Our controllers are sweatier than ever

With the u??nprecedented heat waves that are sweeping the country, it feels like there isn't anything we can do to ?escape these triple-digit temperatures. Of course, we can always escape into another world entirely, and video games are the perfect conduit for doing just that. If you're feeling like you're about to melt into a puddle of goo, here's our guide to using cool summer games to help you beat the heat.

Seek out cool settings

[caption id="attachment_274814" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] [Image Credit: Gamepur][/caption]Sometimes, cooling off is as simple as just thinking cool. Thankfully, there are plenty of games that take place in freezing temperatures that can help us feel the cold, at least in our minds. After exploring some (virtual) snow-covered mountaintops, icy tundra, and frozen glaciers, you'll be amazed at how much some wishful thinking can help. Games that come to mind in this regard include Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, and Uncharted 2.

One of the most refreshing games I can think of is Super Mario Sunshine, not just because of its innovative gameplay, but because having a magical sentient water jet on my back sounds like the dream right now. There are also games like Abzu, Subnautica, and Beyond Blue, which allow you to take on the role of a scuba diver. When it's just too damn hot, noth??ing feels better than plunging into a big body of water, and if you can't do it in ??real life, this is easily the next best thing.

Try going for flow state

[caption id="attachment_274815" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] [Image Credit: GamesRadar][/caption]Nothing is more distracting than entering a flow state, which is basically where you're so engaged with what you're doing, the real world melts away, leaving you only to focu?s on the task at hand. When it's?? this hot, sometimes distracting ourselves is the best we can do.

Online multiplayer games can be great for this, especially twitchy FPS titles like Call of Duty, Overwatch, Apex Legends, Valorant, etc. It can feel pretty transcendent when you get into a groove, and I'm press?ed to find any other genres that get me to an equally euphoric flow state as quickly, but beware of the flip side of that coin �these types of games can have pretty high highs, but that opens the door to some low lows as well. At least you won't have to worry about your hands being warmed up enough, right?

Rhythm games are another great option if you're into that sort of thing. Got your old Guitar Hero or Rock Band instruments collecting dust? Maybe it's time to bust those out again! Or if roguelikes are more your thing, maybe try Tomb of the Necrodancer or its Zelda spinoff, Cadence of Hyrule.

I've also heard Tetris Effect is incredible for achieving flow state, but I've yet to give that one a try. Someone let me know how i??t?? is, yeah?

Chill out in a figurative sense first

[caption id="attachment_274816" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] [Image Credit: GamesRadar][/caption]Yes, it's hot out here, and my panicking about the impending climate crisis doesn't help anything. In cases where my anxiety is making me even hotter under the collar, I found that playing a game to relax can go a long way. These types of cool summer games can vary from person to person -- maybe you love a farming sim like Stardew Valley or Story of Seasons, or a puzzle game can help you calm down. 

There are also more artistic, poetic games that can be really soothing, especially because they don't have any sort of fail state. Journey or Flower are my favorites in that regard, but pretty much anything from thatgamecompany will do.

If you're more narratively inclined, I also recommend games like What Remains of Edith Finch or Gone Home?. There's also Telltale's old catalog you could work your way through -- some of them can be a bit intense, but at least you don't have to strain yourself when it comes to gameplay.

Switch on that Switch for cool summer games

[caption id="attachment_274817" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] [Image Credit: USgamer][/caption]If you have a Nintendo Switch, t?hat might be the way to go in terms o?f a cooler gaming experience. For one thing, you're not tethered to one specific spot -- the console's handheld mode means you can game anywhere you damn well please, which includes directly in front of your air conditioner or fan. Or maybe even your open refrigerator. We won't judge.

Plus, large consoles like a PlayStation or ?Xbox,?? or a PC, often pump large amounts of hot air into your room. Sure, the Switch may not have the processing power to game in 4K, but what it lacks in graphical superiority, it makes up for in that it doesn't act as a mini-furnace.

