ABZU – The Underwater Exploration Game I’ve Always Wanted!

Hey guys!  Today I get to tell you about one of the awesomest games I have played in a long time!  The game is ABZU.  I’m not sure which language or mythology it comes from, but the makers of ABZU claim that the name comes from some ancient mythology where AB means “water” and ZU means “to know.”  Based on that, ABZU, in essence means Ocean of Wisdom.

I hesitate to call ABZU a game as I didn’t find it to be very game like.  When I think of a game I think of something that has an end and a beginning, and some sort of struggle to get to the end.  Often this takes the form of a strategy game, a first person shooter, a role-playing game or even a puzzle.  ABZU doesn’t fit in to any of those categories.  ABZU is more like a relaxing trip through the ocean without needing to actually get wet.

In ABZU you control a character who is swimming through the ocean.  You are able to perform acrobatic flips and tricks as you explore and discover new sites and wonders.  There are the requisite underwater plants, rocks and even underwater ruins.  As you travel through the various environs you travel through underwater caves, mystical portals and strange alien looking doorways.

It was awesome to see all the scenery but what got me most excited was the massive variety of fish that are in the game.  There was everything from tuna, to humpback whales, porpoises, sharks, turtles and even seahorses!  The artists did take some creative liberties with the appearance of some of the fish but all of them are modeled off of real fish and behave as real fish would.  When you swim up to a school of fish they would scatter and swim away.  The motions are very lifelike and it felt almost like I was there with the fish.

Making the game even more enjoyable was the amazing soundtrack.  The music had tones from James Horner, John Williams and other great movie composers.  It had a very serene and relaxing feel to it and I constantly felt swept away by the music.  Generally, when I play a game I don’t pay much attention to the soundtrack and will often have the sound off.  ABZU had me not only playing the game but turning up the volume just so I could hear the music better.

Several reviewers have stated that the game delivers between two and four hours of gameplay when you play it straight through.  I found that there was enough to see and experience in each new area that I can see the game taking much, much longer, and not getting old during the process.

ABZU has stolen my heart and is my new favorite game on the NVIDIA SHIELD.  The combination of the insane level of detail, the music and the overall tone of the game combine to make it a classic in my book.

ABZU is now available on the PC and PS4 and was just recently made available on the NVIDIA SHIELD.  To celebrate its launch on the SHIELD it is available for 20% off ($15.99) on GeForce NOW.  When you buy the game you will be able to play it on your SHIELD and will also be given a free Steam code you can use to get it on your PC.  If you have a SHIELD, you should snatch this deal up before the promotion ends on 8/16/2016.

Get your copy of the game from GeForce NOW today!