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ABZÛ |OT| A Journey into an ocean of wisdom

F

Felensis

Banned
Thanks for the heads-up GAF/OP, I totally forgot about this game since it's announcement. After seeing the recent trailer and screenshots + listening to the awesome soundtrack I def will get this today on Steam! I love Flower + Journey thus can't wait to play Abzu!
 
S

SolidChamp

Banned
OMG, just refreshed in the middle of typing a post!!! Ugh!

Just came to post how incredible ABZU is. If you're on the fence, jump off it already. This is absolutely perfect for those who found Journey to be an unforgettably transcendent gaming experience.

I've encountered moments that have given me goosebumps. I spend so much time just swimming around an area, admiring the beauty, looking to see what I can find.

I also LOVE that they included a wonderful
visual reference to Journey
. So awe-inspiring.

I am so glad I preordered this at the discounted price. I almost didn't.

Oh, and those who were complaining about the controls...I mean, huh? The default invert controls are perfect for someone like myself who always switched to inverted.
 
derExperte

derExperte

Member
Wot I Think: ABZÛ

The PC version of the game seems to detect controller use but the controller instructions are for the PS4 pad. Meditation is triggered by pressing the touch pad, says the game, so I stared at my Xbox pad and tried to figure out which one was going to be the stand-in for a touch pad and there’s no option in the menu to show you key bindings. The thing is, if you press the wrong button you leave the statue and have to start the meditation process again. It turns out you need to press “back”. Stuff like that is an irritant because it feels like one experience has been prioritised over another.
Click to expand...

Abzû is a beautiful game. It’s a game stuffed with fish and colour and movement and music. I love those things. Sometimes you feel like you’re actually inside an episode of Blue Planet (I recorded the video above during one such moment). But I don’t love wrestling for control of an experience which feels expansive one moment and restrictive or unpredictable the next.
Click to expand...

4Players.de Review (68%) Basically: Too repetitive and restrictive, tries to emulate Journey and SOTC but falls flat after the beginning. Complains about controls too and a comment says the amount of loading screens on PS4 are a problem.
 
M

MrJohnSherry

Member
Just finished it, took me around 2 hours - what an experience! I don't want to say much but it is right up there with Journey in terms of atmosphere, immersion and how it just made me feel. Brilliant, Abzu-lutley brilliant.
 
R

rdytoroll

Member
JaseC said:
It'll be roughly the same as the US price assuming the devs elected to use Steam's recommend prices ($16 to begin with: $20 minus a 20% early bird discount).



The devs didn't want to do a pre-order on Steam for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

That's a good price, will buy it later then
 
DeepEnigma

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Shot I shared on via Twitter last night.

Pure art!

Co1CXUUWAAApIce.jpg:large
 
D

Dangansona

Member
Really digging it so far. Think I'm going to wait until this evening and try to run through the rest in a dark room because I bet that's the way to experience this thing.

I'm not sure if I'm going to switch off inverted controls. I mean they kind of make sense for diving?
 
D

Dangansona

Member
Mdk7 said:
So, here I am.
As I wrote in my review, I absolutely LOVED the presentation: the art direction is truly jawdropping, and throughout the whole adventure you experience a sense of wonder that's simply breathtaking. The colors are unbelievable, the atmosphere is stunning, the creatures you encounter are astonishing (I really adore the subtle lowpoly taste in modeling the different species, and the superb texture work), and quite a few times you'll find yourself lost among all that beauty, almost victim of the so-called Stendhal syndrome.
And it's not just a matter of incredible art: the tech behind it is equally amazing (DAT LIGHTING), and the soundtrack by Austin Wintory is nothing but divine. I beat the game 3 times, and took 183 captures on my PS4 while playing. And I think I still feel like swimming around, and in the upcoming months I'm fairly certain I'll boot up this game again for a dive.

All that said, I can't help but feel a little disappointed on the "emotional" side: the story is too abstract and really not that involving IMHO, and while Journey almost brought me to tears with its powerful ending and its genuine human interactions (I personally loved the multiplayer), ABZÛ never touched my heartstrings in the same way... not even remotely.
Maybe it didn't even want to, because this could be just a super relaxing zen safari not meant to make you cry or something, but overall I personally felt that this experience was beyond gorgeous audiovisually, but way less touching and heartwarming than its spiritual predecessor.
And eventually, that is what separates a masterpiece (like Journey is, to me) from just an amazing game (ABZÛ).

