Before every descent, Iron Abyss makes you pick a commander — and unlike a lot of games where that’s just a skin, this choice actually changes how the run plays out. Five options, five completely different vibes. Let’s go through them.

Vex — Security

Described by the devs as running on “M*A*S*H energy,” which honestly is the perfect shorthand — someone who’s clearly seen too much and copes with dark humor instead of unraveling. If you want a commander who holds the line and keeps everyone functional when things get bad, Vex is your person.

Jae — Comms

Jovial on the outside, quietly not okay underneath. Jae’s the pick if you want a run that’s basically about keeping the crew’s spirits up while everything falls apart around you — comms-focused, more about coordination than raw damage.

Sol — Engineer

Sol is the most Evangelion-coded of the five, and you can feel it — someone crushed under the weight of responsibility more than anything else. If you’re drawn to utility over brute force, this is your commander.

Echo — AI

The reference point here is BioShock’s Big Daddy, which tells you almost everything before you even get into a fight with them — something built for a job, never quite at ease in its own skin. If you’re pulled toward the least human member of the crew, it’s Echo.

Lune — Navigator

Pulling from Angel’s Egg, withdrawn and hard to read under pressure. Out of all five, Lune feels like the highest-risk pick — the payoff isn’t obvious right away, and you probably won’t get it until a run has already gone sideways.

So Who Do You Actually Start With?

If this is your first descent, Vex is the easiest on-ramp — a security-focused trait is the kind of thing you get the value of immediately, no prior knowledge of the systems required. Once the tempo/sanity loop starts to click, that’s when I’d start rotating through Jae, Sol, Echo, and Lune and seeing how differently the same three floors play depending on who’s in charge.

Given how tightly Iron Abyss ties its sanity system into BREAKDOWN, don’t be shocked if your “best” first pick ends up being less about stats and more about which commander makes you actually want to keep pushing a run that’s clearly starting to fall apart.

Go Meet Them

The full roster is playable right now, free.

Play the free demo: otrhvn.itch.io/iron-abyss Full game, official listing (live August 11): otrhvn.studio/products/iron-abyss

Iron Abyss launches August 11, 2026.