Mine was Ico. I remember seeing an article in Game Informer about it before it came out. Just looking at the pictures, I knew it was gonna be special. I discovered Ico after seeing that article, and played it while I waited for SoTC.
Have you ever played Journey? Matt Nava worked on that game too and both soundtracks are composed by Austin Wintory! Abzu is like a spiritual successor to Journey in the most opposite environment they could think of (desert -> deep sea)
Man I wish more ppl talked abt journey, mostly bc I can’t convince my husband that it’s not-well, not at its core/purpose-a metaphor for the salmon life cycle (he makes a... surprisingly good argument, since the game is simple enough that u don’t have a lot of ammo to refute the claim, but I refuse to believe that’s the original intent)
@@rotisseriepossum Journey is very deliberately a work that mirrors the "hero's journey" in literature! The idea that all adventures fall into the same story. the protagonist leaves their !normal" land and encounters the different/supernatural before winning a decisive victory and returning home changed!
I remember being angry for a whole day. and then it started raining so i decided to play Abzu for the first time, since i previously bought it but never really had the time to play. First thing that caught my attention was the music. Honestly, it's a melody that grows on you. Taking away your sorrow only to replace it with a sense of compassion for nature.
I like that you can feel the joy the author had playing the game and then writing about it. It makes listening to and watching the video that much more enjoyable!
For me OFF by ‘Mortis Ghost’ changed how I view video games. While it isn’t aesthetically as beautiful as Abzu, the story and world played with my expectations and assumptions of what video games are. I highly recommend.
Ape Out was the game that got to me. Every element perfectly contributes to the visceral feeling of controlling a pissed-off gorilla. The vivid graphics, the jazz drums, the gameplay of chucking everything around. The game is minimalist, but only to trim the fat and present a pure yet complete experience. It doesn't overstay its welcome, and I had a literal smile on my face the entire time.
I found your channel thanks to your feature in HeavyEyed's hour+ video, and I love your stuff so far! As someone who doesn't love Journey as much as most, I must admit you've sold me on this spiritual successor more than anyone else. Love your stuff, and I'll be looking forward to checking out more. Keep it up!
U hit me hard with these Feels. Was close to Tears at the End. ABZU was and is an astonishing Experience. Well cut and amazingly worded Video. Thank you
I've come across a number of games that have brought me to a frankly revelatory place that shifted my perspective on games as a whole, but I'll only mention one. Silent Hill 2 did so much for me, leading to a shift in my approach to games as a kid. It really put into perspective for me that a game doesn't have to actively feel good to play, that an obtuse control scheme can be more beneficial to a game than one that feels slick and polished. Just as fluidity can amplify beauty, frustration can amplify horror or a tense atmosphere or even be the presiding factor over a work that pushes the audience from passively experiencing into actively analyzing the intricacies of the piece. Even today SH2 remains such an effective textural piece, with a sharp story and near unparalleled atmosphere. Keep up the wonderful videos, Maria! Your voice is so strong and your passion for the games you write about really show through in your videos.
SH2 is such a huge game in history, and absolutely one of a kind! I like how you said that it doesn’t have to necessarily feel good to play to be an amazing game, that’s how I feel too! And thank you! Your comments always bring a smile to my face 😊 I’ll always try my best! ❤️
I think mine was a combination of Fez and Braid. I played both at around the same time and I got a feeling on how the art of a game can contribute inmensely to it’s narrative (even working along with the core mechanic of the game). Since then, I’ve been going around looking for games with that same organic feel. I’m definitely going to check out Abzu after this video, thank you so much!
The aquatic dinosaur level was my favorite. I took many pictures of the game, and the ending scene of the whales and the moon are actually my desktop background
Abzu was recommended to me by a friend. It's mixture of beauty and mystery engaged me from start to end, and this video captures exactly the way I felt while playing it. Also have fun playing Death Stranding!
That one game? I guess my first Zelda for the sense of freedom and adventure, Brothers a Tale of two Sons for the aesthetics and its fairy tale wonders and Dark Souls for everything else this great medium is capable of.