A few random (vaguely spoilerish) considerations:
- The abyss is absolutely not dark enough to me. There's still too much light and visibility for the bottom of the ocean, and I wish it was almost completely pitch black, with some bioluminescent glows here and there, almost like swimming in outer space.
- As as avid fan of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures in general, when I first saw that Dunkleosteus statue in the orange level I think my heart skipped a beat... And then, when later on I actually met one of those guys, I had a HUGE smile on my face.
- Again on this point: when you start to encounter prehistoric underwater creatures, I secretly started to hope the whole game would become a metaphor of the evolution on Earth, and I imagined dinosaurs would start to appear (even more considering that the Diver gets out of the water to walk on his legs, as some creature did...). That would have been soooo special, I think I would have died for too much awesomeness. Too bad it didn't happen.
- That sci-fi digression is not that inspired: it doesn't add that much to the experience, and I honestly felt it was a bit forced and even a little out of space.
- I got all the seashells, but I don't think I understood what happened. I remember Nava teased something special, but... I didn't see shit, LOL.
Click to expand...

I know it's a bit of a tangent but what's your story? Is English your first language?

That's a nice write up, I'd say there is something to the fact that the game can succeed on its own without trying to compete with Journey for that emotional impact.
 
H

HalfBakedProphet

Member
CitizenCope said:
I don't think anyone is playing this game at a slower pace than me. haha I spent 45 minutes where you first start.
Click to expand...
I'm in the same boat.

I think I spent 30 minutes at the part with the (early to mid game spoilers)
dolphins at the coral reef, leaping out of the water and riding the sharks.
 
H

HalfBakedProphet

Member
By the way...

While swimming, use X (boost)-O (spin)-X (boost) in quick succession for a cool super boost. Not sure if the game ever explains how to pull it off
 
M

Mdk7

Member
Dangansona said:
I know it's a bit of a tangent but what's your story? Is English your first language?

That's a nice write up, I'd say there is something to the fact that the game can succeed on its own without trying to compete with Journey for that emotional impact.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the kind words! :D
I'm 33 years old, I'm from Italy and I'm a Graphic Designer (and also a gaming journalist, even if that doesn't pay the bills around here, so it's not my main job... despite being something I've done in the last 10+ years for pretty big outlets).

As for the emotional impact, I was honestly sort of expecting it, considering the amazing people behind the game and the way it was presented (I played it first at E3 2015, as my very last meeting on the very last day, in a room with Matt Nava... it was such a great moment for me, I'm a huge fan of his works both as a designer and as a gamer, so I still have a great memory of that time!).
To me, it's not really there, or at least not even remotely as much as expected/wanted. And that, during my first playthrough, was frankly a bit of a disappointment (read the spoilers in my previous post after you beat the game, as I discussed a possible outcome in terms of story that unfortunately wasn't there that I would have loved). Of course I still enjoyed immensely the art, the music, the atmosphere... those blew me away, and were enough for me not to consider ABZÛ a disappointment all around (and consider it was surely my most wanted game of 2016, along with Cuphead).
The day after however, after a stressful day at work, I came home with the desire to dive in again, and during that time I enjoyed the game a lot more: I wasn't expecting any particular teary-eyed moment or some greater meaning behind the plot, I knew what was waiting for me, yet the sheer joy of just taking pictures, swimming around, discovering artifacts really made me fall in love with the game.

Overall, it won't replace Journey in my heart (despite the fact that I like this setting a lot more), but it's still a superb experience and a glorious feast for your senses.
 
Raven77

Raven77

Member
So I was REALLY looking forward to this but now i'm getting a bit nervous about what i'm reading. Here is what I was hoping for:

- decently large open areas with lots to see and explore.
- Things to collect (hidden things)
- A 5-10 hour experience. This would count replays as long as their are things to collect, etc.

