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ABZÛ |OT| A Journey into an ocean of wisdom

L

Lee Chaolan

Member
Played very about an hour, getting too tired and want to look for secrets more awake. haha.

Game is amazing! So Happy I got it right away. :D
 
Karak

Karak

Member
Kremzeek said:
That giant school of fish made me a little ill & woozy when I swam into them- it was surprisingly overwhelming on my TV.

Well done!
Click to expand...

Lots of folks have reported that lol

Doing an indepth Walking the Walk Game Design Discussion as well. Uploading it now.
 
Y

Yabberwocky

Member
Karak said:
My Review for ACG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbNdcdgF2TQ

Rated it a BUY

Play time #1 3.5 hours
Playtime #2 to get more items 3 hours and to do some recording

Rated it a Buy.

Pros
Worldview
Sound
Music

Cons
Abstract as hell.
Click to expand...

Fantastic review as always, though I did stop half-way through as I decided I didn't want to spoil myself anymore. Too gorgeous. I went from 'I'll get around to playing it by the end of the week' to 'I want to play it nooooow' over the course of a few minutes from the review, so great job!
 
T

Toki767

Member
Just finished it. It was nice. This honestly felt more like Flower than Journey to me. Not that that is a bad thing or anything.

That shark deserved to die.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
fidelio_forte said:
Fantastic review as always, though I did stop half-way through as I decided I didn't want to spoil myself anymore. Too gorgeous. I went from 'I'll get around to playing it by the end of the week' to 'I want to play it nooooow' over the course of a few minutes from the review, so great job!
Click to expand...

Ah man. Very glad it gave you the information you needed Fidelio. Thanks man!
 
J

J_ToSaveTheDay

Member
Just beat it. Absolutely worth it as someone who loved Flower and Journey, and not at all a far-fetched comparison.

Personally, I did feel like the emotional take away was
less than Journey's, even if they kind of tread the same beats
. Also feel like it controlled
better than Journey -- the full 3D movement felt smooth and even more liberating
. Austin Wintory's music in ABZU is some of the most noteworthy and stand-out music that I've experienced in a game in a long time. I don't think games generally have had bad soundtracks, but this one stands way out as absolutely stellar.

Sad it doesn't have a Platinum trophy. I like this game enough that I think I'm going to go for completionist status.
 
W

winstano

Member
VanCityGamer said:
Why would it have to actively try to differentiate itself from Journey? Journey underwater would be amazing.
Click to expand...

When I spoke to the devs at E3 they were actively welcoming comparisons to Journey, they aren't afraid of their roots and it shows. Abzu is friggin beautiful.
 
F

Fakeknowledge

Member
Looking forward to playing it later.

Apologies if it's been asked, but does anyone know if there's a suit a or an unlockable bonus thing like the white robe in Journey?
 
I

Intel_89

Member
My girlfriend bought ABZÛ so I'm sure she'll force me to play just like she did with Journey which felt like just ok to me, I'll post my impressions if that does happen.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
winstano said:
When I spoke to the devs at E3 they were actively welcoming comparisons to Journey, they aren't afraid of their roots and it shows. Abzu is friggin beautiful.
Click to expand...

I think he means why does it have to regardless of anything else. Which is not connected to the actual games overall score and never should be.
But thats just how I read it.
 
B

Beatofficer

Member
I just finished the game. Will be going back to 100% it. This is an absolute joy to play. The music is perfect and to me the game is perfect. If the year ended right now it would be my GOTY.

Cannot wait to dive back into it tomorrow.


Edit: I know opinions and stuff but that review giving it a 2/5 is ridiculous.
 
F

Freezasaurus

Member
Okay, just finished playthough #1. Beautiful, beautiful game. Found all the meditation spots, but missed 5 seashells and at least one of those little fish ponds. Looking forward to going through again.
 
S

Skippy27

Neo Member
VanCityGamer said:
Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but this review is kinda fishy. A ripoff of Journey? The similarities being a big negative? I dunno bro...
Click to expand...

If you really want to play Journey again, just go play Journey again. I'm not interested in imitations that don't offer anything new themselves
 
K

KimbleJay

Member
Karak said:
Sadly even with the gtx1080 its got a couple issues on the PC when maxed out. Not issues explained away by a future proofing delta either.
Click to expand...

Really? That's a shame to hear. My PS4 experience was impressively smooth- didn't notice any framerate drops at all.
 
R

robotrock

Banned
Karak said:
Sadly even with the gtx1080 its got a couple issues on the PC when maxed out. Not issues explained away by a future proofing delta either.
Click to expand...

