• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

ABZÛ |OT| A Journey into an ocean of wisdom

brawly

Member
Played half an hour. Pretty good so far, though not quite as enchanting as Journey as of yet. Still early though.

This game made my middle finger hurt because of the constant R2 pressing. Never noticed it before.
 
40 minutes played. Need to go to bed or else I will have a terrible day tomorrow.

For the people who pre-ordered this. Oh man. You are in for such a sweet ride. What an experience so far!

Everything just clicks. The ocean still feels dangerous and huge, but they also accomplished a sense of wonder into this.

The one thing that I absolutely love is that they give so much free space for you to swim around in. It definitely feels bigger than Journey in that regard.

This is hitting the same emotional strings I had when I first played Journey. If it's better that needs to be seen, but it is already on my Top 5 list. It really is THAT good.

That's really great to hear! I knew this game was going to be something special and I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying it immensely!
 

Humdinger

Member
Okay, I'm checking out. I don't want that sense of deep-sea mystery spoiled at all for me by hearing others' impressions. I want the sea to myself. I'm greedy. :)

Enjoy. I'll check back in after I've finished the game.
 

NeoRausch

Member
Played half an hour. Pretty good so far, though not quite as enchanting as Journey as of yet. Still early though.

This game made my middle finger hurt because of the constant R2 pressing. Never noticed it before.

That's probably because you press R2 with your middle finger.
 

whyman

Member
Played about 40 min so far. Looks very pretty, controls fine but not really grabbbing me. Kind of boring sadly. Hope it gets better!
 

lmbotiva

Junior Member
40 minutes played. Need to go to bed or else I will have a terrible day tomorrow.

For the people who pre-ordered this. Oh man. You are in for such a sweet ride. What an experience so far!

Everything just clicks. The ocean still feels dangerous and huge, but they also accomplished a sense of wonder into this.

The one thing that I absolutely love is that they give so much free space for you to swim around in. It definitely feels bigger than Journey in that regard.

This is hitting the same emotional strings I had when I first played Journey. If it's better that needs to be seen, but it is already on my Top 5 list. It really is THAT good.

Played half an hour. Pretty good so far, though not quite as enchanting as Journey as of yet. Still early though.

This game made my middle finger hurt because of the constant R2 pressing. Never noticed it before.
i know i've asked this before but can you post impressions of performance please, is it a locked 30 or does it feel unlocked?
 

whyman

Member
i know i've asked this before but can you post impressions of performance please, is it a locked 30 or does it feel unlocked?

I don't know what fps it's running at but there have been a few frame drops. Not huge and not many but some.
 
Ha, you kind of skirted that whole "No OTs until 24h prior to release" rule, OP. Kudos, the game deserves the attention

It wasn't intentional!

I've got more stuff to add to it and some of it is taking longer than expected. I have other interviews I'm waiting on and these individuals are very busy, so the deadline of 24 hours prior was difficult to time it with their schedules - but I'll be adding in the other things as soon as I get them, so stay tuned to this OT!
 
Ha, you kind of skirted that whole "No OTs until 24h prior to release" rule, OP. Kudos, the game deserves the attention
To be fair, it started out as a general primer thread, but it was so well put together that a lot of posters said it could probably work really well as the OT
 

S1kkZ

Member
i know i've asked this before but can you post impressions of performance please, is it a locked 30 or does it feel unlocked?

mostly solid 30, with some minor stutters (feels like it sometimes drops to 29-28 fps, could also be frame pacing issues but its not even close to something like bloodborne/ds3).
 

Vire

Member
The framerate being set to 40 makes no sense. Really hope there's an option to lock it at 30...
 

S1kkZ

Member
The framerate being set to 40 makes no sense. Really hope there's an option to lock it at 30...

40? that explains why it feels fluid an sometimes "stuttery" at the same time. hope they patch in an option to lock it down.
 

Vire

Member
40? that explains why it feels fluid an sometimes "stuttery" at the same time. hope they patch in an option to lock it down.

:(

What a bummer. Why do devs keep doing this? It was annoying in Second Son and then it took weeks for a lock the framerate patch to come in.

30 FPS is a disappointment enough as I was expected 60 FPS to be honest, but a fluctuating framerate is even worse.

Times like this I wish I had a home media PC so I could play this on the couch at 60 fps. Que Lastima.
 
All these positive impressions is making me so excited to play. I unfortunately won't be able to play when it launches at midnight, but I'll be all over it tomorrow afternoon!
 

S1kkZ

Member
:(

What a bummer. Why do devs keep doing this? It was annoying in Second Son and then it took weeks for a lock the framerate patch to come in.

30 FPS is a disappointment enough as I was expected 60 FPS to be honest, but a fluctuating framerate is even worse.

Times like this I wish I had a home media PC so I could play this on the couch at 60 fps. Que Lastima.

bah, its fine. its not even close to something like second son (unpatched) or bloodborne. i noticed some slight stutter when you pan the camera really slowly (but it felt different to a game that drops below 30). but its not jumping around.

it runs fine. if it really runs at 40, an option for 30 would be nice.
 
It wasn't intentional!