It's a hard question... I'd have to say RE4 is the one that made me fall in love with videogames in the first place, later the silent hill trilogy made me realize what I really liked about them, but it's with persona 4 that I finally understood what one could do with the medium
you know someone is committed to a conversation with her/his community when the person takes the time to read/heart comments for a video made a year ago ^^ wha a wholesome move Thanks :)
Me and my friends played this game in between a bout of dying in bloodborne. It was the pause we needed before we went back to passing the controller around each time we died. So yea, Bloodborne was my game. Pretty neat video!
What an inspiring love letter to your favourite game. Your use of language and voice performance are stimulating and entrancing. It really matches the aesthetic you are selling of Abzu. The editing and pacing of the visuals are equally excellent. I'm a big fan of making videos on art that are themselves very artsy. It's clear you understand intimately the care put into this game and have taken measures to match that in talking about it. I'm convinced I have to play this game now. I honestly hope I can make videos like this going forward. And for the record, Majora's Mask. I made a video on just one part of what I love about it, though I don't think I did it justice quite like you have here.
Hollow knight was that one special game for me I always met every new area with child like wonder and was always left with the feeling that there's always something else waiting for me out there Dearly hope silksong will be nearly as good
My 2 favorite moments in that game: 1. Mirabelle scamming you. 2. Discovering Deepnest...by falling into it from the pit. I got stuck in that part of the map for so long, I started to feel homesick. Then I thought to just climb back out lol
I played through Abzu with my Dad because we're both Scuba Divers and it's one of the most magical experiences I've ever had with video games. Thanks for making this video 💜
Suprisingly, it was twilight princess that fliped that switch for me. Never before had i felt this emotional about a relative short sequence of gameplay, and it changed the way I looked at videogame companions forever.
That Game Company is easily my favourite game creators, I love all their games. Especially ABZÛ, god this game is beautiful. Thank you for covering it.
My 3 year old kid commented "I like this music" as I showed her the controls. She was mesmerized to swim through the fish, and clapped and cheered each time we jumped over the surface and splashed back down with the rhe other creatures. Not saying that it hard to catch a kid's attention, but to hold it for as long as this game did, speaks volumes about its beauty.
I've always played games, and Galaxy too was a big part of my childhood (my parents got me my own wii with the game for christmas the same year my brother moved out and took his wii with him,) but I dont think I ever really thought about just how incredible the medium is before I played Journey. I think I was 17 at the time, having grown up with Nintendo mainly, my brother let me borrow his ps3 to play a different game, and he told me to try out that one.. Journey, it would only take a few hours he said. I was completely blown away by the sheer beauty, the simplicity, the genius online features and the music. That game made me feel a sense of wonder that I try to consider with every piece of media I consume since.
ABZÛlutely amazing video. I hope you will be able to make that strong connection with more games to come. Cough death stranding cough. My game is stephen´s sausage roll. It is really challenging so beating that game without any guide felt not only extremely satisfying but it also made me realize i can learn and achieve more things in my life than i thought.
first of all wonderful video, just subbed second of all, abzu is the best game to play when you are high. so calm and comforting and one back flip will turn you off. literally woke up after 15 minute not knowing what happened. the best
i love this channel and this vid. this is sort of out there but i must say : your voice is lovely, and you sound almost exactly like the vocalist from the ultimate hidden gem neo-60s art pop group ‘death by chocolate’ . you should check them out. something tells me you’d dig it. the songs are a celebration of color and sensory perception.
The game that got me all emotional was Silent Hill 2, the ending specifically gets me weeping like a sausage every time. But in more recent times I'd say Jesse Makkonen's Distraint games are also amazing and emotional too, highly recommend those.
You can ride manatees in this game? Absolute peak wish fulfillment tbh. I think for me the game that most made me permanently rethink how I look at games was Hollow Knight.
That's Pyre for me. I first time got emotional when the bard performed "The journey shall be made", but the final song at the end got me that much that I even cried a bit, the same goes for Hades and the "in the blood" song at the end.
Honestly Abzu might be very therapeutic for you since there is nothing that can harm you in this game. You wont lack oxygen just as you wont be attacked by any creature. It's just a sense of marvel and calm that wraps you in its warm blanket all throughout.
Probably The Pathless, which I discovered before Abzu, I'm actually finally going to get to play it now that it's on switch, and I am on major hype for it's beauty in so many ways! Abzû does seem really cool too though, and so does it's predecessor, Journey. Definitely both games I'd like to play someday.
