ABZU

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 71
  3. Negative: 7 out of 71

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  1. B-Bog
    Sep 25, 2019
    10
    INCREDIBLE. It almost feels wrong to call this a game, this is an experience. Beautiful. Stunning. Amazing. Jaw-dropping. The most gorgeous game I have ever played. Plus, the soundtrack is just perfect in supporting the visuals and amplifying the mood.

    I was having a pretty crappy day and didn't even really feel like playing any games, but ABZU completely turned that around. Do yourself    INCREDIBLE. It almost feels wrong to call this a game, this is an experience. Beautiful. Stunning. Amazing. Jaw-dropping. The most gorgeous game I have ever played. Plus, the soundtrack is just perfect in supporting the visuals and amplifying the mood.

    I was having a pretty crappy day and didn't even really feel like playing any games, but ABZU completely turned that around. Do yourself a favour, get this game ASAP, and then just relax and take your time with it. Advanced players might even want to ingest certain substances along with it ;)

    I seriously cannot find anything wrong with this game, other than maybe its short play time, but I was aware of that before I bought it. It's only 20 bucks anyway, and compared to other titles in that price range like Firewatch, it's worth every penny. Plus, I think the short run time makes for a more intense experience and entices you to replay (which I'm definitely going to do).

    Must-have.

    EDIT: I stand by my original review. However, I've now also got the game on PC because it was free for a few days. PLEASE, get this game on the highest-performing system that you have (high-end PC is the best one). This game thrives on its beautiful visuals. And while it's still gorgeous on Switch, it does have some framerate problems and the processing power is just not there to make it look as jaw-droppingly amazing and fluid as it does with the settings cranked up to max on PC. HOLY SHEEEET However, if Switch is your only system, do get the game. It is still an awesome experience.    … Expand
  2. OtraPerspectiva
    Aug 24, 2021
    9
    La exploración subacuática nunca podría haber sido tan hermosa y tan pacifica, ABZU tiene un aire muy similar a journey, con cientos de momentos que te dejaran marcado y que muy difícilmente olvidaras.

    A nivel de gameplay y narrativo este título es muy simple, pero esto es un aspecto negativo, en este caso la simpleza hace que pueda resaltar en otros aspectos siendo el principal de    La exploración subacuática nunca podría haber sido tan hermosa y tan pacifica, ABZU tiene un aire muy similar a journey, con cientos de momentos que te dejaran marcado y que muy difícilmente olvidaras.

    A nivel de gameplay y narrativo este título es muy simple, pero esto es un aspecto negativo, en este caso la simpleza hace que pueda resaltar en otros aspectos siendo el principal de estos el aspecto gráfico y el soundtrack de este título siendo como mínimo bueno, ABZU es precioso, muchas de las tomas que se pueden apreciar fácilmente podrían ser un wallpaper en el pc de cualquiera.

    Unos de los aspectos negativos que encuentro es la duración de este título el cual se puede completar en unas 3 o 4 horas, aunque en esas horas encontraremos en una gran variedad de escenarios y una inmensa cantidad de animales a los cuales según el tamaño podemos sujetarnos y dejarnos llevar un rato, de igual forma y un aspecto positivo que considero es la opción de "meditar", en cada uno de estos escenarios existen unas estructuras en las cuales nuestro protagonista se posa y podemos observar cómo los animales se dan vueltas mientras nos relajamos con el soundtrack de este título.

