Support NeoGAF

[zoukka]

Nice experience, but it really is a Journey 2 and during the first hour felt way too safe and predictable. The second hour was much better and I had wonderful moments with the game.

As a whole I would say Abzu occasionally touches on Journeys quality, but ultimately feels like a homage to it than an expansion. The soundtrack was well produced, but nothing really stuck with me.

Game really suffered from my needlessly high expectations even though I was in total media blackout.

 

[Ferr986]

Dunno if its know but if you time the dash 3 times correctly you get a bigger boost. Also if you mix the dash and that spin.

Ok I'm back to it. I think I'm more than halfway.

 

[brawly]

Finished it. I was 'meh' on it until the last part. That part was amazing and I wish the whole game was a bit more like that.

It's looks nice and sounds great but the fact that

Spoiler

there's no danger, not even the illusion of it

does bring it down. Definitely shorter than Journey too.

 

[Nbz]

Just finished it. What a wonderful experience. It definitely lacks that special something that Journey has (probably the multiplayer aspect), but it is still gorgeous and breathtaking to behold.

Anyone else (playing on PC) suffer framerate drops in the sections

Spoiler

where you come out of the water/late game sections generally?

Spoiled my experience a little bit, but it wasn't too terrible

 

[Deckard Chapel]

Spoiler

They absolutely nailed the atmosphere in that last section, especially with the whales, nightsky and sleeping polar bear on the ice shelf with penguins.

Where is that and how do I see it?? That must be the polar region mentioned in the achievements.

Finished it. I was 'meh' on it until the last part. That part was amazing and I wish the whole game was a bit more like that.

It's looks nice and sounds great but the fact that

Spoiler

there's no danger, not even the illusion of it

does bring it down. Definitely shorter than Journey too.

It's longer than Journey! Plus the environments are a lot more varied and there's a lot more to do in them. I could easily go back in future replays and just ride around on fish and observe what's happening. ABZÛ is amazing!

 

[pots555]

Where is that and how do I see it?? That must be the polar region mentioned in the achievements.



It's longer than Journey! Plus the environments are a lot more varied and there's a lot more to do in them. I could easily go back in future replays and just ride around on fish and observe what's happening. ABZÛ is amazing!

I agree that, for me, it was much longer than Journey. I stayed a long time is some places, just swimming around and meditating. Love the game!

 

[brawly]

It's longer than Journey! Plus the environments are a lot more varied and there's a lot more to do in them. I could easily go back in future replays and just ride around on fish and observe what's happening. ABZÛ is amazing!

Okay. I disagree. I played 40 minutes yesterday and 1h40min today. Even my PS4 replay of Journey was longer than that.

 

[Deckard Chapel]

Okay. I disagree. I played 40 minutes yesterday and 1h40min today. Even my PS4 replay of Journey was longer than that.

Well I clocked in at just under 5 hours and my longest playthrough of Journey was a little over three hours and that was my first time through.

 

[Wind's Howling]

Where is that and how do I see it?? That must be the polar region mentioned in the achievements

Just check out the last region with the

Spoiler

whales. You can swim freely in a pretty big area. Just look around.

.

 

[Deckard Chapel]

Just check out the last region with the

Spoiler

whales. You can swim freely in a pretty big area. Just look around.

.

Gotcha!

The seashells must be hidden really well in that area! I didn't see a single one!

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

Great game. Loved it from start to finish. Better than Journey and Flower for sure. The music is phenomenal, incredibly relaxing and its ocean related. Chapter 6 surprised me, and I had a stupid grin on my face that entire chapter.


Only thing I don't get is the story.


BUT WE, game was a fantastic ride.

EDIT:It'll change in like a week or so, but lets never forget I was once the fastest at something.

 

[Creamium]

Played for a bit, first impression: just as good as Journey, with possibly an even better soundtrack. I just had the part where you

Spoiler

join a giant school of all sorts of fish and you end up hopping out of the water with the orcas.

Magical.

 

[Ferr986]

Aaaand finished. Around 2:30 hours I think, missed some statues and shells I guess.

