Abzû, Diving into the Depths of my backlog.
Played on Xbox One’s Game Pass.
So, after finishing another game off my ever-increasing backlog, I impulsively searched for a quick game already installed on my Xbox to play whilst my other game downloaded in the background.
I had recently downloaded a few Xbox game pass games, to save for a rainy day. The first game on the list was a little indie game called Abzu. Now, I knew basically next to nothing about this game, apart from the odd time I confused it with Subnautica.
Now as I dove into this game I had no expectations and no idea what I was getting myself into. You play as an unnamed diver, who was woken up drifting on the surface of the sea. From there you are free to swim, dive, and launch yourself from the water in any direction.
I had so much fun playing this little game in the first few minutes. The developers nailed the feeling of being underwater. The feeling of zooming around felt fun like I was straight out of an Aquaman comic. I remember at one point picking up speed whilst swimming around, and shooting myself towards the surface, firing up into the air like a man shaped dolphin.
Interacting with the wildlife in Abzu is one of the best features, each of the creatures of the sea has been painstakingly crafted and researched. From massive Great White Sharks, to the friendly dolphin there is plenty to see under the sea.
But it is the mystery of Abzu that really has me hooked, I have only played the first three levels of the game, but it is already apparent there is more to this game than just swimming with the fishes. Big underground structures and complexes hint towards a civilization that lived here before they vanished. Environmental storytelling is one of Abzu’s strengths so far, sinking the hooks into me, making me want to find out more. I don’t want to speculate too much for spoiler’s sake, but for a game that I was only going to spend five minutes in, it has me fully submerged in it’s underwater mysteries.
I shall post a full thoughts and feelings article when I have finished the game.