Based on what you guys have read do you think i'm going to end up disappointed? I love underwater exploration games.
 
T

The Praiseworthy

Member
Just finished it.... 2 hours, a lot shorter than Journey.

Loved the game. I bow to Austin Wintory.

And I bow to the artistic vesion of the team.

Only problem is the controlling get clunky some time.
 
H

halfbeast

Banned
gorgeous game! the soundtrack is incredible, which is no surprise, and agree that it all feels a little bit too familiar (if you played the That Game Company's previous games).

the game needs a photo mode DESPERATELY, there are moments that are worthy of a National Geographic logo in the corner. also, if that happens, please have a hide-robots-option.

TpjJEb7.jpg
Click to expand...
 
G

GalacticMouse

Member
Raven77 said:
So I was REALLY looking forward to this but now i'm getting a bit nervous about what i'm reading. Here is what I was hoping for:

- decently large open areas with lots to see and explore.
- Things to collect (hidden things)
- A 5-10 hour experience. This would count replays as long as their are things to collect, etc.

Based on what you guys have read do you think i'm going to end up disappointed? I love underwater exploration games.
Click to expand...

Having played through it over the weekend for review, I'd say that...

- The areas are large enough to get lost and/or turned around here and there. There's plenty of nooks and crannies to seek out collectibles, but I wouldn't call them huge by any stretch.
- Each area has a meditation statue among other collectibles. Before I realized the pattern of what defined an "area", I missed two of the statues.
- I could see this hitting 6-8 hours in two play-throughs. I'd say my first playthrough was around 3.5 hours with more than half of the collectibles. I'll be interested to see how long it takes me to go back through.

While the things you're looking for are there, they certainly aren't the highlight of the game. Wintory's score is incredible and the art style and game's ebb and flow with regards to pacing are what kept me hooked. I certainly think it's worth experiencing, but primarily for different reasons than what you're looking for.
 
M

Mdk7

Member
Raven77 said:
So I was REALLY looking forward to this but now i'm getting a bit nervous about what i'm reading. Here is what I was hoping for:
- decently large open areas with lots to see and explore.
Click to expand...
Some areas are small, some are pretty big. There's nothing really huge (in terms of actual explorable space, not in terms of scale...), but they are absolutely crowded with stunning creatures, incredible scenery and sweets spots to find.
Raven77 said:
- Things to collect (hidden things)
Click to expand...
Hmm... not much in this sense: there are shells scattered throughout the game, but they are not that much and not really intentionally well hidden (save for a couple of them, one in particular is in such a sweet place...)
Raven77 said:
- A 5-10 hour experience. This would count replays as long as their are things to collect, etc.
Click to expand...
Nope, it's definitely way, way shorter than that.
Raven77 said:
Based on what you guys have read do you think i'm going to end up disappointed? I love underwater exploration games.
Click to expand...
It depends. I think you'll still like it, but probably it won't blow you away because most of the stuff you'd want isn't really there. But what's there is still incredibly good, so who knows! ;)

PackAPunchedMick said:
Without reading any reviews I would like to know if you can just sit back, relax and watch the environment go about its day?
Click to expand...
Not only you can, but there's even a specific mode for that.
 
R

radioactivez0r

Member
I tried 3 or 4 times last night to add funds to my PSN wallet in anticipation of buying this, but it wouldn't go through. I think I'd still prefer to play it on my TV instead of my PC monitor so I'll try again today and hope for the best, or just go to PC if it fails. Excited to check it out.
 
T

T-Rex.

Banned
Journey is one of my favourite experiences and I love underwater stuff, SOLD. I can't believe I'd never heard of this game before today.
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
PC version is now live. It was delayed an hour at the last minute for some reason.

Edit: 4.7GB install, 1.1GB download.
 
M

Mdk7

Member
halfbeast said:
gorgeous game! the soundtrack is incredible, which is no surprise, and agree that it all feels a little bit too familiar (if you played the That Game Company's previous games).

the game needs a photo mode DESPERATELY, there are moments that are worthy of a National Geographic logo in the corner. also, if that happens, please have a hide-robots-option.
Click to expand...

