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ABZÛ |OT| A Journey into an ocean of wisdom

There's no indication about the hidden pools found.

Here's some rough directions for all of them

There's 4 of them in each chapter minus chapter 5 (ship) and the last one.

Usually 3 of them are in the same area with shark meditation statue.

So, first chapter there's 3 pools in the first statue (area just starting) and 1 in the deep area before the triangle gate.

Chapter 2 there's another 3 in the pinkish area with the statue and dolphins and 1 again in deep area before gate.

Chapter 3 there's 3 in the first puzzle area and 1 just after the gate (there's a statue there too).

Chapter 4 there's 3 in the mines area and one in deep area where the giant squids area.

Chapter 6 there's 2 on each puzzle room.

Hope it helps!.

I'm missing one or two - I'm not really sure - it may be more. Hopefully I'll get them the next time I play!
 
For those of you that have already read the interviews I provided in the OP of this OT - did you find them entertaining?

I minored in journalism in college and I'm just wondering if my skills have gotten rusty, or if I still know how to ask the pertinent questions ;)

I take constructive criticism rather well, so don't worry about hurting my feelings :)
 
I've only had about an hour to play this so far, but I've found it really enchanting. Very beautiful and serene and calming, and I love the animation on the sea life. The dolphins in particular look amazing.
 

wouwie

Member
Just a quick question: does anything (collectibles) carry over when starting a new game and is there any point in collecting everything other than trophies (which i don't care about)?
 
Just a quick question: does anything (collectibles) carry over when starting a new game and is there any point in collecting everything other than trophies (which i don't care about)?

Yes, collectibles carry over. I played it for a while and then my daughter started a new game yesterday, and all of the animals I had already released were there in her game, and the seashells were gone too. But no; I don't think there's any purpose besides trophies.
 

Arthea

Member
Anybody collected all shells? If yes, do you happen to know how many are in which chapter? I tried to collect them but apparently I missed some.
Also I didn't get an achievement for flipping when riding, although I did more than one flip. Is it supposed to be done while riding a particular fish?
 

ghibli99

Member
Yes, collectibles carry over. I played it for a while and then my daughter started a new game yesterday, and all of the animals I had already released were there in her game, and the seashells were gone too. But no; I don't think there's any purpose besides trophies.
You get something for collecting all the shells, besides the trophy/achievement. :)

Anybody collected all shells? If yes, do you happen to know how many are in which chapter? I tried to collect them but apparently I missed some.
Also I didn't get an achievement for flipping when riding, although I did more than one flip. Is it supposed to be done while riding a particular fish?
3 shells per chapter, plus 1. There are walls throughout the game that show you how many from each chapter you've found.
 

Arthea

Member
You get something for collecting all the shells, besides the trophy/achievement. :)

3 shells per chapter, plus 1. There are walls throughout the game that show you how many from each chapter you've found.

thank you kindly

so I missed more than several, I was sure it's 2 shells per chapter
oh well, it's time to revisit all chapters
 
Was really excited about this, but it just feels like a soulless Journey. Wish I hadn't bought it.

woof. Really? I think it feels more restrictive due to the controls mapping to movement underwater instead of flicking about atop the sand or flying, but I think Abzu absolutely holds its own. Journey is, imo, the superior title, but docking Abzu for that seems to be missing the point.

What specifically did you not like about Abzu; without necessarily resorting to comparing it to Journey ?
 

spekkeh

Banned
woof. Really? I think it feels more restrictive due to the controls mapping to movement underwater instead of flicking about atop the sand or flying, but I think Abzu absolutely holds its own. Journey is, imo, the superior title, but docking Abzu for that seems to be missing the point.

What specifically did you not like about Abzu; without necessarily resorting to comparing it to Journey ?
Why would you interpret an art game specifically not in the way it relates to existing art?
 

luchadork

Member
i absolutely LOVE this game. journey and endless ocean would both be in my top10 list and abzu is like a perfect hybrid of both. i feel so lucky that i get to play and experience great games like this. i've had the meditate mode playing in the background most of the day while i work. every so often i'll look over and see a fish breach the surface or hear the chirps of a dolphin. amazing stuff.
 