For me it was "Unravel". But Abzu would have certainly done the trick as well. :) Other mesmerizing games I liked were "Flower" and "Typoman". Though Typoman may not be considered 'beautiful', it's both creative and encouraging. Unravel also has a sequel, though I prefer the original if I had to choose. Wonderful video! God bless and have a nice day! =)
Absolutely agree with your beautifully put review but I have a very specific question: which chapter can you ride a blue whale and see penguins?? That looks so amazing!!
Journey was my quite large spark, ABZÛ was fuel to that burning fire. I just played ABZÛ as of today, and as the time I'm writing this, i'm getting ready to do another play through of Journey. These games are truly wonderful pieces of human art.
Mine was stardew valley. I easily sunk 150+ hours into that game before I had to take a break, and I still come back to it now and again when it gets updated
Abzu is one of my favorite games ever. Here's my story. I'd enjoyed videogames since I was a kid. One favorite childhood game was Ecco the Dolphin, long before the distinction of indie and mainstream. I fell in love with Kingdom Hearts in 2005... and out of love in 2019. I needed something to fill that gap, and started trying other games, including many indie games. What was mine? It was called Journey. Four years after Journey's release, the composer, Austin Wintory, and the creative director, Matt Nava, went on to make Abzu.
The first game that changed me and made me think games were more than just games, was Super Metroid. In early 90s, I had some experience with SNES and arcade games, but games were just funny things you play for an hour or so each time, and not think about later, until you play again. Super Metroid changed that! First, the visuals. I love the graphics of Super Metroid, the style, the atmosphere they convey, like ancient ruins and lost civilizations. Then the music, which was simply perfect, like the music you hear in a horror movie, not in a funny game. Finally, the gameplay, a game you need to invest time in to finish and explore completely. To this day, almos 30 years later, I still sometimes dream about an area of the game that doesn't really exist, but that in my dream it exists; it's a cave system between Crateria and Brinstar. In my dream, I get lost there, I can't find my way out... well, not me, I don't dream I am there, I dream I am playing Super Metroid and I can't find the way out. It's not upsetting, it's just the feeling I got when i first played the game, of being lost and alone. Then there have been other games that made me see games almost like art: Doom, Final Fantasy 7, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2... then I stopped playing games for many years, and in 2020, when I returned, I found Dark Souls Remastered and I got to experience the same feeling of being lost and lonely I experienced playing Super Metroid. I hope that in 25 years I discover a game than makes me feel that again.
I think this is the first media that’s taken place in the ocean that I’m not scared of. That’s, *Really* amazing considering how terrified I am of it LOL (found out the hard way from watching Solar Sand’s Thalassophobia video on my tv. literally felt like I got off a rollercoaster, it was nOT fun lmAO-) As for the game that clicked with me, I feel like the closest would be Feather? Or Sky, since they both involve flying and exploring and are just really, relaxing~
Ooh that ending got me! Well, as I said I love ABZU. There's a similar game that I've seen ABZU called the spiritual successor to: Journey. It's something I genuinely hope everyone sits down and experiences in one sitting as well, without much knowledge beforehand because of how beautiful and subjective it is.
i haven't played that many videogames myself. For the majority of my childhood i would just see my big brother play any game and be entranced with it (it kind of felt therapeutic to watch). sometimes we would just play multiplayer fighting games together, and on my own i think i've only engaged with platform or RPG games like Pokemon, Super Mario 64 and Spyro. But one day he made me play Journey (he said i needed to because it was beautiful and could be finished in just a couple hours) and -by god- that was definitely the one that revealed to me the beautiful artistic potential of videogames. for a non-gamer like me, i think it changed my life. to this day i'm still thinking about those golden skies, the silk-like sand, the immersive and jaw-dropping music, everything it achieved with very simple game dynamics. hands down one of the best games i've ever played. I'd also love to play Abzu one day if i get the chance. Great video as always!
ABZU re-sparked my love for games as well. Everything here was beautifully said, and I'm so grateful other people have been able to experience what I have with this game. Subbed !!
wow hadn't heard of it before, looks stunning and interesting with lots of nice touches. Enjoyed the review and looking forward to watching your other vids.
Giant Squid's next game The Pathless became really special to me; it came out a week before my son was born and I loved everything about the game. I highly recommend it.
