ABZÛ
Overview -
Giant Squid Studios is helmed by Matt Nava, the art director from Jenova Chen's 'Flower' and 'Journey' titles. Nava wanted to incorporate his love for scuba diving into a video game and created 'ABZÛ', a distinctly 'Journey'-like game set in a vibrant, crowded ocean.
Video Review
'ABZÛ' is gorgeous. It's the highlight reel of an underwater documentary, all of the boring and gloomy shots cut out, and mixed with just a little bit of fantastical. In between the relaxed levels are more fast-moving on-rails bits, where the diver enters a jetstream and dashes between schools of fanciful creatures. All of the fish are real life species (to the extent of my limited knowledge) and have an ecosystem of their own.
Audio Review
'Journey' composer Austin Wintory does the score, and it is just as good as the visuals. It has that airy, epic movie kind of sound without coming off as cheap or melodramatic. The sound effects are excellent, from the raucous splashes of the orcas to the excited chirps of the dolphins.
Final Thoughts
In this violent, bloody holiday release schedule it is nice to have games like 'ABZÛ'. It is an artistic, aesthetic game, suited for watching and observing, not playing in a strict sense of the word. Its undersea beauty is unmatched, but leaves me wanting more.
