IT’S LOVELY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BEAUTIFUL BRINY SEA.
US$ . | PS , PC | www.abzugame.com
No other game in is going to make observing sh as sublime as this. Taking place entirely in the depths of a bright and colourful sea, Abzû puts you in the wetsuit of a nameless diver who’s awoken by a mysterious signal pinging from a distance. Your aim to begin with is simply to discover your purpose. Initially, that’s a little tricky while you grapple with the controls. But graceful animations plus a considered speed utterly convince you that you’re underwater.
The best moments come when you nd a meditation spot. Hidden in some of the more expansive sections of levels, your diver sits down upon a statue of a shark and the camera pulls away from you to focus on the marine life. Whether it’s a school of sh gliding around rocks or a goblin shark munching his way through the lower rungs of the food chain, it’s in these moments that Abzû reminds you of the many stories that are happening around you, and it repositions your role from the star to just a tiny part of the wider ecosystem.
The narrative wordlessly weaves in touching moments along with surprisingly cinematic cutscenes. And it’s easily digested: the brief run-time (a few hours, depending on how exhaustively you scratch under the surface) and constant momentum means you’ll likely polish it o in a single sitting.
That it’s such a breathtaking place to explore should come as no surprise, seeing as Abzû’s creative team includes Matt Nava and Austin Wintory — the art director and composer of the spectacular Journey. Just as their masterpiece created a distinctive, wondrous world, so too does this latest collaboration. It’s hard not to fall in love with Abzû’s art direction instantly and Wintory’s musical score is just as powerful as Journey’s audio.
The biggest problem is the repetition and re-purposing of ideas. For a game that’s only a few hours long, this adherence to a single structure dulls the thrill of exploring the ocean, and the reappearance of familiar design concepts betray the unique visuals.
But this niggle is partially washed away when you dive back in and submerge yourself in Abzû.