ABZU

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 531 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 339 out of 531
  2. Mixed: 146 out of 531
  3. Negative: 46 out of 531
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  1. hknyrbkn
    May 8, 2021
    2
    Nothing near Journey to be honest. It feels like you fell into the fish tank in the museum of your Animal Crossing island, with some explosive machinery as a bonus. Did not give me the oceanic feeling it sells.
  2. ToshLichev
    Apr 9, 2021
    4
    While I enjoyed Journey, ABZU just doesn't do it for me. I liked some of the visuals and I specially liked the final level but bland gameplay, bad controls, a 2-hour game time and an uninspired plot make this a slog to get through.
  3. GamingDrake
    Aug 11, 2016
    3
    Well if the art director wanted people to experience what he did when he went diving then WHAT THE HELL DID HE FIND DOWN THERE!. But seriously this game is an artsy fartsy kind of game its not a deep kind of game at all. you just swim about and say look at that fish, look at coral which yes the art style is very good but that's it i want more from a GAME!. Not a flipping (no pun intended)Well if the art director wanted people to experience what he did when he went diving then WHAT THE HELL DID HE FIND DOWN THERE!. But seriously this game is an artsy fartsy kind of game its not a deep kind of game at all. you just swim about and say look at that fish, look at coral which yes the art style is very good but that's it i want more from a GAME!. Not a flipping (no pun intended) swimming simulator its not a game I'd rather watch finding nemo which is just about as long and has a hell of a lot more replay value. If i want a relaxing game I'll go and play Grow home which has gameplay… Expand
  4. Illien
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    Abzû has wonders after wonders but with no depth in presentation & nothing worth exploring. It's an audio & visual tourist treat without the soul of what made Journey great.
  5. Proteus
    Aug 4, 2016
    4
    Probably the most overpriced game ever sold. This is a $4.99 game selling for 19.99 at the PS Store. The game is fine, as the reviews say, but they are capitalizing on the success of Journey for this price at 2 hrs of play time.
  6. exm8000
    Mar 3, 2017
    3
    Another Walking Simulator, Except Swimming.
    Another walking simulator with a vague and presumptuous quasi-spiritual message. This one with dodgy (flight) controls and horrible music. Considering it strives for environmental immersion, you would think adding a music-volume slider-control would have been on the to-do list. Also, it's very short and way over priced. This is a $5 to $7 USD    Another Walking Simulator, Except Swimming.
    Another walking simulator with a vague and presumptuous quasi-spiritual message. This one with dodgy (flight) controls and horrible music. Considering it strives for environmental immersion, you would think adding a music-volume slider-control would have been on the to-do list. Also, it's very short and way over priced. This is a $5 to $7 USD game at most.    … Expand
  7. HSuke
    Jul 30, 2019
    1
    This "game", if you could even call it a game, is dead boring.

    The best way to describe Abzu is that it's a visit to an aquarium where there are no exhibit descriptions. Abzu does not come anywhere close to being as beautiful or enjoyable either of its spiritual predecessors, Journey & Flower. Visually and aurally, it's almost as good as Journey. It has a beautiful soundtrack and    This "game", if you could even call it a game, is dead boring.

    The best way to describe Abzu is that it's a visit to an aquarium where there are no exhibit descriptions.

    Abzu does not come anywhere close to being as beautiful or enjoyable either of its spiritual predecessors, Journey & Flower.

    Visually and aurally, it's almost as good as Journey. It has a beautiful soundtrack and looks aesthetically pleasing, which isn't surprising it uses the same composer and art director.

    However, gameplay is completely dead. There is simply no gameplay. You're just swimming around in a giant aquarium going from point A to B to C ...

