Since the activation points are so easy to find, advancing to the next level was never hard.Ībzû has a detailed and complicated lore that links very closely with Giant Squid’s other game, The Pathless, which can sadly not be played on Nintendo Switch as of this writing. You make your way from area to area by swimming on a jet stream with lots of fish or by activating mechanisms to open an exit door.
Even if you do get hit by one of these you can keep on swimming forwards with no consequences. The closest things to threats throughout the game are one small jump scare, that isn’t very scary, and large, triangular, floating bombs that will zap you if you get too close. Everything can be done at your own steady pace. Something that was a positive for me but could easily be seen as a negative is that Abzû has no challenge, in that there are no bosses, no enemies, and you can’t even die. The nautilus shells are self explanatory.
These spots are a beautiful and relaxing way to familiarise yourself with the life in your ocean. Certain shark statues can be sat upon as meditation spots, allowing you to focus in on the fish around you, watch their behaviour, and find out about their species. There are multiple shark statues throughout the game, and the reason why will become clearer when you play. The more of these you find, the more fishies will be in your ocean. If you find a secret pool and activate it, then a new species of fish will swim out, populating the area. There are three main collectibles to find throughout Abzû: secret pools, meditation spots, and nautilus shells. However, on my second playthrough I noticed that most of the areas have clear boundaries or are surrounded by steep ocean walls, so you’re unlikely to stray from the intended path. The first time I played Abzû, I was worried about swimming off course to even look anywhere but straight ahead of me, in case something huge appeared or I got lost far out at sea and couldn’t find my way back to the main narrative. Therefore there is a continuous flow to Abzû that I really haven’t seen in many other games.Īlthough there isn’t all that much appeal in replaying the entire story, flipping, diving, and dashing around with dolphins and mantas never gets old. The score actually feels like it’s tailored to your exact experience of the game, and since you can’t die it never stops. Speaking of the music, I really do have to congratulate Austin Wintory on yet another outstanding soundtrack. Unlike most games, when you go above water the music becomes muffled, whereas below the surface it’s crystal clear. In fact, throughout the entire game you can really see the work Giant Squid has put into making the ocean an inviting place to explore, as opposed to a terrifying, barren void. You learn to dive using the right trigger and are instantly transported into a colourful world that clearly contrasts with the lifeless sky above. It begins with you floating above the water. You play as a robotic scuba diver with mysterious origins to be discovered throughout the game. Hang out with fish based on real life species, swim into the unknown with ginormous whales and discover the lore of a mysterious futuristic world.īut are two hours below the waves really worth your money? Here’s my review on the wonderful world of Abzû. Unique and relaxing, it’s the literal representation of diving into a beautiful world. Abzû is a small underwater adventure developed by Giant Squid and 505 Games. Perhaps the most fitting title for a game ever. In the Akkadian language, “Ab” means water and “Zû” means to know, translated by the developers as “Oceans Of Wisdom”.
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