I agree with both suggestions.
Also, I wish there was a way to zoom on fishes when you are in meditation mode, as I wanted to check those amazing 3D models in detail.
And I would have liked a description for each creature, kinda like the Mass Effect codex.

PS: How insanely good is the motion blur? It really adds something to the image, it's implemented in a glorious way.
 
S

Sexually Aggressive Uncle

Member
Just finished it and I can't help but feel disappointed. I was really excited about this because I'm a HUGE fan of Journey but ABZU was just too derivative... too reminiscent of Journey and Flower.... and not as good. Nothing surprising here and the controls never felt right and often times were rather clunky. Gorgeous soundtrack though.
 
U

UCBooties

Member
I played 20 minutes last night and loved it.

I think I'm going to put it aside until the weekend and do a full playthrough start to finish. It seems better than trying to play it in chunks if it's like Journey.
 
D

Deckard Chapel

Banned
Has anyone found any nods to Matt Nava's past games yet?

The only two things I've seen so far are the achievement for breaking up 15 schools of fish during the Jetstream part, which is like going under 15 arches in the Trials part in Journey. Also, the last chapter of the game has a very similar feeling to the Apotheosis chapter from Journey. I noticed in the achievements that there's one for finding the Polar Region - is there a hidden chapter in the game??

Some of the seashells are hidden quite cleverly! In the second chapter I missed one and then on some of the other chapters, like the second to last one and the one before it; I found none at all!

Incentives, incentives :)
 
chris121580

chris121580

Member
This was absolutely phenomenal and I'm in the boat that I enjoyed it more than Journey. I just liked the atmosphere, music, and art better. I also enjoyed the things you had to do. Nothing ever felt tedious or repetitive. Well done Giant Squid. Also, avoid spoilers at all costs. You want to go into this game blind
 
D

Deckard Chapel

Banned
chris121580 said:
This was absolutely phenomenal and I'm in the boat that I enjoyed it more than Journey. I just liked the atmosphere, music, and art better. I also enjoyed the things you had to do. Nothing ever felt tedious or repetitive. Well done Giant Squid. Also, avoid spoilers at all costs. You want to go into this game blind
Click to expand...

I agree with what you wrote on all counts!

There is going to be a lot of debate between those of us that enjoyed it more than Journey and those that feel Journey is so near and dear to their hearts, that they cannot accept that anything could be better and I can understand that.
 
T

thumb

Banned
It's interesting to me that, despite having a female protagonist, they deemphasized her secondary sexual characteristics to make her appear more androgynous. It's possible they wanted a wide variety of people to identify with the diver. Also possible that they did this because it's very uncommon in video games. (Female characters almost always have very exaggerated body types.)
 
P

Palmer27

Member
My overall impression's:
-Unmatched audio-visual artistic masterpiece
-Takes the art and music perfected in Journey and Flower up to 11
-More of an abstract beauty than Journey - similar to Flower - with less emotional empathy and narrative, instead choosing an empathy with the environment. There's spades to to mull over artistically
-Wonderful moments in game
Whales whales whales
however the actual passage of events seemed to ring a little hollow
-A short 2.5 hours, maybe £10 would have been a fairer price
-PS4 version had a top-notch IQ with the occasional drop when schools of fish fill the screen. The loading screens were distractingly consistent - particularly detrimental for this kind of game
- I became adjusted to the controls, unfortunately the awkwardness stops this from being truly relaxing and universally playable
- Forgot where I was for almost the entire game, meaning Abzu succeeded!

A masterwork in fish and soundtrack!

I'm glad I don't understand the game's connection with
Enûma Eliš
, I think the abstract beauty works on being mesmerised.
 
finalflame

finalflame

Banned
Any screenshot of PC settings? Hearing they didn't even add in the proper controller prompts does not make me feel very good about purchasing this before seeing more info on the PC port.
 
K

Kyoufu

Member
Just finished it.

Absolutely beautiful visuals, especially on an OLED TV. My eyes were in wonder the entire journey. The soundtrack took the game to the next level really, just fantastic.

Perfect length game at around 3-4 hours long and I haven't found all the secrets yet. A+ IMO.
 
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