    ABZU es sin duda uno de esos títulos que busca ir mas allá de los videojuegos convencionales, enamorándonos con sus gráficos y la belleza de sus escenarios, llegando a ser considerado por mi como una obra de arte jugable.    … Expand
  3. Paschke274
    Nov 16, 2020
    10
    Es Increíble Un Journey bajo el agua. Este juego me encanto. en verdad es uno de los mejores indies que he jugado en la Switch. Lo recomiendo le doy un 10/10 ya que es uno de los pocos juegos que supero mis expectativas teniendo unas expectativas altas. También la banda sonora es una de las mejores que he visto. Podría hablar del juego por horas y horas de todo lo bueno que ofrece. PeroEs Increíble Un Journey bajo el agua. Este juego me encanto. en verdad es uno de los mejores indies que he jugado en la Switch. Lo recomiendo le doy un 10/10 ya que es uno de los pocos juegos que supero mis expectativas teniendo unas expectativas altas. También la banda sonora es una de las mejores que he visto. Podría hablar del juego por horas y horas de todo lo bueno que ofrece. Pero para no hacer eterna esta reseña solo diré: Abzu es uno de los mejores juegos que he jugado en toda mi vida y es uno de los mejores juegos para la switch. También es un juego barato y corto es ideal para las personas que tienen poco tiempo libre para jugar y no tienen mucho dinero. También quiero aclarar que Abzu fue el juego que hiso devolverme el interés en los videojuegos indies, en pocas palabras si no fuera por Abzu no creo que hubiera seguido comprando juegos indies.… Expand
  4. Gontrand00
    Nov 29, 2020
    8
    More of a swimming simulator than actually a ''game''. It doesn't have challenge (which is fine in that case), and no clear goal than just getting to the next zone.

    It's beautiful and the music is awesome. It's true that playing this with headphones must add a lot to the experience. I did it in several short sessions so I think it was better that way than just rushing through it. It    More of a swimming simulator than actually a ''game''. It doesn't have challenge (which is fine in that case), and no clear goal than just getting to the next zone.

    It's beautiful and the music is awesome. It's true that playing this with headphones must add a lot to the experience.

    I did it in several short sessions so I think it was better that way than just rushing through it. It also feels good and weird to just have fish to interact around you. I would have love more story background for this, because games these days tend to be like ''we only give part of the story and you'll figure it out by yourself'', which is sometime good (Hollow Knight) and sometime can feel just lazy. For this game, it's an in between. True, making a good and solid story is hard, so making video games. People should care more about this part in the indie world and hire writers, even just to coach them on their story because it can really make a huge difference.

    Also, the off-water parts were clearly not thought for the controls because they are really clunky, which is the only time in the game it appears, since when you are underwater they are really good.    … Expand
  5. nusco
    Jan 22, 2021
    8
    ABZÛ is a short but gripping underwater adventure with spectacular art.

    Pros: - Powerful art: The graphics and the music combine to make this game a fantastic experience. A few sequences might give you the goosebumps. - Emotional gameplay: ABZÛ smoothly cycles through emotions that range from a calm, meditative mood to flashes of wonder–and even subtle anxiety. - Perfect diving    ABZÛ is a short but gripping underwater adventure with spectacular art.

    Pros:
    - Powerful art: The graphics and the music combine to make this game a fantastic experience. A few sequences might give you the goosebumps.
    - Emotional gameplay: ABZÛ smoothly cycles through emotions that range from a calm, meditative mood to flashes of wonder–and even subtle anxiety.
    - Perfect diving feeling: This game is the closest you can come to the blissful experience of scuba diving without actually getting wet.

