This includes digging into ruins and taking in the sights that surround you, including statues where you can stop and take a rest, if only to soak it all in. After getting a brief run-through of the controls, you're set about on your way, exploring however you see fit. In Abzu, you're thrust into the role of a deep sea diver. And it works wondrously, as long as you're willing to accept that it's not made from a "typical" game mold. It's a game that's more about the journey rather than the end game.
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Instead, you're free to explore each underwater area, seeking out clues to a much bigger story (one involving a long-lost species) and finding fascinating sea life along the way. Like Journey before it, Abzu doesn't force you to go from start to finish in a straight line. And it actually serves a greater benefit in this regard, with the holiday doldrums getting to us and requiring us to find some kind- any kind, really- of temporary peace. This game aroused my child-like wonder and kept me wanting to find whats next.Giant Squid Studios' adventure game previously released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, but it's on Nintendo's platform that it's likely to find a more involved audience, as players can take this majestic universe anywhere they see fit. I’ve already said too much in the way of spoiling the game, ill just let you finish it and decide for yourself!įor a gamer who is only interested in multiplayer aspects, ABZÛ captured my interest as something I was intrigued to find out the next steps. Your character swims up to it, the music would indicate that the shark is a friend, your diver seems overwhelmed with sadness as the shark dies. This is where the game takes a turn, you see the shark at the bottom of the ocean. You swim through a mine field and at the end you see a giant mine, the Great White Shark thrusts himself in to the eye of the mine, killing the mine and itself in the process. The light you once had that was destroyed by the shark is being crafted by the dozens, the bombs are being spit out in to the ocean. The game takes you in to a giant mother ship of sorts, you see things being created in the ship. They cause to to temporarily lose control of the character before you can advance further. The art work gives looks similar to Egyptian wall art, the last few show what looks to be everyone worshiping a great white shark.Īs you venture in to zone 4 and 5 there are a bunch of Triangle shaped pieces of work in the water, as you approach them there is a non stop beeping, as you swim through these triangle shaped bombs they explode and shock the diver. Touching the center platforms illuminates the rooms and shows some beautiful artwork on the wall. Zone three brings you in to a long hallway with many dark rooms in it. I was excited about finding myself exploring something that if you asked me to do outside of a game, I’d tell you to get lost. While exploring I found myself being anxious, this is a new feeling for me as I am usually very collected and not jumpy. Jump scare at its finest, you see platforms, you see the deepest darkest blue sea, you feel utterly alone.Unsure of what your next movement should be, you took the plunge to the bottom of the ocean. One of your lights shoots ahead of you and gets demolished by a giant shark. In the second phase you start to see deep dark blue recesses that you can chose to explore if you feel brave enough, or if you are gonna be a little girl about it, you can skip them.Īs you are nearing the end of the second zone there is a nerve racking moment. Early in the game you feel serene, you have fish all over the place, and you find a couple of lights that illuminate your path. The idea of the game is you are a diver who is exploring the different phases of the ocean while encountering different forms of ocean life.
Sharks, Spiders, and Snakes.ĪBZÛ takes place in the deep blue world of the ocean. For a person who is absolutely scared of what lies below, the idea of a game that fully immerses you in to the world of the ocean is frightening.