GP_Socks

Banned
Just got this! $15 on Steam btw

Very gorgeous and runs well with all features on my PC (currently have R9 270X)

So far it's pretty calm and I love the exploration.

Edit: Since there comparisons to Journey, I think Abzu is far more interesting.
 
Just got this! $15 on Steam btw

Very gorgeous and runs well with all features on my PC (currently have R9 270X)

So far it's pretty calm and I love the exploration.

Edit: Since there comparisons to Journey, I think Abzu is far more interesting.

Cheaper on steam than PSN.
Why console owners are always punished like this :(
 

Arthea

Member
$7 on Steam over here. It's crazy how cheap indie games cost in Malaysia. No Man's Sky is like $25.

lucky you, for most of the world, prices aren't anything like that
60 euro for NMS here, that's why I won't be buying it any time soon.
 
it is exactly the same price on steam and psn

I've just checked and no... 19,99€ sorry so around 22$
It's not a big deal of course, 7$ or 5€ is not that big but I don't see why it's always the case.

even if for 5€ you can have nice little eShop games like DuckTales remastered or Bit.Trip.Saga so...

I'll probably buy it at this price anyway. I'm just angry that something went wrong on PSN with my credit card for my preorder... >_<
 

bosseye

Member
Got this on PS4 the other day, played an hour or so last night - its lovely, a really beautiful experience in lots of ways. Very calming! Still got no real idea whats going on other than
sharks seem to be a main theme but I'm intrigued as to the ruins and the sort of hub dream world place
. That area with the big
shoal of fish and the sailfish and the whales
and so on was just perfect, I spent ages there just looking and listening
 

Arthea

Member
Chû Totoro;212971707 said:
I've just checked and no... 19,99€ sorry so around 22$
It's not a big deal of course, 7$ or 5€ is not that big but I don't see why it's always the case.

even if for 5€ you can have nice little eShop games like DuckTales remastered or Bit.Trip.Saga so...

I'll probably buy it at this price anyway. I'm just angry that something went wrong on PSN with my credit card for my preorder... >_<

we had no preorder discount which PSN had, so we are having day one discount now, preorder PSN price was the same and now on steam.
It's complicated, yeah, but prices are the same and both PSN and Steam had/have the same discount.
 

wouwie

Member
I played through it twice now. Unfortunately, i haven't had the opportunity to play it with headphones yet (which should be a game changer) but that's going to be my next playthrough.

Anyhow, i love the game. The presentation is just so beautiful. It's easily one of the best looking games ever but that shouldn't be a surprise since Journey was equally stunning and they both have the same art director. Also, technically, it's a very solid and polished experience. It's packed with little details and gorgeous light and water effects. It's obvious that a lot of hard work, love and passion went into making this game.

The gameplay might lack the unique multiplayer experience that made Journey, amongst other things, so special. But i don't mind since this isn't Journey (though it shares a surprising amount of things from that game) and it doesn't need to be. It is perfect the way it is.

Two little points on the "negative" side would be that some of the areas are quite small and so packed with animals that it feels more like swimming in an aquarium rather than a sea. It also means there isn't as much room for discovery of species. And the story is so vague and abstract that i didn't get much emotional attachement or understanding out of it.

Having just finished my 2nd playthrough, i can't wait to play it again and this time with headphones and without collectible hunting. I feel it might turn out to be my best playthrough yet.

I can't wait to see what Giant Squid does next. It's easily one of my favourite developers out there and that after just one game. Thank you for making games like this.
 

danmaku

Member
All these negative comments lowered my expectations a bit, but after my first playthrough... wow, what a ride! Yes, it doesn't have the same impact as Journey but it comes damn close. It just lacks a bit of finesse in level design and pacing, but I can't really complain when I had a big smile on my face the whole time. It made me feel happy, and that's something very few games can achieve. It's easy to get laughs, but it's much harder to get smiles.