We know times are tough out there, so in all seriousness, w??e hope you can find some of this helpful. Make sure to stay hydrated as best you can, take care of yourself??, and we wish you happy, chilled-out gaming!

The post Ride the heat wave wi??th these ice cold gaming tips appeared first on Destructoid.

Gesundheit!

In today's contest you can win a physical Switch copy of ABZU from Super Rare Games!

Hey gang, remember me? I'm the guy who used to give stuff away like every single day. Then life happened and well it's been a few weeks. Allow myself to reintroduce...myself. I'm Wes, I'm 34 ??years old, and I like to roll around on the ground with bubble wrap duct taped around my body.

Super Rare Games just dropped their physical release of ABZU, so grab some bu??bble wrap ?and win yourself a copy!

The water??? terrifies me, so I'm letting them describe the game.

Discover a lush hidden world as you descend into the heart of the ocean, where an??cient secrets lie forgotten and encounters with majestic creatures await.

• A new adventure... - From the artistic mind behind Journey and Flower, ABZU is a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving.
• Immersive underwater world - Immerse yourself in a vibrant ocean world full of mystery and bursting with color and life. Perform fluid acrobatics as the Diver, using graceful swimming control.
• The secrets of the sea - Discover hundreds of unique species based on real creatures and form a powerful connection with the abundant sea life. Interact with schools of thousands of fish that procedurally respond to you, each other, and predators.
• Stunning exploration - Linger in epic seascapes and explore aquatic ecosystems modeled with unprecedented detail. Descend into the heart of the ocean where ancient secrets lie forgotten. But beware, dangers lurk in the depths.

I think I'll stay on shore, thank you very much.

Super Rare Games' su?per rare physical edition of ABZU (only 5,000 total copies produced!) includes:

• Fully assembled Nintendo Switch game with cartridge
• Interior art
• Full-colour manual
• Exclusive sticker
• 3 card trading card pack

Use the widget ?below to enter? to win. While you're waiting around, remind me of things I've given away, or maybe even suggest stuff to give away in the future! I've got some cool stuff in the works, but you can never give away too much free crap!

We're giving away one copy of the standard edition of the game; we'll draw winners next Thursday. Since this is shipping directly from SRG, there are no shipping restrictions -- anyone can win! Just be advised that if your country/province/mom charges and sort of import tax or fee associated with shipping, you're responsible for that. Entering acknowledges this and agrees that if you complain later ??I get to flick you in the titty.

ABZU is available now from the adventurous folks at Super Rare Games.

Contest: Win ABZU on Switch from Super Rare Games

The post Contest: Win ABZU on Switch from Super Rare Games appeared first on Destructoid.

WAF (Wet-ass freebies)

One Ep?ic freebie this week is extremely chill. The other? Extremely not chill. Opposites attract or something. Both are waterlogged.

Abzu and Rising Storm 2: Vietnam are both free on the Epic Games Store this week. Abzu is a mostly-relaxing swim through the sea where you'll marvel at underwater creatures and try to unravel an obscure mystery about civilization's downfall. This promotion comes just one month before Abzu developer Giant Squid debuts its next game, The Pathless, as a PS5 launch game.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is less about taking it easy and soaking in the sights. It's a large-scale multiplayer shooter that recreates battles of the Vietnam War. It's asymmetric in its gameplay, leaving ??players to execute? different roles and operate different machinery. 

Next week's Epic games ramp up the spooky Halloween vibes. At least partially. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is half of the Epic giveaway. The other half is beloved micro-strategy game Kingdom: New Lands.

Abzu, Rising Storm 2: Vietnam [Epic Games Store]

The post Splishy splash, this week’s Epic freebies have an ocean and a storm appeared first on Destructoid.

Deal in effect until September 12

The Epic Games Store is giving out two freebies for PC players this week: the tough platforming adventure The End is Nigh, and Abzu, a scenic underwater geta??way that ?goes to unlikely places.