    Cons:
    - A “swimming simulator”: ABZÛ is a very linear game in the mold of "walking simulators". Apart from playing around with sea creatures, the only interactivity consists in finding and activating switches.
    - Small screens need not apply: Playing this game handheld is like watching "Star Wars" on your phone. I started playing on my Switch Lite, and immediately dropped the game until I had access to a giant screen and a good sound system.
    - Very short: This game can be completed in a single sitting. Is that a pro or a con? You decide.    … Expand
  6. aukalender
    Jul 31, 2021
    8
    I think it took me about 2 to 2.5 hours to finish this game. It was beautiful and calm. The music is great, it's definitely going on my playlist. The visuals are lovely. There isn't too much overt story, rather a message of eco-preservation, which is fine. There is no combat or any challenging gameplay, which I think should be the case in more games. The most significant aspects of thisI think it took me about 2 to 2.5 hours to finish this game. It was beautiful and calm. The music is great, it's definitely going on my playlist. The visuals are lovely. There isn't too much overt story, rather a message of eco-preservation, which is fine. There is no combat or any challenging gameplay, which I think should be the case in more games. The most significant aspects of this are the design aspects, that you can swim with great white sharks while great music plays. I thought it was lovely overall. I know it's the same people who made Journey, which was fantastic.… Expand
  7. r0mer0
    Apr 2, 2021
    10
    Wonderful experience with beautiful visuals and music. Played it docked on a big TV in the dark, with the sound coming from Hi-Fi speakers. Overall, the game tells a very relaxing and rewarding interactive story. It is quite linear, but you are guided in a way that doesn't lessen the immersion. Until you find the places in the game that tell you if you missed or found every achievement.Wonderful experience with beautiful visuals and music. Played it docked on a big TV in the dark, with the sound coming from Hi-Fi speakers. Overall, the game tells a very relaxing and rewarding interactive story. It is quite linear, but you are guided in a way that doesn't lessen the immersion. Until you find the places in the game that tell you if you missed or found every achievement. Since you can’t go back to search again, this only serves as a reminder that you are playing a game, and that you will have to re-play it if you strafe for completion. You can play single chapters to complete the game. I would have preferred to have the list of missed and found achievements at the very end. Abzû still gets a perfect rating from me.… Expand
  8. Ravenct
    Apr 23, 2020
    3
    As a scuba diver who enjoyed Flower, I expected to enjoy Abzu, but it never felt immersive or coherent. You're supposed to explore, but each area is clearly bounded and feels unnatural. The environment doesn't really react much. There are a lot of weird transitions between some kind of other dimension and oceans. Most of the time I just followed the clear path and pushed the swim button.As a scuba diver who enjoyed Flower, I expected to enjoy Abzu, but it never felt immersive or coherent. You're supposed to explore, but each area is clearly bounded and feels unnatural. The environment doesn't really react much. There are a lot of weird transitions between some kind of other dimension and oceans. Most of the time I just followed the clear path and pushed the swim button. The music missed the mark for me. It felt too manufactured. Wish I had gotten a different game.… Expand
  9. abrus
    Jan 3, 2022
    6
    It is really hard to rate this game objectively. It is very pleasant visually and the music is very well matched to each level. It is sort of interesting trying to work out the story, but I've played this through twice now and I'm still not really sure what is going on! Unfortunately, there are 2 very serious problems here. Firstly, there is very little to 'do' in this game - it is VERYIt is really hard to rate this game objectively. It is very pleasant visually and the music is very well matched to each level. It is sort of interesting trying to work out the story, but I've played this through twice now and I'm still not really sure what is going on! Unfortunately, there are 2 very serious problems here. Firstly, there is very little to 'do' in this game - it is VERY linear in it's design and each objective is incredibly simple and requires no thought. Secondly, you will finish this game in just under 2 hours! There are chapter 'checkpoints', so you don't have to do it all in one go, but 2 hours is an incredibly short playthrough for a game with pretty limited replay value. I only paid $3 for this, and I did thoroughly enjoy my 2 runs, but just beware of points 1 and 2 before you purchase this game.… Expand
  10. Fusy
    Mar 12, 2021
    5
    It's a game where you hold R2 to move forward. You can boost and you do occasionally need to interact with objects, but for the most part looking at the screen is optional. I didn't find it worth while.
  11. TuxDC
    Feb 27, 2021
    3
    It started out as an enjoyable sea adventure with a nice calm view of sea creatures. My kids enjoyed playing and interacting with the fish was done well. The last third ruins everything with a weird sci-fi twist that is incompatible with the calm diving. Terribly disappointing and want a refund.
  12. buddookan
    May 23, 2021
    0
    Słaba gra z papierkową, mało przekonywującą grafiką. Praktycznie zerowa interakcja. Gra na raz i to w dodatku maksymalnie na 2 godziny ! Za 72 zł ! Zdzierstwo.
  13. jjcousensjr
    Jun 27, 2021
    4
    Ok, don't get me wrong, this game is absolutely gorgeous, I mean STUNNING, it's a beautiful, detailed piece of art. Musics pretty on point too. So why the low review? IT IS BORING AF. Literally the entire game is holding R2 and swimming around these really pretty environments. Which may be fine for some people, but this is definitely not for me. When IGN said it was light on gameplay,Ok, don't get me wrong, this game is absolutely gorgeous, I mean STUNNING, it's a beautiful, detailed piece of art. Musics pretty on point too. So why the low review? IT IS BORING AF. Literally the entire game is holding R2 and swimming around these really pretty environments. Which may be fine for some people, but this is definitely not for me. When IGN said it was light on gameplay, that was an understatement. The entire gameplay is swimming, boosting, doing tricks, finding little robot buddies to open walls, occasional very basic puzzles, and looking at the beautiful environments. When I saw reviews on Steam saying it was basically a walking simulator I had second thoughts but the game was so damn pretty I wanted to try it anyways. I really regret paying for it, but at least I got it on 50% off. Wish I had gotten it on game pass instead. Maybe after playing more I'll update but for now I cannot recommend this game.