Abzu perfectly captures the sense of wonder you get from diving. My run was a long series of "oh god, they included even that!". They even added some species I had no idea existed,
like the Vaquita. Which was amazing and kinda sad because I googled it and realized that this cute little porpoise is almost extinct :( and the Manatees at the end were pure genius. I totally expected to see the Blue Whales at the end, but Manatees? lol it was great.
. It's a joyful and beautiful celebration of life on Earth, and hopefully more people will do some research after playing.
 

finalflame

Member
Finished it last night and wow indeed, what a ride. On PC with all the settings on Ultra + 4K this game is just a visual tour de force. I feel I have little idea what happened though, other than
I gained powers and defeated the evil triangles.
 
woof. Really? I think it feels more restrictive due to the controls mapping to movement underwater instead of flicking about atop the sand or flying, but I think Abzu absolutely holds its own. Journey is, imo, the superior title, but docking Abzu for that seems to be missing the point.

What specifically did you not like about Abzu; without necessarily resorting to comparing it to Journey ?

I don't feel any motivation to continue. Far too much vagueness in it's story and world that it just doesn't feel worth it to discover the secrets. Plus, I don't really care for the controls. They just feel sluggish.
 
I don't feel any motivation to continue. Far too much vagueness in it's story and world that it just doesn't feel worth it to discover the secrets. Plus, I don't really care for the controls. They just feel sluggish.

Play it for the thrill of the experience.

In reality, you would never touch or ride a Great White Shark,
a Giant Squid, Sperm Whales, or even dive with a group of Blue Whales
.

This game gives you that experience [albeit safely].
 
I don't feel any motivation to continue. Far too much vagueness in it's story and world that it just doesn't feel worth it to discover the secrets. Plus, I don't really care for the controls. They just feel sluggish.

Thanks for the reply! Yeah I get what you're saying. I definitely would've like a little more exposition, but I can see it being too opaque for its own good to some. The controls also took a little bit for me to get accustomed to, but that acclimation time was during PSX last year when I got my first crack at an earlier build, so I knew what I was getting into.

In regards to movement
you get "supercharged" in the final chapter and movement feels much faster and more satisfying, yet on subsequent playthroughs that ability isn't unlocked from the beginning as a kind of NG+ bonus, which I thought was a missed opportunity.
 
Just got to the the ending section but didn't quite have time to finish off. Feels like an amalgamation of the finales to both Flower and Journey. It's nice, but I was expecting something a little different.
 
In regards to movement
you get "supercharged" in the final chapter and movement feels much faster and more satisfying, yet on subsequent playthroughs that ability isn't unlocked from the beginning as a kind of NG+ bonus, which I thought was a missed opportunity.

After you collect all the sea shells, when you go to the seashell wall in the shrine you can unlock a blue suit that gives you that exact movement from the last chapter, so you can have it for the entire game.
 
Finished it last night. I did really enjoy it, but it's a couple of grades below both Journey and Flower for me. I found the visuals, sea life and atmosphere absolutely wonderful, but honestly, I would have preferred had it not had
all of the sci-fi stuff
, and just been more of a straight sea adventure. Going into these different ecosystems was great though, and I really liked parts like
finding the giant squids, swimming alongside the whales or diving in the very dark environments
towards the end of the game. Maybe a few more actual environmental puzzles would have been good, and rather than
defeating the sci-fi/alien corruption, it could have had the diver discovering a huge undersea city (Atlantis?) which had become a refuge
for all types of sea life instead. And that ending
where you become superpowered and smash your way through the corruption - that was far too similar to Flower for me
. Yeah it was good, but felt too familiar and lost impact as a result.

Maybe PC (and soon Xbox) owners who haven't played Journey and Flower would like it better. I think the sea is fascinating (and a little scary) and loved its depiction here, but the moments felt a little too familiar.
 

CHC

Member
I think I might honestly be the slowest player of this game, period. 4 and a half hours in I just got to the fourth area, been playing since launch. I love to just boot it up and play for 30-45 minutes to relax.
 

NEO0MJ

Member
Even though I preordered the game I just started playing it today. Reached the point where
the shark eats the little droid. Even though I knew it was coming I was still sad.
 
Even though I preordered the game I just started playing it today. Reached the point where
the shark eats the little droid. Even though I knew it was coming I was still sad.