The End is Nigh is the work of Edmund McMillen (Super Meat Boy) and Tyler Glaiel (Closure). "It's a fantastic design that doesn't just reward exploration and experimentation, but having dumb, simple fun as well," Nic Rowen wrote in Destructoid's review. "Uber-challenging platformers are often used as bragging rights titles, or as badges of honor proving just how hardcore a particular p?layer is, but game designer Edmund McMillen has never lost sight of the fact that the??y need to be fun first and foremost."

Abzu, on the other hand, is a calm oceanic adventure – a reminder that we need another Endless Ocean. "By being so brief and focused, I can easily remember what I did from start to end, which is quite rare compared to the twenty-hour epics that can be common in this industry," Zack Furniss wrote in his review. "When recalling my journey, my? head is?? filled with gorgeous sights and sounds, but there's also a tiny whisper telling me the environment wa??s the only part of the game that was mutable in any way."

The next free PC game – Conarium, a horror story housed within a polar base, not a video game adaptation of 1997's wonderfully junky Con Air – will be up for grabs starting September 12.

Free Game Collection [Epic Games Store]

The post The Epic Games Store is handing out Abzu and The End is?? Nigh for free appeared first on Destructoid.

A Journey under the sea

Four years ago, I was in dire straits as a Wii U owner. The console was flopping, Nintendo couldn't move units, and developers who all seemed to be on board at the beginning were nowhere to be seen. Many, many quality experiences passed me by in that era, but that's changed. The Switch has been a complete 180 for Nintendo and it now seems like any game that's anything is making its way to?? the system. For years, Nintendo fans were beggars, now we're the choosers.

One of those titles that flew by my wayside was Abzû, the underwater adventure game from Giant Squid. As a massive fan of the Endless Ocean titles on Wii, I was in desperate need for another underwater exploration game. Turns out Abzû doesn'?t exactly fill that void, and while the end product is a st??unning sight to behold, it's also one that falls short of its artistic ambition.

Abzû originally released two years ago for PlayStation 4 and PC, two pieces of hardware powerful enough for developer Giant Squid to actually craft its strong vision of an artistic, aquatic adventure. While the final product's depths fell well in the shallows, you couldn't deny it was a striking journey. From the sheer number of fish swimming around you to the way sponges and ocean flora react to your presence, Abzû is an entire ocean condensed into an aquarium.

It reminds me a bit of the stages in Captain Toad, albeit more avant-garde: small areas, brimming with life, that feature simple objectives requiring just a little bit of work to complete. In Abzû, the work involves light puzzle solving with the Diver. Swimming around in the environment is intuitive; in fact, this is the first game I can recall where I preferred inverted controls to standard. Each section of the ocean contains a few spots of interest and hidden collectibles that add to the portrait being painted about this world and its history. The story of Abzû is told through the environment, and if it sounds a bit like underwater Journey, it should because Abzû creative director Matt N??ava worked on both games.

These types of expressive, often poetic adventures are still relatively niche in the industry and near non-existent on Switch. Gone Home is on the device and Firewatch is coming soon, but it can't be easy to take games that absolutely depend on having extremely detailed visuals and make them work on Switch. Even the best examples of ported graphically intensive games -- say Warframe -- still don't fully measure up to their original versions. Most Switch owners are used to compromises being made when porting PS4 or Xbox One games to the system, but there is always a question of exactly what those compromises are. Is it just less vibrant visuals or something more? For Abzû, Giant Squid and porting team/stud??io-for-hire Room 8 were able to keep the vibrancy of the ocean floor intact, but it comes at the expense of a reliable framerate.

So many beautiful moments found across the sea have their sheen tarnished a bit by a framerate that can't seem to keep itself a?t 30 frames per second. Most notably, every time you ignite one of the four main pillars in the ocean, the framerate seems to drop by a third or so as the biome springs to life. These instances, especially the final pillar, are when it's at its worst. The game actually does an admirable job of keeping everything steady during other magnificent set ??pieces, such as in the second section where the Diver is humming along an ocean current, dancing with the schools of fish there for the ride.