    UPDATE: Finished it in 2 hours. TWO. Ten bucks for a boring swimming game with no replay value. Sure it's pretty, but there is nothing to do. Only danger is non lethal stun lock. Only puzzles are clicking 2 buttons across the biome to open the door to the next biome. Only reason to explore besides visuals are finding bots for opening the doors, because collectibles are useless. And for some reason it really wants to force an emotional connection to the shark. Like, ok, why?? Also also riding animals is completely useless, so basically this game is swimming and clicking a button now and then.

    Final Verdict: The "game" might be pretty, but there are pretty games with, you know, ACTUAL GAMEPLAY. Jesus Christ just play Breath of the Wild or something, it is not worth $20.    … Expand
  14. iRaidius916
    Jul 13, 2019
    10
    Oh. My. Goodness. Three words I said throughout my entire playtime (around 8 hours) with this game. Whether it was an emotional scene, a visual story telling section, or just pure spectacle, I was amazed the whole entire journey. I haven’t played Journey yet, but until I do, ABZÛ is the most magical, heartwarming, and captivating experiences in my entire gaming hobby.
  15. RavenWraith
    May 12, 2020
    9
    This is an amazingly beautiful game. I spent maybe 6 to 7 hours playing. It’s very easy and relaxing.
  16. FatGuy1
    Dec 5, 2018
    9
    amazing game with an engaging story and pleasing graphics

    bananas are gud
  17. rookfire
    Dec 25, 2020
    3
    I didn't really like this. I loved Journey, but this fell a bit flat. The controls were very unintuitive and the camera angles often left me dizzy.
  18. opnyx
    Jan 16, 2021
    7
    The game is very beautiful and the music is enchanting. It's very impressive to see all the fishes swimming around you.
    But the game is very short (one hour), and quite laggy (on Switch) sometimes. The gameplay is very simple and the story is not very exiting. It felt more like a visual experience than an actual game.
  19. BColeridge
    Jan 4, 2021
    6
    Regular juego, es bastante relajante y bonito, pero no es el más divertido de todos. Sentí que tenía que terminarlo para que no me duela haberlo pagado y no porque quisiera hacerlo.
  20. adpaskhughes
    Aug 25, 2023
    6
    Abzu is tough to review, because it's definitely the kind of "game" which you either love or find boring. It's a walking (well, swimming) simulator with a nice soundtrack and nice visuals. But not stunning visuals; something like this would make a better VR experience. I also found the controls a bit unresponsive and dizzying, especially controlling the camera.

Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best Switch Game of 2018
77
#77 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
70
#70 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Worth Playing
    May 29, 2019
    88
    When considering the sum of its parts, Abzu is a masterfully crafted experience from start to finish. It's a beautiful re-creation of the underwater ecosystem, from big predators to schools of colorful fish. Add to that the mystery of exploring an unknown civilization and a musical score that is beyond captivating, and you are in for a treat for all of your senses. It's not for everyone, but if you let it, Abzu may captivate you.
    Read full review
  2. FNintendo
    Jan 17, 2019
    50
    ABZÛ is not proposing to be an action packed experience and there's nothing wrong with that, the problem is ABZÛ delivers very little in terms of gameplay experience, no matter what angle is used to look at it. Beyond its marvelous looking environment and absolutely mindblowing soundtrack, ABZÛ leaves all its promises unfulfilled, aggravated by the fact that it becomes obvious this game could have delivered so much more.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Insider
    Dec 27, 2018
    90
    It’s one of the most captivating and moving experiences one can have with a video game.
    Read full review
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