Abzu is a beautifully designed exploration game. It begins with you waking up in, what initially seems to be an open and empty ocean. However, you quickly find yourself surrounded by shoals of fish and on a tour of reefs, caves, and kelp forests. The first thing that struck me about Abzu is the movement and control over your character. The way you swim feels incredibly fluid and free. It really evokes the feeling of swimming underwater and is a calming experience in itself. The way that the kelp moves around you as you swim through the underwater forests is really so real.
The responsiveness of the controls is exactly what you would expect for moving through water, though the camera can get a little over-excited and swing around a little wildly at times. This sudden, quick movement of the camera also exacerbates the main issue I had with the game; the low framerate. I really need to upgrade my graphics card so I wouldn’t
expect most players to see the same drops as I did. However, if you are thinking of playing on a lower-spec computer, you may run into similar problems.
It didn’t stop me from enjoying the game at all though. Even with this, I could really appreciate the bold colors and fun designs of the fish and environments I came across.The environments themselves are incredibly well designed and a lot of fun to explore. The space feels like a real habitat for the marine life you encounter.
I really enjoyed swimming up to the fish, dolphins, and other animals and catching a ride. There are so many creatures to discover in each area, which is a really nice incentive to explore. There are some elements to the game that are less relaxing, and this becomes more prominent as you progress. Without spoiling anything, there are some things that pose a threat to you. These enemies can be a little bit scary and the sections with them can be a
little stressful. However, it’s not too difficult and there doesn’t seem to be any real consequence of being attacked. No failing levels or replaying sections, so don’t get too hung up on it.
It’s very important for these sorts of exploration games to utilise music to enhance the experience, and Abzu is no exception to this. The orchestral soundtrack is beautiful and well-implemented, though there isn’t a particular piece that sticks with you after playing. When you are exploring the reef the music is light and playful, and during the more intense sections, it builds on that atmosphere.
I really enjoyed playing Abzu and it’s really made me want to try scuba diving again. The level design and visuals are fantastic, even with the performance issues I saw. However, things do get a little intense towards the end of the story, so I have to give Abzu a Chill-out rating of 4 out of 5 and I am recommending you to play this awesome game and comment below your experience.