And this is true in both handheld and docked mode. Abzû is quite consistent between the two ways to play, and I switched between them throughout the one and a half playthroughs I ran. It's a beautiful game, and an inconsistent framerate can't take away from that. An intentionally slow and winsome odyssey like this is just as attractive at 20 frames per second as it ??is 30. When I was on the train, I had people looking over my shoulder as I dived deeper toward the ocean floor. At home, the colors of the sanctuary areas absolutely popped off my HD screen.

For the observer, Abzû probably looks spectacular. As the player, it's quite clear the beauty does a lot to ??mask the fact there really isn't all that much to this game. The story it tells feels as though it's trying too hard to be deep and thought-provoking, but the gameplay mechanics that guide players through?? the narrative don't complement that ambition. Swimming underwater doesn't have the same imaginative zeal as flying through the air with your magic scarf or traveling across the breeze as petals from a flower. It's too elementary and features like the ability to "meditate" as you watch specific types of fish swim about come across as contrived.

The world itself doesn't do much to spark curiosity either. The underwater ruins exist firmly within the sphere of recognizable imagery and the sci-fi elements don't exactly break new ground. It's all supremely well-made, exquisitely animated, and vivaciously colored, but the sunken world of Abzû is more rote than radical.

Still, Abzû on Switch is not something I thought I'd ever see. While it's not the best example of what's possible with the system, it's certainly?? a showcase for what developers can achieve if they have a passion for their project and the willingness to do what it takes to get it on Switch.

_{[This port report based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Switch Port Report: Abzu appeared first on Destructoid.

'Tens of thousands of fish'

Depending on who you talk to, the process of porting any game is wildly different. Some have a hell of a time and give up, others are able to do it with little to no effort. With the Switch we usually get tales of t?he latter case but in the past, developers were not shy about publicly slamming the W?ii U just as many slammed the PS3 before it.

So while the Switch has been relatively smooth for a lot of production companies, Giant Squid Studios (developer of the aquatic adventure Abzu) did have some issues given the scope of the game. Creative d??irector Matt Nava took to Reddit to ?explain that given the unique visual style, they had "challenges."

Nava notes that because of the "tens of thousand??s of fish," and the "dynamic kelp leaves" (great), the Switch faltered a bit until they "drastically optimized." Nava says that the "powerful specs of the PS4 and PCs" helped them initially but they had to lean on developmental tricks to get it to work on the Switch. The port team, Room 8, managed to "pull it off," he said, de??spite the "low level code optimizations" for effects like fog.

Abzu was released in 2017 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One and arrived this week on S??witch.

505 Games AMA [Reddit via GoNintendo]

The post Abzu developer cites ‘challenges’ on porting to Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Eat your heart out, Xbox!

Seeing as how Microsoft set the bar pretty low level for May's Games with Gold, I guess Sony didn't need to do much to top them. While you could argue that the games on offer for Xbox One and 36??0 are better than this list, at least there are some decent titles on offer for Sony users.

PS4 users will be treated to Tales from the Borderlands and Abzu along with cross buy titles Laser Disco Defenders and Type:Rider on the Vita. PS3 users get Blood Knights and Port Royale 3, though I don't know how many people care about either of those games. If you happen to be in Europe, you'll be getting Alienation instead of Abzu on the PS4, which is a bit strange.

I do appreciate that Sony still offers something for Vita users, but I feel they should go back to exclusives for the system instead of simply offering up cr??oss buy games. I know that gives more incentive to PS4 users, but there is a treasure trove of hidden Vita gems that is going unrepresented due to this policy of cross buy only titles.

• Tales from the Borderlands, PS4
• Abzu, PS4 (US Only)
• Alienation, PS4 (EU Only)
• Blood Knights, PS3
• Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants, PS3
• Laser Disco Defenders, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4)
• Type:Rider, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4)

PS Plus: Free Games for May 2017 [PlayStation Blog]

The post May’s PS Plus lineup is somewhat decent appeared first on Destructoid.