Honestly, it felt more like Flower 2 than Journey 2 to me, lots of similarities like (spoilers)

Spoiler

bringing back color and live to the areas or even the final stage being about destroying the artificial stuff bound in nature.

Overall I would put it above Flow and Flower but below Journey. Biggest gripe would probably be the controls, not that they are bad, but underwater controls are always harder to get than just regular walking.

Also it's true that it doesn't have as much emotional impact than Journey, not that the game was aiming that much into it like Journey, but it was a plus there.

Spoiler

Again, is another area that I felt like it was closer to Flower, ending wasn't as meaty like Journey, and closer to Flower.

Austin Wintory does it again, btw. Although (like the game itself) I would put his work on Journey above Abzu, this OST is still stellar and enhances what you're seeing in an incredible way. I missed (ending spoilers)

Spoiler

a vocal track like Journey though. Felt like the game had enough choir tracks to add another one for the credits.

A clear candidate for best OST of this year.

Oh, and the game is absolutely beautiful.

There's a bug with controls (really late game spoilers):

Spoiler

if you use normal controls for diving, in the on foot areas the controls are inverted lol

 

[Matt Frost]

Finished. Took me 1 hour 50 minutes. At the beginning I was like: ok this looks great, a soothing experience... kept playing...strangely, I starting to feel... joy... and couldnt let go. Did a few things here, some surfing, some animal freedom stuff and suddently it became even better, it was all part of an unfolding story that, right there conected me emotionally to ABZÛ. Then I felt the need to help and... most of you already know what happens next. I did like Jouney a bit more than this, just a tiny bit (cooperative and lore is better). Amazing experience that I will play again a few weeks

 

[blastprocessor]

Found how to change the resolution via the config file.

My first steam purchase and ughhh this.

 

[Pedersen]

30 min in and this game is the most beautiful game game I've ever played. Drop dead gorgeous in 3440 x 1440 ultrawide. Love when you turn into a ball and you hit it just right to get the boost, it's just so fluent. And the meditation is so relaxing. This game will definitely be my go to when I want to clear my mind after a hard day.

Spoiler

The moment of release when you are at the end of being sucked in with the fish whoooly fuck what a pure moment

And remeber LT for hanging on the sea animals. So nice
And the detail when you meditate and are a fish your head follows the fish!!

 

[JonnyKong]

Just finished now. I think my thoughts echo most of what you guys are saying, it was a lovely game to experience and what not, with a fair few stand out special moments, and it truly is one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played, but I dunno, it was missing something to make it that extra bit special. I can't really think what it is.

The music was gorgeous, and I loved the end bit swimming through what looked like

Spoiler

Atlantis

, but I think it could have been better.. Somehow. Maybe with a bit more variation with things to do? Finding and activating the robots and chains got a bit boring in the end, and I think a sense of danger from the more predatory animals would have been good.

I'll give it an 8/10. I think it's a game everybody should experience, but I don't think it's something I'll be thinking about in a few weeks time.

 

[c0Zm1c]

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.

I'm using a Xbox 360 controller but haven't had that problem. It tells me to press the back button.

 

[Despera]

Nice experience, but it really is a Journey 2 and during the first hour felt way too safe and predictable. The second hour was much better and I had wonderful moments with the game.

As a whole I would say Abzu occasionally touches on Journeys quality, but ultimately feels like a homage to it than an expansion. The soundtrack was well produced, but nothing really stuck with me.

While the soundtrack wasn't as great as Journey's, it was more dynamic. And the 2nd half of the game had a couple of excellent tracks.

Other than that I agree with what you said. It's a good game overall and I enjoyed my time with it, could've been better though.

The last 2 games I played were Inside and Furi, and the next ones I plan to play after ABZU are Bound and No Man's Sky... it's definitely indie season, and we all know that's the best season of 'em all.

 

[dEvAnGeL]

I still don't get the comparisons to Journey, they couldn't be more different games on every aspect but because the artist that worked on Journey created this game people just hang on to that and never let go

 

[Freezasaurus]

Finished. Took me 1 hour 50 minutes.

