[Review] All in Abyss: Judge the Fake – Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Acquire
Published By: Alliance Arts
Categories: Visual Novel, Gambling
Release Date: 04.09.25
Price: $15.99
*Game Download Code graciously provided for the purpose of review

I really enjoy playing poker and other cars games, but I never cared for playing them in video games form. What’s the point in playing a poker video game when you could play the real deal with actual people instead? I’ve felt this way for years but I gave All In Abyss a chance because it promised more than the standard casino experience that I’ve seen from other similar titles.

The gameplay loop is almost your standard Texas hold ’em experience but with the added benefit of skills and a point system that resembles the foundation of Balatro. This adds extra flair to matches, but if that’s all there was to the game, I would have gotten bored after an hour or two and went to random websites if I wanted online poker.

The gameplay is okay for what it is, but it was the humor and characters that really kept me invested. Asuha has a crippling gambling addiction and she travels to a city that’s famous for gambling so she can be at the best. I fell in love with her personality and sense of humor because she’s as unhinged as they come and all of her lines are legendary.

Upon arriving in the city, Asuha challenges a dangerous witch who’s never lost a game. But she loses immediately because she thought they were playing a different type of poker. She thinks that the witch cheated and challenges her to a rematch. However, the rematch is an abyss match, which means the loser does horribly.

Interact with the locals to figure out how the witches are cheating and gamble your life and life savings away. That’s really all there is to the game. It’s pretty simple for the most part, though some matches can become pretty tough later on. Even if you already know how to play Texas Hold ’em, make sure you play through the tutorial there’s a lot about this game that you won’t understand right away.

Beyond that, there were a few extra bits and pieces that I liked. There was some solid voice acting and the opening song is amazing. I also really liked the art as there were some fantastic character designs.

But there isn’t anything else to the game. It’s a poker game but the actual poker isn’t all that fun and can become challenging or even infuriating the more you play. For me, the humor and characters were the strongest part of the game but even with that, the story was very repetitive at times. 

If you like card games like Poker, then you’ll like the gameplay loop but if you aren’t a gambling addict like Asuha, the game won’t have much else to offer besides the humor. Overall, All In Abyss is a poker game with a twist that has its own charm and quirks. For only $15.99, it’s a very cost efficient game, even if you end up not enjoying it.

7/10