That's a bummer, but hopefully the rest of the game performs consistently alright? Was thinking about double dipping on PC to make some new wallpapers.

PS4 was a consistent experience other than the previously mentioned school of fish drops.
 
V

VanCityGamer

Member
Skippy27 said:
If you really want to play Journey again, just go play Journey again. I'm not interested in imitations that don't offer anything new themselves
Click to expand...

Seriously? The completely different underwater setting and the fact you're swimming already make it easily unique enough.
 
F

Freezasaurus

Member
VanCityGamer said:
Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but this review is kinda fishy. A ripoff of Journey? The similarities being a big negative? I dunno bro...
Click to expand...

It does feel extremely similar to Journey, there's no debating that. I don't think it's a bad thing, but some people like games to evolve on a formula.
 
Orpheum

Orpheum

Member
will buy after work, this hasn't been on my radar at all for some reason but after watching some videos i need to get this later.
 
S

SuicidalSteve

Member
Skippy27 said:
If you really want to play Journey again, just go play Journey again. I'm not interested in imitations that don't offer anything new themselves
Click to expand...

I would say this kind of game and journey plus others before it is it's own genre of Discovery and wonder, and both those games have it for sure, but saying it's a rip off in 20 instances of that review I just couldn't take the review seriously enough
 
L

Lys Skygge

Member
Just beat it. Is great! Loved every second :).

Some thoughts:

+ Amazing graphics! Absolutely stunning. One of the most beautiful games I've played.
+ Fantastic score! I think it might be Austin Wintorys best soundtrack yet.
+ Relaxing. Like Journey, this is a game I can find myself playing to relax after a long day.
+ Exploration. Large spaces to explore and hunt for secrets.
+ A lot of fun!

• Not as emotional as Journey. This game brought a smile to my face, but Journey brought tears to my eyes in addition to a big smile.

- Never quite got used to the controls. But I've always had difficulty with games where you swim or fly.

I can't quite say if I liked it as much as Journey yet. It'll take me a few days to process. Overall I'd say if you loved Journey, you'll love ABZU.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
KimbleJay said:
Really? That's a shame to hear. My PS4 experience was impressively smooth- didn't notice any framerate drops at all.
Click to expand...

Its mostly fine just occasionally drops. Just like the PS4 does at times. Not horrible just noticeable on the platforms right now.
 
V

VanCityGamer

Member
SuicidalSteve said:
I would say this kind of game and journey plus others before it is it's own genre of Discovery and wonder, and both those games have it for sure, but saying it's a rip off in 20 instances of that review I just couldn't take the review seriously enough
Click to expand...

Yeah. I don't normally like to pick on reviews, but yikes. Even if it were literally identical to Journey but underwater...that would provide a unique exploration experience. A totally new and rarely explored place. Unless you disliked Journey, how is that a bad thing? Plus it's not like you're putting 50 hours into these games. They're little exploration pieces in very different settings.
 
P

plasmawave

Banned
This is basically Journey but with underwater. It's a very pretty game but Journey is better in terms of telling a story through just visuals and music. Also that game had a cool co-op mechanic.

A solid 8/10 for me.
 
B

Beatofficer

Member
VanCityGamer said:
Yeah. I don't normally like to pick on reviews, but yikes. Even if it were literally identical to Journey but underwater...that would provide a unique exploration experience. A totally new and rarely explored place. I don't recall swimming with fish in Journey, but it's apparently identical.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. I rarely make any issues with reviews but that one kind of made me laugh. The atmosphere of Journey and Abzu are completely different.
 
D

danowat

Banned
If I didn't like Journey, would I not like this?

I am a bit of a sucker for underwater games, but if it's Journey underwater, that might be a turn off.
 
T

Triggerhappytel

Member
I've bought it but won't be able to play until Friday. Just a question though as my daughter has been really looking forward to playing it with me - is it appropriate for a six year old? Like, there's nothing too dark or weird about it?
 
F

Freezasaurus

Member
Lys Skygge said:
I can't quite say if I liked it as much as Journey yet. It'll take me a few days to process. Overall I'd say if you loved Journey, you'll love ABZU.
Click to expand...

I'll give Journey a slight edge due to the multiplayer interaction present there. And the fact that Journey's story was
a metaphor for the circle of life and death. I'm not quite sure what kind of story Abzu was trying to tell, though I'm interested to find out.

Karak said:
Its mostly fine just occasionally drops. Just like the PS4 does at times. Not horrible just noticeable on the platforms right now.
Click to expand...

I don't think I saw a single framerate dip the entire game.
 
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