ZPage Entertainment 

The month of May has given us the game Abzu for free with a PS Plus subscription, and for the first time in a while, this free game was one that interested me. I had debated getting the game when it came out given it’s ties and similarities to Journey and Flower (both of which are games that I thoroughly enjoyed more than expected), but never found the time to do so. While Abzu didn’t quite invoke the same levels of emotion as Flower or Journey, and seems far less innovative now that these other games have already mastered what Abzu is trying to do, it was still a great experience and I do recommend giving it a try.

 

Let’s make this extra clear. I loved Journey, and actually enjoyed Flower even more, so Abzu should have been right up my alley, and at first it actually was. As the game progressed, however, I was just hoping it would end so that it would leave me with the memory of the beginning rather than the end. The game is a story of a robot, swimming across the beautiful ocean throughout time, and seeing mankind’s destruction of the sea. At least, that’s how I understood it. Much like Journey and Flower, there is no actual narrative, or clear story, but instead you must read into it yourself and decide the story that they are trying to tell. The game was beautiful, but extremely repetitive and the beauty didn’t make up for that. The gameplay is super simple, and neither added to nor took away from the experience

 

Enough about what I didn’t like though, because after all, I did still enjoy the game. The one thing that stood out to me the most was the soundtrack. The orchestral sounds did an amazing job of putting the player in a calm and relaxed state of mind. Music is generally something that can be a deal breaker in terms of making a good game great. Thoughts of the final Halo 3 mission come to mind with the heavy rock mixed with orchestral music set the epic stage for a getaway from the exploding planet, while being hunted down and shot at by the alien covenant. This game does an equivalent job of setting the stage, only this one is far less epic in nature.

 

The visual beauty of this game is very similar to that of Journey, in that there are vibrant and surreal colours, vast open areas, and far off landscapes to fill out the world. The beginning of Abzu was amazing for its beauty, but I feel like throughout the game it got less stunning and less impressive. This was likely due to the fact that it was showing how mankind was destroying the beauty of the water, as well as destroying the creatures living in it. Despite making the point more clear, it did make me enjoy this portion of the game far less.

 

As a free game for the remainder of the month, I do suggest you pick up this game and play it. The sounds and sights of the game make it worth playing through, and it only takes a couple hours to play. In a time where there is so much chaos in our world, Abzu is a great escape for those looking for something to help them stay calm and relaxed.