Also coming soon to Windows 10

This year, Giant Squid gave us a lovely and at times unabashedly whimsical underwater adventure game. I keep taking on any scrap of news I can as a blatant excu??se to plaster its art here.

But maybe you're well aware of Abzu already and you've just been patiently waiting for the Xbox One version. We're almost there! It's coming tomorrow, December 6, with a $20 digital release. And if you buy the game during its first week, you'll knock ?15% off the price tag.

Publisher 505 Games also plans to put out a Windows 10 version "soon," and that's in addition to January's physical copies for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as previously discussed.

The post Unde?rwater adventure Abzu out this?? week on Xbox One appeared first on Destructoid.

This and Planet Earth II in the same month!

Giant Squid's underwater adventure Abzu is a sight to behold, and it pleases me to hear that more of ?you will have the chance to do exactly that before to??o long here (if you aren't buried in games as is).

Publisher 505 Games is bringing out a retail Xbox One and PlayStation 4 version priced at $20 in January 2017. These physical copies will pack? exclusi??ve backgrounds and a dynamic theme, respectively.

Similar to Zack, who reviewed Abzu for us, I didn't connect with the story or theme as deeply I thought I might, but I will always appreciate it for the way it embraces natur?e. What a beauti??ful, vibrant game.

As a reminder, you can currently play digitally through PS4 and Steam. Planet Earth II (an upcoming Attenborough documentary, not humanity's attempt to try again), is also due in January. H?ell yes!

The post Abzu drifts to retail on Xbox One, PS4 in January appeared first on Destructoid.

Water pun

Last week, I reviewed Abzu and wasn't?? completely taken with it. However, much of the games press seems to have loved it, so Brett Makedonski, Steven Hansen, and I dedicated a small Podtoid to it. By?? listening, you can better understand our position on the game and why we didn't think everything is better down where it's wetter.

Still think?? we're big dummies who don't appreciate art? Sound off in the depths of the comments below.

Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or download it here.

You may also want to check out:

• Podtoid 339: The Overwatch Special
• Podtoid 332: The Quantum Break Special
• Podtoid 329: The Division Special
• Podtoid 325: The Far Cry Primal Special
• Podtoid 311: The Fallout 4 S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

More recent Episodes

• Podtoid 347: Pikachu Butt Plug
• Podtoid 346: Underrated Games of Last Generation
• Podtoid 345: Pokémon Go Outside

Please send any comments and inquiries to podtoid@jbsgame.com.

The post Let’s get wet with the Abzu Podtoid appeared first on Destructoid.

Fathomable depths

I spoke at length about my underwater-gaming-anxiety when I previewed Abzû, so actually reviewing it was something I approached with apprehension. But this week, my day job was five straight days of grueling-ass lands?caping that involved? bleeding hands and breathing dirt, so a two-hour descent into the depths sounded pleasant, especially if air conditioning was involved.

Intrigue, mystery, and wonderment were expected and somewhat delivered, but Abzû's oceans seemed deeper before I took the plunge.

Abzû (PlayStation 4 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Giant Squid
Publisher: 505 Games
Released: August 2, 2016
MSRP: $19.99

Developer Giant Squid is helmed by Matt Nava, art director of Flower and Journey, and he immediately makes his presence known with Abzû's very first splash. From start to finish, you'll guide a character known as the Diver through a harlequin kaleidoscope of sea life. There's not a single area that feels like an artistic B-side; swimming through an armada of swirling fish, discovering submerged statues, and synchronizing your swimming with gargantuan whales all make for incredibly memorable visu??als.

Similarly, Austin Wintory's music is dense yet delicate, as graceful and arcane as the water you'll propel through on this journey. It's inviting enough to tantalize even someone afraid of the inky abyss with promises to the player that whatever's around the corner can't be that horrible. In fact, wouldn't it be better to ju?st know? The imagination is always more terrifying, right?

