wades through blood, before stopping at a human vampire that jumps in front of the player. An alien parasite appears and jumps onto the vampire's face, slowly killing it in front of the player. Several alien parasites then attack the player with new behavior, crawling toward the cart and then leaping to latch onto the player and cover the screen while dealing damage over time. After killing them, the player rides out of the blood and can choose to go left or right on the track.

* Going left, the player must dodge stalactites as they quickly go down a narrow tunnel, slowing near the water wheel as a Demon Crate appears and several alien parasites attack. The player must then dodge support beams, shooting more parasites along the way before ascending.
* Going right, the player slowly climbs up the chasm, surrounded by bones, as two alien vampires fly past. The player enters a new area full of cocoons, some of which are shaking. Two cocoons hatch, releasing alien vampires that attack the player, which are then followed by several alien parasites and another alien vampire. The player must dodge a support beam and can witness another alien vampire flying past as the cart goes back down into the caves.

Returning to the main track, the player rides through the caves and past some cocoons before stopping at the elevator. The cart stops as the elevator begins descending into the the alien city, with alien vampires flying around the elevator as this happens. Belial's laugh can be heard, and her seal appears on part of the environment as the elevator stops in front of an opening. Rocks fly to form a walkway as Belial walks out of the opening, speaking Latin. She repeats "animam tuam vorabo" before suddenly appearing on the elevator in her demonic form, screeching. The chains holding up the elevator snap, causing the cart to drop to the floor of the alien city. The player is attacked by two alien vampires, the first of which only runs past the cart, and can shoot a Demon Crate before continuing.

The aliens' clicks and screeches can be heard as the player sees a glance of the rest of the ship through a large opening, with alien vampires flying around it. Through a skull gate, the player must shoot another refilling flare gun Demon Crate, and is instructed to shoot the correct glyph to open the door: three random blue glyph symbols appear around the area, with one white glyph symbol at the top corresponding to the blue one that must be activated. After shooting the correct symbol, all the blue symbols turn green and the player may proceed.

The player enters the ship and must memorize three more white glyphs as they begin looping another large area containing another refilling flare gun Demon Crate and numerous blue glyphs. After shooting the three correct glyphs in a single loop, the door opens, with an alien vampire instantly killing the player if they fail too many times. The player goes through the ship and encounters Claudia suspended in an elevator over a large hole. She begs the player to let her down, saying that the elevator is caught up in the structure, and the player can shoot another refilling flare gun Demon Crate. There are two symbol-etched pieces of wood holding up a large plank near the player, and shooting both causes the plank to cover the hole. There are also two symbol-etched pieces of the elevator holding Claudia up that will drop her when they are both shot. There is another refilling flare gun Demon Crate and three-glyph puzzle at the end of the room, and the player will continue looping around the elevator until they complete it.

* If the player covers the hole with the plank and then shoots the elevator beams to let Claudia down, she is saved and warns the player that Belial is watching and wants them.
* If the player shoots the elevator beams without covering the hole, she falls into the abyss.

After completing the puzzle, the player is attacked by two human vampires before continuing through the ship. An alien vampire flies past as the player reaches a large opening into the cocoon vault, where lightning strikes and swarms of alien vampires fly around a large mountain of cocoons. The cart quickly goes down through an overgrown, forested section of the ship near the cocoons, stopping after passing two Demon Crates. A deep laugh is heard and The Ancient One, as Balathu, charges down the track to attack before stopping in front of the cart and leaping back. A battle begins in which The Ancient One periodically walks left and right across the track, summons enemies in the form beetle swarms, normal human vampires, and acid-spitting human vampires, and jumps in front of the cart before leaping back. More human vampires, and two Demon Crates, appear during the fight. After sustaining enough damage, The Ancient One leaps away and several cocoons appear, moving when the player blinks and eventually releasing several alien vampires, most of which fly past the player. After killing the ones that attack, The Ancient One returns, attacking the player from in front of the cart until he is killed. As he dies, the trees around the player collapse, and they ascend up a steep hill before being shown their score and quickly going downward to re-enter the empty train station.

## Trivia

* The options on this level's *Journey So Far* screen are:
	+ You let a couple of escapees break free from the Jail
	+ You took/didn't take in the Scenery of the Alien City
	+ Claudia saved/killed/abandoned in Forsaken Ruins