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Never having to fight against the controls or worrying about holding breath means I wanted to go explore and discover, I wanted to see what that shiny collectable was in the corner or see what creature or decoration was hiding away, and the outcome was always pleasant. This is a title that wants you to soak in everything around you and explore each area that the diver comes across. Getting the controls correct for something you do 99% of does wonders for motivation.
#Abzû review skin
This is a game where you swim, you can grab onto bigger animals for a lift or tap a button three times rhythmically for a boost of speed and rise to the ocean skin to break through to create your take on that scene in Free Willy. The controls are so easy to grasp that it only takes a few minutes before it become a natural extension of your hands. Holding down the right trigger causes the diver to go forward, while the stick acts as 3D movement, similar to those 3D sections in the classic N64 game Lylat Wars. Abzû makes swimming feel good with its elegant and straightforward controls built around an Xbox One controller (the store page has a warning saying “ A controller is strongly recommended to play ABZU”). In the end, while people might be tapping their chin to come up with a conclusive theory about its story maybe telling us to be nice to the environment, one thing that doesn’t take a great detective to figure out is what the game excels at – bringing together wonderfully pure set pieces.īut first, let’s clear some air about the controls, because swimming in video games hasn’t always been successfully implemented, even if the game is great, it can easily succumb to awful oxygen restrictions or disastrous swimming mechanics that make aquatic movement more of a frustration than fun. Our discussion group has different ideas about what the game has conveyed to us, which keeps us talking about the game and the experience we felt. It does not make it easy to know who exactly the diver is, where you are and who you meet. It is presented in an abstract way – even more so than Journey, as I at least got the gist of that story – that I am still trying to understand about the game’s titbits with a friend of mine. There is a mystery to solve, but not through cutscenes or text, but from exploring and visual identification.
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Similar to Journey, the story here isn’t laid before the player.
#Abzû review plus
It’s here where the controls are quickly introduced, simple mechanics to get your way through the vast ocean, and then the 100 plus minute journey truly begins after a free ride on a giant fish. Suddenly the camera transitions to a floating entity, a silent yellow and black diver who wakes up floating at the top of what could be an advertisement for the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. Deeper and deeper it goes until light becomes dark, hitting what seems to be the darkness at the bottom of the ocean with a glowing red light. It’s a perfect game to play while sat down on a comfy sofa to unwind with Abzû’s relaxingly pacific underwater experience, which with the warm and wet weather, seems like a game that hit the right note for an afternoon play to alleviate stress and succumb to the fascinating wonders of the ocean that is laid bare for the player.Ī beautiful moving shot of the ocean greets the player once starting a new game on Abzû ‘s uncluttered start menu, then the camera takes a deep dive into the bright blue ocean. It’s a title that aims to delivery a very similar experience, one that communicates an adventure through artistic visuals and simple, minimal interactions and its atmospheric score. Abzû will instantly recall feelings for people that played Thatgamecompany’s Journey.