When I write reviews, I generally explicate aesthetics last, treating them as the pretty little bow that wraps up the way a game feels, moves, interacts. But here, that's really the only substance that Abzû offers. Along the way to your unstated goal, you drift through the ocean on a linear path, occasionally finding some kind of switch/lever/item that allows you to progress through another door. You can meditate on certain statues to watch the surrounding creatures as they live out their lives, both succumbing to and benefiting from the food chain. There are also small portal things you can interact with to bring new life into the ocean, and a set of o??f collectible items that you can seek out.

And that's it. Swimming itself is mostly intuitive, though when doing a sort of loop-de-loop and inverting? yourself, the controls almost seem to reverse themselves and become unruly. That the controls are simple is both a blessing and a curse. The skill barrier that keeps many from trying games is lessened, making this a more universal experience that anyone could try. However, since you'll be doing more or less the exact same thing for two hour??s (important if you're the type to gauge game value in a hour-to-dollar ratio [I'm not]), it has an overly-simplified feeling.

Even that caveat is not necessarily a bad thing! As I mentioned prior, I had a rough week and needed some relaxation time, so having what almost amounts to an interactive aquarium has a relaxing component to it that I enjoyed. The problem is that Abzû also attempts to tell a story that isn't as enthralling as it wishes to be. Giant Squid touts it as "a universal myth that resonates across cultures," but it never feels as grand as that. The halfway point promises intrigue and a deep fear that threatens to make things interesting, but immediately afterward t??here's a section later on that practically begs for some pathos. It comes across as unearned and falls completely flat.

Abzû benefits from being a short game. I don't mean that in the dickish "I'm so glad it was over quickly" way. By being so brief and focused, I can easily remember what I did from start to end, which is quite rare compared to the twenty-hour epics that can be common in this industry. When recalling my jour??ney, my head is filled with gorgeous si??ghts and sounds, but there's also a tiny?? whisper telling me the environment was the only par??t of the game that was mutable in any way??. When an ocean feels stagnant, something's wrong.

I did enjoy being in the water, but I can't help but feel the beautiful visuals and music were jamming pictures of places and emotions in my face instead of earne?stly telling a compelling story. There's an unshakeable air of falsity about Abzû. As a treat to the senses, however?, it's hard to beat.

_{[This review is ??based on a retail build of the game provided by the publishe?r.]}

The post Review: Abzu appeared first on Destructoid.

We know water

Abzu is a game that we've had our eyes on for a long time. It's the debut from Giant Squid, a studio with instant clout as it's made up of key members from the team that made Journey. Abzu and Journey share a lo??t of the same qualities, but it'd be reductive and incorrect to say this is just more of that.

Zack shared his thoughts in his review, but here's the beginning of the game so you can see it for yourself. Maybe the visual learners in the crowd wil??l glean?? more information from this than they would from words.

If auditory's more your style, me, Zack, and Steven got together to record a special Podtoid where we discuss our feelings about Abzu.?? Look for that in the coming days. Call it a deep di??ve.

The post Here’s a beautiful look at the beginning of Abzu appeared first on Destructoid.

Under the sea

Is there enough underwater exploration in your life? For most of us, the answer will be a dejected "no", and for us, Giant Squid's new game ABZÛ may go at least some way towards fi?lling that void.?? A new trailer was debuted just before Sony's presser at E3 today, and pegged a release date on that platform for August 2, 2016. The game is also due out for PC.

Zack went a hands-on with the game from last week, and likened it to Ecco the Dolphin, which for me is a ringing endorsement.

The post ABZU is scuba-Journey, coming out in August appeared first on Destructoid.

Ecco messed me up

Water levels have long been met with a combination of derision and dread. Plummeting into the depths in platformers over the years has lead to some incredible memories, but control and pacing issues often elicit a groan from players who want to stay on dry land. My dread comes from a different place, a deep-seated discomfort that I associate with digital oceans. I've explained it here and especially here, but all you really need to know is that I'm fine in real life, but being underwater in any game -- regardless of subject matter -- fills me with an anxiety I've never experienced elsewhere. So of course I had to go and play Giant Squid's Abzu. It just made too much sense.

