Abzu

Abzu is a rare game that can actually transport you to a different world. And when you get there, you'll find one of the most wondrous, tranquil experiences you could ever hope for.

Abzû might not offer an easy to digest story, but those missteps are made up with a dazzling experience, some marvellous set-pieces, beautiful visuals packed with vivid colours, and a lovely soundtrack. All this artistic work gels together for a relaxing and reflective afternoon of wonderment.

Despite a short length and underwhelming gameplay, Abzu makes for a compelling adventure thanks to its striking visuals and a great soundtrack.

Abzu takes the graceful feel of movement and subtle push toward discovery that I’ve enjoyed in similar exploration games like Journey and Flower and builds a refreshing-yet-simple underwater adventure around it. The colorful settings, beautiful soundtrack, and basic controls made it a great experience that constantly piqued my interest, even if it never challenged me to master it other than deciphering its cryptic environmental clues. Instead, Abzu relishes in giving you freedom to simply enjoy exploring the fascinating deep blue sea.

The gameplay’s never as compelling as the visuals, and while its undersea kingdom is a fascinating place to visit, the story doesn’t quite have the same heart. Stick it on a big screen, put on some headphones and you'll be blown away, but will you keep coming back? I’m not so sure.

Abzu is a beautiful game with excellent pacing and gorgeous visuals. It has some of the best swimming in a video game ever, even if the controls take some getting used to. There are plenty of secrets to discover in the game and uncovering them is a...

Absolutely gorgeous and a joy to behold, but sticks too close to Journey's formula for its own...

Abzû is the type of wondrous palate cleanser that reminds us of the beauty of video games. When the art director of Flower and Journey, Matt Nava, left thatgamecompany to form a new studio, we could have gotten a knockoff, Mighty No. 9 version of Journey that left us shaking our heads. Instead, Abzû is exactly what fans of Nava’s work were hoping for. A beautiful, emotional journey through some of the best looking environments on the PlayStation 4, Abzû was well worth the wait.

Exploring and playing in Abzu's oceans is a gorgeous, soothing experience that's easy to recommend. We have precious few games that strive for placidity and even fewer that reach it as handily as Giant Squid has here. But for all its aesthetic wonder, Abzu's threadbare mechanics feel like they're keeping the player at arm's length. For a game that's all about plumbing the depths, it's just a little shallow.

Yet Abzu is still an easy game to recommend, mainly because of the obvious skill at play here in crafting this unique and striking world. Even if you can't get comfortable in the sea, there's still some treasure to be found underwater.

In the end, I believe Abzu is the game that Giant Squid set out to make. Its problem is that it seems like this is the only kind of game that Matt Nava and company know how (or are willing) to make. Abzu is built for both a specific kind of gamer and a...

When I die, I hope whatever happens next is even half as beautiful as Abzu . Its mesmerizing soundtrack and Wind Waker-esque visuals are among the most enrapturing in recent memory, yet the game's true beauty stems not from its bittersweet score and...