![]() ![]() It’s still technically a game, but one that can be appreciated by anyone who loves bright colors, art, fish, meditation, and more. What more needs to be said? ABZÛ is a beautiful experience. ABZÛ delivers a wonderful experience for those who are seeking such a thing, and it is approachable enough, that gamers who might be venturing into what is uncharted territory for them for the first time should find enough value to warrant a purchase. ![]() ![]() These days, however, “games as art” isn’t a new category, and so the target demographic for this title is likely already sold on the concept. This interactive experience is one that your average FPS addict probably won’t give any thought to. Even that label, “game,” doesn’t quite fit ABZÛ. I was surprised when I felt this sadness, and the game’s final act is a rollercoaster of colors, anger, and exhilaration that blends together to make for a genuinely pleasing finish.ĪBZÛ isn’t for everyone, like most artful games. But that is just the unexpected sort of thing that makes ABZÛ special. Yet I never thought I would experience sadness towards a Great White Shark. There’s the expected emotions: awe, excitement, even fear. One unusual thing you will run into as you explore ABZÛ is your own emotions. If ABZÛ has one major detractor, it’s that when the adventure is over you wish there were more locations to explore. Once you’ve conquered everything, the Meditate mode can be invoked to turn your television into a power-hungry aquarium. Seeing everything ABZÛ has to offer will take a couple of playthroughs. The whole game can be experienced in one sitting, taking no more than 2-3 hours if played through at a moderate pace. There is a story being told in ABZÛ, but like Flower and Journey before it, the story is one left open to interpretation. Without spoiling anything major, just know that no matter which fantastic-looking creature you see in this game, they are all, or were, real animals here on Earth (the main character and helpers notwithstanding). This is a game that will definitely teach some people a thing or two about what lives in our ocean, as well as what used to live there. Speaking of species, there are a ton of them in ABZÛ. More than that, however, you also get to see many different species of ocean life that you might have missed out on otherwise. One of the game-like mechanics in ABZÛ is these portals find them all, and earn a trophy. It’s usually some sort of fish or school of fish, but is also occasionally a portal which spawns some new species of aquatic creature. In every corridor, there is something to be discovered. I will say that it was surprisingly rewarding when I figured out how to make a shark do a barrel roll, or a dolphin leap into the air Ecco-style.ĪBZÛ begs to be explored. ABZÛ only tells you how to move, interact with objects, and hitch rides on the wildlife you are left to your own devices shortly after starting the game up, and learn the controls as you play. Instead, you are free to move in 360 degrees, and can effortlessly perform flips, quickly change direction, and more. Having a camera that constantly oriented itself directly behind and slightly above you as in regular third-person games would be incredibly disorienting, or would have resulted in a limited moveset for the player. This is important, because the ocean needs to be explored in a full 360 degrees. A typical scene in ABZÛ contains thousands of fish and other creatures without this problem, so this appears to be an issue only at these certain points.ĪBZÛ controls very well, with simple controls and a camera that only follows the direction in which you are traveling. It never gets to the point where things become unplayable, but it may annoy some players. In some of the game’s more intense scenes involving thousands of fish swimming in a large circle, the game can drop its framerate quite noticeably. Granted, there is a huge color palette swap between those two games, but I don’t believe it can be understated just how good ABZÛ looks. It makes Uncharted 4’s underwater sections look rather mundane by comparison, and as we all know, that’s saying something. The Unreal Engine 4 allows for some breathtaking seascapes, and you may find yourself simply basking in the glorious surroundings. ![]()
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