I played largely the same segment that Brett saw last year, but have come away with a completely different take on it. Where he saw a serene sea with schools of fish lazily drifting by, I looked behind that and saw murky voids I wished to keep my distance from. Creative director Matt Nava demoed the game for me before I got a chance to play it myself. He explained the controls and showed how easy and pleasurable it was to puppeteer the submerged avatar, and I was breaking into a cold sweat. I counter-explained why I looked like the nervous wreck that I was becoming, and he replied that I wasn't the first t??o have this reaction to the game.

The thrill-seeker and horror lover in me is sick and perverse and enjoys forcing me through scenarios like this, if only to say that I conquered my fears. And really, Abzu is so gorgeous and tranquil that I was mostly fine. Nava showed me that the player can find meditation points to rest at, which allows you to observe all of the life around you with dynamic camera angles and small titles explaining what type of creature it is. I took a? deep ??breath, took in the surrounding aquatic life, and watched as he continued. 

Nava approached what looked to be a large coral tower that became desiccated and brown when he activated a nearby item that I can't remember because I am bad and forgot to write a note while I was watching. I blame my weird phobia. It had a sort of Shadow of the Colossus feel in that I began to wonder if our avatar was helping or harming their surroundings. Adding to that mysterious discomfort, this was not just an underwater trek through non-fictional biodomes; after killing the coral, the seafloor disappeared, becoming an inky abyss that I wanted no part of. Nava swam down into it and the scenery around him transmuted into an ethereal realm with what looked like ghostly doppelgänge?rs of both the coral tower and the nearby stingrays.

My stomach was an undercooked pasta of noodly knots as he entered this shadowy sea, but Austin Wintory's lush soundscapes helped to undo some of that tension. There's a sense of wonder and curiosity that the music continually instilled within me, which worked out well since it was then time for my hands-on with Abzu. 

Since swimming in games is often undone by poor controls, I first began drifting in circles to see if Giant Squid had been able to make this a more comfortable endeavor than those before it. What I found was that it actually reminded me of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future on Dreamcast, which will probably be helpful to three of the people who read this. Instead of the camera facing wherever your character is, it's controlled only by the right stick. This allows for a freedom in swimming that lets you do flips, swim upside-down unhindered, and do small aerial maneuvers when propelling yourself out of the water. It all feels very free-flow in a comfortable way, where you're not hindered by camera issues. In fact, if I wasn't specifically paying attention to the controller for preview purposes, I never would have noticed any obstructions between me and Abzu. It just felt natural.

With the power of aquatic locomotion on my side, I found my heart racing through the entire demo, even though I had just watched Nava play it. My particular phobias made it more enjoyable because moments of terror were bookended by moments of overwhelming calm. It does bring Journey to mind often, but that's no surprise since Nava was the art director on that project. When using small pulses to interact with other creatures, I thought of thatgamecompany and how it allowed its players to communicate with small blips and bloops. The comparison felt most apt when after one of the quieter moments I found myself in a current traveling with other fish, launching me forward Finding Nemo-style, with triumphant music heralding my arrival on the other side of the ocean. I was surprised to find a big dumb grin plastered acr?oss my face, considering I had been so uneasy moments before.

The above picture was my view of two oceans while playing Abzu, one made up of life, death, and salt, and the other of ones, zeroes, and an intrigue I can safely explore. I know that not everyone shares my strange fear and obsession with the underwater's unknown in games, but I still think Abzu will entrance many who play it. It lets ?you feel like you're honest-to-God discovering something that maybe you shouldn't be, even though you're on a relatively linear path.

The only mark I could find against it was that the framerate wasn't stable, and fluctuated between what my eyes perceived as 20-45 FPS. When it was on the high end, the screen became water, bu??t the low end did take break the illusion somewhat. I'm hoping that it's fixed before it comes to PlayStation 4 and PC this summer. I'm ready to conquer this fear again. 