I've got more stuff to add to it and some of it is taking longer than expected. I have other interviews I'm waiting on and these individuals are very busy, so the deadline of 24 hours prior was difficult to time it with their schedules - but I'll be adding in the other things as soon as I get them, so stay tuned to this OT!

To be fair, it started out as a general primer thread, but it was so well put together that a lot of posters said it could probably work really well as the OT

It is in no way a criticism - the threads done a great job due to OP championing it. I've been waiting for the game since the announcement video. I haven't had a good aquatic exploration game since Aquanaut's Holiday.

Hell I preordered the game and won't even be back at my ps4 for 3 weeks.
 
With all this mention of Journey I'm guessing the game is <1 hour long.

I guess that's okay. I bought it anyway... Journey was pretty decent but I only played it once. The music was fantastic.
 
It is in no way a criticism - the threads done a great job due to OP championing it. I've been waiting for the game since the announcement video. I haven't had a good aquatic exploration game since Aquanaut's Holiday.

Hell I preordered the game and won't even be back at my ps4 for 3 weeks.

Well I hope you enjoy it when you finally get to play it!
 
With all this mention of Journey I'm guessing the game is <1 hour long.

I guess that's okay. I bought it anyway... Journey was pretty decent but I only played it once. The music was fantastic.
Journey is more than 1 hour long, no?

Anyway, pre-ordered, really excited for this. Going to keep my eye on Bound as well.
 
Well, I am in, and so ready for this game. Preordered this and No Man's Sky, tomorrow is also my birthday, which is pretty awesome! My age? It is a significant one tomorrow, lol.
 

NeoRausch

Member
With all this mention of Journey I'm guessing the game is <1 hour long.

I guess that's okay. I bought it anyway... Journey was pretty decent but I only played it once. The music was fantastic.

Well Journey is way over one hour even in speederun. And I've already put more then one hour into this.

But thanks.
 

lmbotiva

Junior Member
With all this mention of Journey I'm guessing the game is <1 hour long.

I guess that's okay. I bought it anyway... Journey was pretty decent but I only played it once. The music was fantastic.
1 hour of greatness is better than 8 hours of mediocrity, i guess everyone sees value differently
 
Ive managed to be on a good blackout, save for a clip or two.

Super excited, not expecting the impact of Journey, but dont really need that. Just a good exploration game with beautiful sites is enough for me.

I hope this ends up being a hit. Journey seems very loved and it sold well too, right?
 

S1kkZ

Member
played 90 minutes, will continue after getting some sleep (1:40 am here).

i have no idea how far i am, but most people say its around 3-4 hours. so i hope i am at the halfway point.

love pretty much everything, except the loading times (which dont happen very often).

the soundtrack is amazing. sounds like journey, mixed with stuff from the original tomb raider ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIWLT0QVPzw ). and its not just the quality of the soundtrack, its how it supports what is going on on-screen. brilliant.
 

Vire

Member
bah, its fine. its not even close to something like second son (unpatched) or bloodborne. i noticed some slight stutter when you pan the camera really slowly (but it felt different to a game that drops below 30). but its not jumping around.

it runs fine. if it really runs at 40, an option for 30 would be nice.

Thanks! Still excited for tomorrow, I`ve been looking forward to this game for quite a while now.

Any thoughts besides the technical stuff?

EDIT: Did not see your post above. Sounds great.
 
Played about 45 mins of Abzu and I can confirm it's every bit as wonderful and mysterious as Journey. It takes some of the same cues and pacing from that game and obviously shares a similar art style and soundtrack (the game is gorgeous and the music and ambience are excellent). If you enjoyed Journey and want more of that kind of game but in an underwater setting, teaming with wildlife then you'll love it.

I will say it's worth experimenting with the environments and inhabitants as cool and adorable things can come from it. Hit that square button around schools of fish for example.

How are ya'll playing it anyway?

UK here, it released around an hour ago.
 
Just spent an hour alone in one of the starting areas with the rays and the fish, leaping out of the water with them...the music is incredible. This is incredible.
 
Just finished it. It took me a little bit less than 2 hours. Really, really lovely and so pretty. I am going to get some rest now but I can't wait to dive back in again to find some more secrets.

This game makes me want to get diving lessons.
 
Played about 45 mins of Abzu and I can confirm it's every bit as wonderful and mysterious as Journey. It takes some of the same cues and pacing from that game and obviously shares a similar art style and soundtrack (the game is gorgeous and the music and ambience are excellent). If you enjoyed Journey and want more of that kind of game but in an underwater setting, teaming with wildlife then you'll love it.

I will say it's worth experimenting with the environments and inhabitants as cool and adorable things can come from it. Hit that square button around schools of fish for example.

Thank you for that! It sounds amazing!

The OST is now on iTunes, €4,99.

Austin Wintory, you are incredible!

Yes he is!

Just spent an hour alone in one of the starting areas with the rays and the fish, leaping out of the water with them...the music is incredible. This is incredible.

So stoked to play this!!
 
Had a phenomenal time with Journey back at its PS3 launch, but hadn't heard of this game at all until this year's Play promo was revealed. Between PlayStation Underground ~20ish minute demo and this OT, ended up pre-ordering a few days ago.

Can't wait to play in a few hours (waiting on the North American unlock).
 
Top Bottom