RIME kept me glued to my TV screen until my PS4 gave me an alert that it had to shut off or overheat. The only reason I had stopped playing was because I didn't want my console to overheat lol The music, art, and overall feeling of RIME captivated me.
I was originally interested in this because of the name. In ancient times the absu was a place only the gods journeyed to. "Lost book of Enki" and even in his books the Absu was a mystery. But what we know was that it was a place of water. And now looking at this game, weired things are coming to me. Is it on Ps5?
When i was younger any game that had an open world or multiple worlds absolutely blew my mind, Spyro year of the dragon and Kingdom Hearts II have stuck with me for 18 years now. I think it's the feeling of adventure and not knowing what could lie ahead. I can't think of many games that replicated that feeling.
Breath of the Wild was the first game where I truly realized games could be beautiful. Journey was the game that made me realize I want to make games, and Abzu was a fantastic follow-up.
Dark Souls was my Abzu. Then a few years later after I had drifted away from games again it was Darkest Dungeon. I don’t know what the next one will be but I’m excited to find out.
Great video, such a nice small relaxing look into a beautiful game I would have probably never known of otherwise. Super nice of you to end it on a question too, mine was a game called Edith Finch that me and my friend played together out of boredom but were both absolutely bawling by the end of on account of the masterful and heartbreaking story.
I love this game :) The game that I remember most vividly is The Longest Journey. I played it in my early teens and I remember it just being the most amazing game I ever played. I've replayed it many times since and even though graphics have come a long way I feel like it holds up pretty good. I also remember the Myst games from around the same time, they also really shaped my love for games.
GRIS was the first game that I played where I was like holy shit I want to do stuff like this because it is amazing. games like GRIS, journey, and abzu to name a few will always have a soft spot in my heart they are all masterpieces
For me, the game that changed my outlook on video games and became something more than just games was FF7 (original PS1) and Metal Gear Solid soon after.
There is this game called Genshin impact, it has gotten very popular this past year and even though the games’ company has their flaws, their game was truly memorizing to look at. To the wind hitting the grass, to the footprints of your character leaves behind, this game is truly beautiful. The soundtrack is a big factor as well as it really brings you in the kind of setting it gives in whatever area you’re in, for example there is a place based on Chinese culture, not only does the soundtrack brings you in but it makes you feel like you are just in a dream with it beauty. Genshin impact is really one of those games that we take for granted for the graphics and beautiful music
I'd say that undertale was one of those games for a lot of us. It made us rethink the way we play games, and wonder why we do the things we do in them. It hasn't changed much about how people make those sorts of games, but I've seen lots of instances of players being changed. I watch matpat play on gtlive, and while playing both bendy and the ink machine and omori he would feel bad about killing things. I saw comments about this under his first omori video, and during the bendy and the ink machine one, his wife even read out loud a message from the chat that said "not everything can be Undertale "
I think its time to give Abzu another shot. When I initially started it, I remember the controls being a bit physically uncomfortable, but I ought to give it another go.
I barely played any video games between 2012-2016 while I was going to college, but after I graduated, my friend lent me his switch with Breath of the Wild and I got sucked back in. Been playing consistently again since then!
aw man now I wanna play this my game was symphony of the night it blew my mind when I was kid when I found out there was a second castle AND it was upside down with completely different levels
Both Shadow of the Colossus and Papers Please (and maybe a little bit MGS3) really opened up my eyes towards story telling posibilities in videogames. That game company just knows how to make their games on such an immersive way, they´re pretty great.
Shadow of the Colossus is what did it for me.
such a brilliant game! I need to replay it soon!
Mine gotta be Persona 3
Mine was Ico. I remember seeing an article in Game Informer about it before it came out. Just looking at the pictures, I knew it was gonna be special. I discovered Ico after seeing that article, and played it while I waited for SoTC.
Have you ever played Journey? Matt Nava worked on that game too and both soundtracks are composed by Austin Wintory! Abzu is like a spiritual successor to Journey in the most opposite environment they could think of (desert -> deep sea)
I have! Although I played Abzu first I think :)
Man I wish more ppl talked abt journey, mostly bc I can’t convince my husband that it’s not-well, not at its core/purpose-a metaphor for the salmon life cycle (he makes a... surprisingly good argument, since the game is simple enough that u don’t have a lot of ammo to refute the claim, but I refuse to believe that’s the original intent)
@@rotisseriepossum Journey is very deliberately a work that mirrors the "hero's journey" in literature! The idea that all adventures fall into the same story. the protagonist leaves their !normal" land and encounters the different/supernatural before winning a decisive victory and returning home changed!