The post Abzu is beautiful and terrifying appeared first on Destructoid.

Swim with the fishes

Decades of classical conditioning have trained us to abhor water levels. The likes of Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Ocarina of Time hold strained memories of great games gone awry, if just ever-so-temporarily. We're Pavlov'd into panic when air is fleeting, the music turn??s tense, and we can practically feel the crush against our avatar's lungs. It's Video Games Bad Times 101: Different song, same chorus.

Giant Squid's Abzu flips the script on a setting whose earmark is a constant sense of dread and imminent failure. What else would you expect from Matt Nava, who was the art director on Journey and Flower? The entire game is about the sea (the name literally means "to know water"), but it??'s also about exploration. There's a whole new world to uncover once you break the surface of the water.

Giant Squid wants you to experience this underwater world at your own pace. The scuba-equipped protagonist has no concerns for oxygen; he's prepared to flipper-kick to new depths for as long as it takes. And, honestly, it might take a while, as Abzu's structured in such a way that you won't know always which direction to go. Even when you do, scouring ??every corner to absorb as m??uch of this living environment might seem like the better route, anyway.

Before long, that exploration turns semi-mandatory in an unforced sense. Buried in the ocean floor are drones that need unearthing. These little guys follow along your periphery and grant you small "upgrades" (so to speak) such as th??e ability to swim a bit faster. Most importantly, though, they're required en masse to clear some obstacl??es and open up new areas of the sea.

While the game maintains a linear progression, no two players will ever know Abzu in the exact same way. The outline of the world remains constant, but all plants and sea life are randomly generated. There's a framework about the scenery that's easily to pick out, but the ??living inhabitants will be mostly unique -- although, I'm not convinced it'll matter much. Once you get lost in the semi-open areas, all these could be static, and it'd feel just as fantastic of a setting.

Of course, there will be some about Abzu that's scripted. Toward the end of our 15-minute demo, a shark attacked one of our drones and sent him careening to the ocean floor in an unrepairable state. These set pieces seem as if they'll punctuate Abzu semi-fr?equently -- just often enoug?h to assert itself as a guided experience to some degree.

That shark attack was an example of how Giant Squid aims to carry over some of the tension that water levels are infamous for; after all, Abzu is nothing if not a giant water level. Speaking with Nava, he told us that this won't just be an underwater frolic. Although there are plenty of stretches of serenity, that isn't all the player will feel. Nava saysAbzu aims for moments that instill fear, dread, and stress, but it's a delicate balance. It's a given that with Austin Winter??y working on the music,?? the score should greatly enhance whatever feeling the gameplay strives for.

Nava had no qualms talking about the emotion of Abzu, but it's unclear what long-term stakes those have. The game has no death state, so poor performance can be "punished" by loss of drones which means swimming slower. The better odds are that the emotion ties into narrative, which Nava wasn't as comfortable elaborating upon. He spoke mostly in vagueities about nebulous concepts like finding resources. It's apparent that Nava wants Abzu to be an experience where the player slowly unfolds the game's meani??ng through playing -- not through an interview months prior to relea?se.

It's almost a given that Giant Squid has something weighty waiting in the depths of the ocean. That's a safe bet just knowing the track record of the creators. Whatever it is will be a repriev??e from what we're used to when video games venture underwater. However, there's still a fair chance whatever's down there will ring those Pavlov bells in our mind, just in a completely altered way. Same song, different chorus, really.

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Exclusive console debut on PS4

Giant Squad was started by former Journey art director Matt Nava, and immediately they were hard at work on a new game. That game was revealed today at Sony's E3 press conference as ABZÛ.

Based on the trailer ABZÛ looks like a whimsical adventure with a killer art style, and I can't wait to see more. It will have a console-exclusive debut on the PS4.

The post Sony debuts brand new game from developer Gi??ant Squid, ABZ? appeared first on Destructoid.