One of the main elements Nava incorporated was his love for ancient cultures and their artwork, particularly relating to the myths surrounding the concept of Abzu. Nava began creating the pitch for Abzû before leaving Thatgamecompany and founding the game's developer Giant Squid Studios. Having worked in a game featuring a desert setting, Nava wanted to change to a more vibrant and populated setting for his next title. Abzû's creator, director and art director Matt Nava had previously worked as art director for Journey during its three-year development.
![abzû switch physical abzû switch physical](https://i1.wp.com/twinfinite.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/abzu-SB-on-sale-standard.jpg)
The origins of Abzû lay in the development of Journey, an independent video game developed by Thatgamecompany and released in 2012. During the credits, the diver and great white shark swim together through the revitalized ocean. The diver destroys the pyramid, causing life to return to the ocean.
![abzû switch physical abzû switch physical](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b7/f1/b8/b7f1b88466ddd1abf8d7d2fd08c57d05.jpg)
Upon reaching the original pyramid, the diver sees the great white shark attacking it, and the pyramid's counterattack damages the diver-revealing her to be mechanical and confirming her existence as a being connected to the pyramid and capable of restoring life to the ocean-and mortally wounds the great white shark, which dies as the diver comforts it.Īfter activating the final well, the great white shark manifests and guides the repaired diver back to the pyramid. That energy is being forcefully harvested by pyramid-like devices, the development of which disrupted the ocean's balance and brought about the civilization's downfall. As she explores, she is led by a great white shark to wells that-when activated using an energy from within her-restore life to the local seas. The player character, referred to as a female diver,b awakens floating in the ocean and begins exploring the surrounding sea: ruins and ancient murals show that an ancient civilization which shared a symbiotic connection with the ocean. The narrative of Abzû is told wordlessly through gameplay and using cutscenes, taking place in a vast ocean. Each area sports hidden collectables for the diver to find. The diver can grab onto the bodies of larger marine animals and ride on them. The diver can accelerate, and interact with marine life using sonar chimes.
#Abzû switch physical full
The player directs the diver through the environments using full analogue control, able to interact with the environment to solve switch or item-based puzzles, and sit on pedestals within each area to observe the surrounding sea life. The diver's course through the game follows a linear path through interconnected areas filled with marine life.
![abzû switch physical abzû switch physical](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/super-rare-games.jpg)
As the game progresses, the diver unlocks new areas and pursues the secrets behind the forces harming the local environment. In a few areas, the diver is also able to explore land-based environments above the water. In Abzû, the player takes on the role of a diver in a vast ocean-after waking up floating on the ocean's surface, the diver begins exploring the surrounding underwater environments filled with plant and animal life, in addition to uncovering ancient technology and submerged ruins. Reaching high positions in sales charts, Abzû was praised by journalists: the majority of praise went to its art style, with some critics comparing it to Journey. The setting and story drew from Sumerian mythology and the cosmic ocean myth. Several members, including director Matt Nava and composer Austin Wintory, had previously worked on the 2012 video game Journey-the ocean setting of Abzû was both a reaction to the desert setting of Journey and inspired by Nava's love of scuba diving. Initially released as a digital title in August 2016, a retail version for consoles was released in January 2017.įollowing the journey of a diver exploring the ocean and restoring life using magical springs, the gameplay allows the player to freely navigate underwater environments ranging from open water and natural caverns to ancient ruins.ĭevelopment lasted three years, involving a team of thirteen people. Abzûa is an adventure video game developed by Giant Squid Studios and published by 505 Games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.