Actually, that reminds me of something (spoiler I guess so don't read, NEO0MJ) -
do those little drones serve any purpose? I had three in the first chapter, and one a couple of times thereafter, but they didn't seem to do anything so I pretty much stopped looking after that.
.

Also, I didn't really understand what the plot was trying to say - anyone have an idiot-proof interpretation? I have to confess I sort of rushed through the second half of this as I have other games to play (No Man's Sky, Hyper Light Drifter, etc).
 

danmaku

Member
Maybe PC (and soon Xbox) owners who haven't played Journey and Flower would like it better. I think the sea is fascinating (and a little scary) and loved its depiction here, but the moments felt a little too familiar.

I agree, I think they stayed way too close to the Journey template even if it wasn't really needed.
Even the little backstory is similar, with the ancient civilization that exploits natural resources until the point of collapse.

Speaking of the story, in my first run I didn't notice it, but the series of triangular portals you go through seem to suggest you're moving inside a giant structure built like a Chinese box. It's one giant aquarium inside another. It feels like swimming in a tank because you are in a tank, and in the end you manage to destroy what's left of the security systems and free all life forms from this prison.

The ending also mention the Enuma Elis, but I have no idea why, as the game's events don't seem to have anything to do with the poem.

Actually, that reminds me of something (spoiler I guess so don't read, NEO0MJ) -
do those little drones serve any purpose? I had three in the first chapter, and one a couple of times thereafter, but they didn't seem to do anything so I pretty much stopped looking after that.
.

Also, I didn't really understand what the plot was trying to say - anyone have an idiot-proof interpretation? I have to confess I sort of rushed through the second half of this as I have other games to play (No Man's Sky, Hyper Light Drifter, etc).

You need the drones to cut the corals blocking your way in some areas. I don't think having 1, 2 or 3 makes any difference, but you need at least one. They also go away in some sort of storage when you exit an area, so I guess they're part of the system too.
 
After you collect all the sea shells, when you go to the seashell wall in the shrine you can unlock a blue suit that gives you that exact movement fr9m the last chapter, so you can have it for the entire game.

That's weird because I did unlock the above but didn't notice anything different.
Are there more than one blue suit? Mine had a nautilus shell on it. Also, I unlocked it during chapter select after I had finished, as I was looking for one final pool to free. Does the suit only take effect if you start a new game after having found all the shells?
 
Played through most of this earlier with my six year old daughter, and I probably enjoyed it more second time around. We were actually stopping and looking at the murals, and I was explaining what I thought the plot meant to her. Actually helped my understanding of the plot too, as I didn't do too much of that first time around. She loves animals and was delighted to grab onto and swim with the dolphins and baby orca.
 
That's weird because I did unlock the above but didn't notice anything different.
Are there more than one blue suit? Mine had a nautilus shell on it. Also, I unlocked it during chapter select after I had finished, as I was looking for one final pool to free. Does the suit only take effect if you start a new game after having found all the shells?

The blue suit with the nautilus on it is what I'm talking about. It functions identically to the gold suit at the end of the game, as far as infinite boost, faster swimming speed, etc. In the shrines during chapter select and in between levels, if you go to the wall with the seashells on it and activate the prompt; you'll change into it you can also change back at any point at a shrine. As far as I know, that's the only major secret - I wonder if there are others?
 

thesaucetastic

Unconfirmed Member
I just beat this game today. I've never played Journey/Flower before, so I didn't really know what to expect, but it was amazing. Probably my GOTY so far. I think I missed out on a lot of the story because I wasn't paying attention to the mural paintings, whoops.
 
I just beat this game today. I've never played Journey/Flower before, so I didn't really know what to expect, but it was amazing. Probably my GOTY so far. I think I missed out on a lot of the story because I wasn't paying attention to the mural paintings, whoops.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

It's relaxing to just swim around with the creatures and soak in the atmosphere.

Here's hoping for some extra chapters in a physical special edition! I would happily double-dip!
 
*UPDATE* Gamestop says that a physical edition of ABZÛ releases November 8th!

No word on if it's a special edition of any kind, however.

I will keep this thread updated when I find out more info.
 
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