    The story is also nowhere close to the story of Journey, which can potentially be a really sad tale (depending on who you meet), especially you realize the giant twist at the end. Even Flower, which barely focused on story, had a more absorbing plot-line than Abzu.    … Expand
  8. Crackfarmer
    Aug 9, 2016
    2
    Gets very boring soon plus uses Denuvo Protection. Game Dev's please, invest more Time into your fcking Game than DRM....Is that really so much to ask for?
  9. Maugaran
    Apr 23, 2021
    2
    Boring game with no content an bad graphics. Cant understand why to produce this game.
  10. RuriGokou
    Aug 21, 2020
    1
    First of all I can not imagine ANYONE paying 20 bucks for this 2 to 3 hour "game". Can't even call this a game. There is nothing really to do but go straight and "experience" stuff. But there is no message or experience. This rubbish is just trying to be artsy.

    Horrible controls and camera angles. No plot. Decent music, but the graphics look like something you'd find on a screensaver.    First of all I can not imagine ANYONE paying 20 bucks for this 2 to 3 hour "game". Can't even call this a game. There is nothing really to do but go straight and "experience" stuff. But there is no message or experience. This rubbish is just trying to be artsy.

    Horrible controls and camera angles.
    No plot.
    Decent music, but the graphics look like something you'd find on a screensaver.
    Some points in the game you're actually required to get out of the water. I had no idea you could even do this and had to look it up. Thanks a lot for letting me know.    … Expand
  11. Xemnios
    Apr 1, 2021
    0
    It's not a game. You can swim for 2 hours and doing nothing: abzu is complete
  12. Glemial
    Sep 2, 2021
    4
    I just don't understand why there has so much people praising this game. Imagine a game that's all about graphics and fish. Do you did that? So you must have imagined Abzu. The only thing you do in that games is swim. There is no combat system and the story is subliminal. The problem with the story is that you don't want to understand what is happening, because of how shallow theI just don't understand why there has so much people praising this game. Imagine a game that's all about graphics and fish. Do you did that? So you must have imagined Abzu. The only thing you do in that games is swim. There is no combat system and the story is subliminal. The problem with the story is that you don't want to understand what is happening, because of how shallow the experience is. It's nothing like Hollow Knight, a game that has so much interesting moments, and because of that, it develops in you the desire to understand that universe. In Abzu there is no memorable moment that gives you a desire to understand what is happening.
    I don't recommend anyone to play this game, unless you got it for free.    … Expand
  13. mykhailo_zele1
    Apr 23, 2021
    0
    Это не игра! Просто плавать два часа и ничего не понимать что происходит! Если бы я купил эту игру - я бы уничтожил ее отзывом! Но досталось бесплатно
  14. Ferman
    Feb 12, 2022
    3
    a strange and incomprehensible game, I still did not understand what to do in it.Boring and incomprehensible, I do not advise buying it
  15. Raziel72
    Aug 7, 2022
    4
    Просто плыви... ни сюжета, ни музыки, ни красивых локаций. Разочарован в игре. Радует только то, что она быстро проходится
  16. SHANKOS
    Jun 11, 2023
    0
    Awful graphics, even though it was a short game, not much time was spent on details, even weaker than dreams games.

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best PS4 Game of 2016
30
#30 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
67
#67 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 72 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 72
  3. Negative: 3 out of 72
  1. Critical Hit
    Mar 16, 2017
    80
    Abzu is quite simply a breath-taking piece of interactive art, that feels vivid and more alive than you’d imagine a video game was capable of being.
    Read full review
  2. Easy Allies
    Dec 1, 2016
    80
    A wonderful trip beneath the waves, abounding in small surprises and impressing with the sheer density of life in certain scenes. Whether you’re riding a manta ray or zipping along a speedy current like a highway, it makes the natural world fun while adding its own intriguing mysteries to uncover.
    Read full review
  3. JeuxActu
    Nov 4, 2016
    90
    Abzû is one of the best games of 2016 with a cryptic yet very good story, alongside with beautiful visuals that go way beyond the aquatic screensaver. Unless you're a hardcore action fan, you have to try it.
    Read full review
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