That's it? It took me about three hours and change. I did a ton of exploring and seem to have found most of the collectibles. Gonna run through again later and round up the last three trophies.

Question for you guys. Trophies / Game spoiler

Spoiler

How do I get the trophy for finding the arctic region? Is that what all the seashells gets me?

 

[Pedersen]

The moment with the

Spoiler

whales

!!!! Contender for best moment of the year??

http://i.imgur.com/PHKQKZ5.jpg

I think this is actually art

And this depressing shit after:O

http://i.imgur.com/EDT504m.jpg

Just dropping some screens
http://i.imgur.com/kBoP8XP.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2cdIQkp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Y2FrnGX.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8SSBoBZ.jpg

 

[Wind's Howling]

That's it? It took me about three hours and change. I did a ton of exploring and seem to have found most of the collectibles. Gonna run through again later and round up the last three trophies.

Question for you guys. Trophies / Game spoiler

Spoiler

How do I get the trophy for finding the arctic region? Is that what all the seashells gets me?

Regarding your trophy question.

Spoiler

Search the last area with the whales jumping out of the water. Once you see it, you'll know.

 

[Vire]

Finally home to experience this! Gonna cook some nice bbq on the grill and sit back and relax with this gem.

Happy to hear that the overall impressions are positive even if it doesn't reach the highs of Journey.

 

[Freezasaurus]

Regarding your trophy question.

Spoiler

Search the last area with the whales jumping out of the water. Once you see it, you'll know.

Thanks! Looking forward to playing through this again. Will probably keep this one installed forever like Journey.

 

[Wind's Howling]

Finally home to experience this! Gonna cook some nice bbq on the grill and sit back and relax with this gem.

Happy to hear that the overall impressions are positive even if it doesn't reach the highs of Journey.

Screw the reviews pitting this against Journey.

We need more masterpieces like this. The constant flow of mediocre shooters that have been harrassing us. I needed this change. Games like these are the reason why I am still gaming 20+ years later. If it weren't for the few gems each generation I probably would have quit years ago.

 

[Lee Chaolan]

Only things that would have made the game better, would be if it were just a touch longer, and multiplayer could have been cool.

Great game though

 

[Tactics18]

Amazing game.

I've had a rough couple of days and it really helped. Thanks Giant Squid!

 

[Ozium]

not understanding the complaints about length, this game was always advertised as a journey-like experience..

I bought it on Steam a little bit ago, will play in a bit!

 

[Vire]

Screw the reviews pitting this against Journey.

We need more masterpieces like this. The constant flow of mediocre shooters that have been harrassing us. I needed this change. Games like these are the reason why I am still gaming 20+ years later. If it weren't for the few gems each generation I probably would have quit years ago.

It's been a nice few weeks for indie games! Hyper Light Drifter, Inside, Abzu and Bound soon after. Certainly a nice change of pace.

 

[Ozium]

ok I just played for 6 minutes and already feel this is going to be amazing. the character controls so well and I was just messin' around, jumpin out of the water like ecco and doing tricks...

 

[DiscoShark]

I still don't get the comparisons to Journey, they couldn't be more different games on every aspect but because the artist that worked on Journey created this game people just hang on to that and never let go

It's pretty much Sea Journey dude, let's not kid ourselves. So much of the game is a nod to the way Journey thematically plays out that it's hard not to make the comparison. Abzu didn't hit the emotional highs of Journey for me but I still ended up enjoying the hell out of it.

Spoiler

Was expecting a bit more out of the deep sea fish areas though, would've been nice to have dealt with the true darkness of the abyss vs. the slightly darker blue and reflective fish that we ended up getting in those moments.

 

[Deckard Chapel]

It's pretty much Sea Journey dude, let's not kid ourselves. So much of the game is a nod to the way Journey thematically plays out that it's hard not to make the comparison. Abzu didn't hit the emotional highs of Journey for me but I still ended up enjoying the hell out of it.

Spoiler

Was expecting a bit more out of the deep sea fish areas though, would've been nice to have dealt with the true darkness of the abyss vs. the slightly darker blue and reflective fish that we ended up getting in those moments.

