ABZU

THIS GAME DOES NOT REQUIRE A CONTROLLER. Lets just be clear on that. The devs should take down that dumb sign that urges you to play with a controller......it is the reason I refused to buy this game and would not play it until someone gifted me the damn game. This game is fine with K+M.
Okay. Now lets talk.
It pains me to write this because I only write reviews of games when I complete them. I am so sad that this game is over. I have 9 hours in ABZU and I might go back to 100% it. If I scroll down this review section there are only 2 or 3 people who played longer than me. So bear that in mind. This game is pretty short if you blaze through it but that isn't what the devs had in mind. Lose yourself in the environment, ride fish, meditate, take lots of beautiful screenshots and jump out of the ocean with as many fish as you can.
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PROS
+ music. Music is very important to me. So once again, music takes top slot. The music in ABZU is so fitting and works in harmony throughout the entire ride.
+ fluidity. The game feels like you are on a dive. The animals are smooth, the motions are smooth, Everything is butter fluid.
+ story. I am a huge fan of story with no dialogue. ABZU tells a pretty neat story which I think I got? Maybe not but all the same I was engaged the entire time.
+ wow. There were so many jaw dropping moments in this game. It was like living inside an Attenborough documentary. Riding a blue whale, swimming through the eye of a fishnado, brushing against eelgrass and kelp. It was an immersive and beautiful experience.
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- The meditation scenes seemed difficult to control. I often got stuck cycling between the same 3 groups of animals.
- It dipped a toe into puzzles but didn't dare go ankle deep. I wish they had a bit more depth to the puzzles.
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And that's my thoughts. I started scuba diving about 25 years ago and this game is the closest I have come to experiencing that feeling in a video game. If only all my dives had that same visability and wildlife all crammed together in one single beautiful safe spot.
If you want to unwind after school or work or anything, there is no better place to do this than underwater. Get ABZU, it is amazing.

best game ive ever played in my life helped me when i was derpressed played this game over and over
probibly the best thing i could have played while going through depression

I am not sure what I just played but it was very relaxing. The soundtrack is outstanding and the visuals are great. If you're feeling stressed and want to lose yourself you'd probably enjoy this game. I was able to play through it just over 81 minutes but didn't take much time to explore. I'll be playing it again when I feel the need to unwind and not have to focus on things.

An audio-visual masterpiece.
Abzu is a relaxing exploration game in the vein of Journey and Flower, developed by Giant Squid. In Abzu you play as a diver exploring a strange ocean with several different biomes. The game is populated by creatures found here on Earth, but the visual style of the oceans suggest that this is an alien world. Despite being a game about diving, there’s not a huge amount of depth here, but if you’re looking for something to sit back and relax with, you’ll find nothing finer.
Positives:
The visuals are just stunning. The art style is lovely and well executed. The vibrant colours really add to the sense of wonder, and the darker levels establish a chilling atmosphere. The fish in the game are wonderfully realized and all of the animations are fluid and look realistic.
The sound in Abzu plays a big role in how good the game is. The soundtrack is absolutely stunning, the track in the last level is particularly wonderful. It works so well with the game, and really solidifies this game as an incredibly relaxing experience.
One thing that gets brought up a lot in reviews is the weird controls, and there are definitely some oddities with them, but overall they feel right and controlling the diver is incredibly enjoyable. There is a real sense of fluidity to the character.
The meat of the game is really in the exploration. Abzu is comprised of seven chapters that each take place in a different biome. They’re hugely varied and each chapter feels alive. In each chapter, there’s something holding you back from progressing (some barrier that needs to be broken, or a gate that needs to be opened) and what you’re doing is figuring out how to open it. Like I said, the gameplay doesn’t have much depth, but there’s enough here to tie the exploration together and make it feel like you’re working towards something, rather than aimlessly swimming around.
There are also three types of ‘collectibles’ to look out for. There are nautilus shells hidden in each chapter, pools that unlock new species when found and activated, and shark statues that can be used for meditation (meditation lets you follow around different animals). I had a great time searching for these in my first playthrough, as well as going back to find the rest in a second playthrough. In fact, I enjoyed my second playthrough just as much as my first.
There are some nifty little mechanics available to you, such as boosting, breaching and riding (the bigger creatures that is). None of these mechanics are super impressive on their own, but they certainly add some nice flavor and benefit the overall fun-factor.
Neutral:
I did try the game with M+KB, and while I don’t think it’s as enjoyable as with a gamepad, I don’t think it’s as unplayable as it is said to be.
Negatives:
The only gripe I had was that there’s one section that’s really not relaxing, and felt kind of out of place with the rest of the game. There are these mysterious triangular constructs that can shock you if you get too close to them. When they’re introduced, they’re just scattered through the level and it adds some nice tension to the game, but there’s an area that’s absolutely filled with them, and I did not enjoy that part of the game at all.
Verdict:
Abzu is an absolute joy to play thanks to its wonderful visuals and excellent soundtrack. There’s a real sense of fluidity here and just enough gameplay to keep the exploration interesting. I can’t recommend this enough if you just want something to chill with, I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it whenever I just need to kick back for a little while.
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bruh i had no idea i had over 100 hours on this game wtf

A nice looking and relaxing game, once you figure out how the controls work.
My only complaint is that it's short, felt like i wanted to see more, play more, replaying the game doesn't help, as it doesn't add to the experience & it wont feel as good at the first play-through.
Recommended for anyone who want a short relaxing game full of color & life, i truly enjoyed each second i played

fish