No matter where your tastes lie, The Game Awards 2025 was a big night for all. Still, it's rare to see two announcements folded into one – which is exactly what hybrid-action RPG Duet Night Abyss did. At the ceremony, developer Pan Studio unveiled the trailer for this month's update, Huaxu: The Wind Awakening, which is set to launch on December 23. Shortly after, it also revealed that Duet Night Abyss is coming to Steam soon.
I'll do this in two halves. First: it's coming to Steam! As someone who treats the storefront with an unhealthy amount of reverence – all my stuff's on there! – any new game that comes to Steam is a win for neatness. Everything in its right place, and all that. But the second and far bigger half (help me do the math) is Huaxu: The Wind Awakening, which has some of the chunkiest patch notes I've seen all year.
It's not just that the version's namesake, Huaxu, is a whole new explorable region where the next main story chapter, Mistwharf – Veiled in Fragrant Haze – is set. Nor is it solely because it's arriving with six new characters, including Fushu – who accessorizes the folding fan like nobody's business. It's not even the seven side quests being heaped on, where you'll dig into the crisis playing out behind Huaxu's closed doors, or the size of Huaxu eclipsing the entirety of Icelake. It's all of this – and still so much more.
Huaxu also comes with a beautiful reimagining of Duet Night Abyss' art style, fostering gorgeous new visuals that make exploring the new region a delight. But it's also playable in co-op, which, despite being new to the game, is already being extended to the likes of the Noctoyager Manual, commissions, and Boss Fights. I fear you thought I was joking about these patch notes. I was not.
Extending far beyond Huaxu are some hefty monetization updates. The Interwoven Thoughts Gift Chest will offer players characters at discounted rates, allowing you to spend your shards a little more wisely. Even more cosmetics are on the way soon, including the Ocean's Distant Rhythm skin banner. You can also expect to spot time-limited discounts on Qipao-themed outfits (dress for the Huaxu you want to explore!) and freebies for logging in during this version, namely a Serenity Character Skin Selection - Dark Jade. Speaking of freebies, I forgot to mention that a new set of free emotes will be in Lunoeggy's Impression store, and I, for one, can't wait to see which becomes the community's sarcastic "thanks".
I hope you took a deep breath, because we're still not at the bottom of this version. The Phoxhunter Summit is offering valuable rewards for anyone who can climb its ranked commissions. This event will feature across two phases: the Group Stage will encompass the Preliminaries, while Apex Rankings will host the Finals. The official prize is Phoxcoin, but far more exciting is whatever we'll be able to buy with it – which remains to be seen. Exciting!
Last but certainly not least: bienvenue mes amis, as the French version of Duet Night Abyss is in its "final testing phase," according to Pan Studio. The rollout isn't stopping there, though, as German and Spanish versions are already being prepared.
Between localization picking up Steam and, well, Duet Night Abyss picking up Steam soon, it feels like Pan Studio's momentum is cresting as we speak. With how quickly the likes of co-op is arriving after launch, not to mention everything else we've gone over already (you can breathe again now, by the way), it's a fantastic time to be a fan right now. You have to imagine that a bunch of players are going to be brought in from The Game Awards' trailer, too, and it's always exciting to see someone getting something you like.
Speaking of which, I've made a huge mistake and assumed you already play Duet Night Abyss. That's on me. If you've read this far and I haven't lost you, I think you've proven you're interested in playing Duet Night Abyss, which you can either download here or check out on Steam here. If you'd like to dip your toes in a little lighter, you can meet the community at the Duet Night Abyss subreddit or Discord, or watch interviews with the actors and more on YouTube. Once you're hooked (or now, I won't tell), I'd also suggest keeping an eye on Duet Night Abyss over at Twitter or Facebook for all further news as it's announced. See you in Huaxu!