Well if you read my interview with Matt Nava, he says that they're considering doing some sort of Collector's Edition that may feature different iterations of the game and possibly extra content; so there's always hope for more fish in the sea!

 

[blastprocessor]

Looks gorgeous. Shame l can't get a solid 60fps at 1440p on a 1060.

 

[RoboPlato]

Played about 45 minutes earlier. Taking it pretty slow. One of the most beautiful games I've ever seen.

And, of course, the soundtrack is perfection.

 

[Palmer27]

There's a bug with controls (really late game spoilers):

Spoiler

if you use normal controls for diving, in the on foot areas the controls are inverted lol

I thought it was intentional - like

Spoiler

you were leaving the water as a striking moment? I did have to reset once because I must have been right between the two orientations and couldn't move anywhere

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

I thought it was intentional - like

Spoiler

you were leaving the water as a striking moment? I did have to reset once because I must have been right between the two orientations and couldn't move anywhere

I thought it was intentional as well.

Spoiler

Literally "fish out of water" moment(s).

I didn't get stuck, but I may have come closer to throwing my DS4 than I'd like to admit.

 

[epmode]

Wait, the PC version can't go over 1080p? What a joke.

I'd probably buy this just for the art design if it's corrected.

edit: Fixed! Hooray!

 

[JustenP88]

I'm not sure, but I think I'm close to the end. This game is going to make for some awesome screenshots and gifs.

I think I'm going to jump right into another playthrough after I finish. Really enjoying it so far.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

99 minutes to beat it. That's... Not good. I was just getting into it. :/

 

[Matt Frost]

That's it? It took me about three hours and change. I did a ton of exploring and seem to have found most of the collectibles

I prefer to go at a normal pace first and leave collecting everything and secrets for the second run. So I will have twice the experience.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

I'm actually loving hearing that's it's an incredibly short game.

I think my 4 year old would love a game she can just swim around in.

 

[CHC]

99 minutes to beat it. That's... Not good. I was just getting into it. :/

I expected short but I would definitely prefer 4 hours or something like that. Still I'm excited and I'm going to pick this up.

 

[Hysterical]

Jeeze the game crashed on me as soon I was getting into it. Hopefully a one time thing as I was enjoying it

 

[Gbraga]

How does it run on older systems? I have a GTX 680, can I hope to get decent performance?

EDIT:

Pc performance seems a bit hard. On my new 1070 (keep in mind I'm on a 2600k still) I was getting drops into 30 fps in the main first area with all the fish/turtles/lighting and everything going on.

Still I tweaked a few things, dropped shadows back to high and turned on adaptive vsync for a smoother performance.

Still, the game bounces around from 60 fps to low 40's/high 30's at times.

The game itself I am enjoying, one of these types of games you can just sit back and relax to and enjoy taking it all in.

Oh, I guess I should lock it to 30 then. Too bad. Guess I'll have to find out.

 

[dralla]

Just finished, thought it was damn good. One of the prettiest games ever. The moment

Spoiler

at the very end,, when you, the shark, the fish following you, and the whales all jump out of the water in unison, and the giant splashes from the whales crashing down. One of the best moments in a game in a long time. I wonder if you can miss it though, since you don't HAVE to jump out of the water, you could swim right by the whales.

 

[Klyka]

When I summoned a large amount of colorful fish around me including dolphins and I jumped out of the water with about a hundred fish following me doing the same, I let out a giggle.

It has been a long long time since a game made me giggle like that.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Game is beautiful. On PC with a 360 controller and its showing me 360 button prompts so im not having that issue someone mentioned before. Performance seems good on ultra.

 

[jacobeid]

"This soundtrack sounds a lot like Eric Whitacre" - me, playing this game today.

Roll credits. Special Thanks: Eric Whitacre.

Well...makes sense.

 

[Rndm]

Just finished the game an hour or so ago. It was really great. The music, the art style snd environments, the swimming and riding the creatures. It's just fun.

Also just bought the soundtrack which in all honesty is what I was most excited about before playing the game and Austin totally delivered.