@@magvad6472 that-does make more sense tbh
I haven't played Journey, but I heard it's lonesome. Perhaps then it might feel like you're WALL.E - minus the debris. :)
I remember being angry for a whole day. and then it started raining so i decided to play Abzu for the first time, since i previously bought it but never really had the time to play. First thing that caught my attention was the music. Honestly, it's a melody that grows on you. Taking away your sorrow only to replace it with a sense of compassion for nature.
I like that you can feel the joy the author had playing the game and then writing about it. It makes listening to and watching the video that much more enjoyable!
i'm usually terrified of the deep sea but abzu just doesn't make me feel afraid in any way, shape, or form and that's really nice
this game is a good example that all games dont need amazing voice acting & dont need be seen as a Hollywood block buster to tell a great story
Indeed! Certainly not! =]
For me OFF by ‘Mortis Ghost’ changed how I view video games. While it isn’t aesthetically as beautiful as Abzu, the story and world played with my expectations and assumptions of what video games are. I highly recommend.
Ape Out was the game that got to me. Every element perfectly contributes to the visceral feeling of controlling a pissed-off gorilla. The vivid graphics, the jazz drums, the gameplay of chucking everything around. The game is minimalist, but only to trim the fat and present a pure yet complete experience. It doesn't overstay its welcome, and I had a literal smile on my face the entire time.
I found your channel thanks to your feature in HeavyEyed's hour+ video, and I love your stuff so far! As someone who doesn't love Journey as much as most, I must admit you've sold me on this spiritual successor more than anyone else.
Love your stuff, and I'll be looking forward to checking out more. Keep it up!
Thank you so much! ☺️
@@eurothug4000 Thank you. ☺
U hit me hard with these Feels. Was close to Tears at the End. ABZU was and is an astonishing Experience. Well cut and amazingly worded Video. Thank you
I've come across a number of games that have brought me to a frankly revelatory place that shifted my perspective on games as a whole, but I'll only mention one. Silent Hill 2 did so much for me, leading to a shift in my approach to games as a kid. It really put into perspective for me that a game doesn't have to actively feel good to play, that an obtuse control scheme can be more beneficial to a game than one that feels slick and polished. Just as fluidity can amplify beauty, frustration can amplify horror or a tense atmosphere or even be the presiding factor over a work that pushes the audience from passively experiencing into actively analyzing the intricacies of the piece. Even today SH2 remains such an effective textural piece, with a sharp story and near unparalleled atmosphere.
Keep up the wonderful videos, Maria! Your voice is so strong and your passion for the games you write about really show through in your videos.
SH2 is such a huge game in history, and absolutely one of a kind! I like how you said that it doesn’t have to necessarily feel good to play to be an amazing game, that’s how I feel too!
And thank you! Your comments always bring a smile to my face 😊 I’ll always try my best! ❤️
I think mine was a combination of Fez and Braid. I played both at around the same time and I got a feeling on how the art of a game can contribute inmensely to it’s narrative (even working along with the core mechanic of the game). Since then, I’ve been going around looking for games with that same organic feel. I’m definitely going to check out Abzu after this video, thank you so much!
I'd never heard of this game, but I instantly love it. Thanks for this video!
This was such a passionate and AWESOME video that I can feel how much your experience was something beyond, fantastic content 🌊
The aquatic dinosaur level was my favorite. I took many pictures of the game, and the ending scene of the whales and the moon are actually my desktop background
Abzu was recommended to me by a friend. It's mixture of beauty and mystery engaged me from start to end, and this video captures exactly the way I felt while playing it.
Also have fun playing Death Stranding!
Thank you!! ☺️
Wow the music you chose for this video is perfect
I think for me it was Tetris Effect. I made a video about how it helped me get over my depression.
I wish i could experience this game for the first time again
Goddamn the soundtrack In this game Is really beautiful.
Played this when it was on the Xbox game pass some time ago, amazing game, reminded me of Mirror's Edge visually
child of light
Beautiful game and review.
That one game? I guess my first Zelda for the sense of freedom and adventure, Brothers a Tale of two Sons for the aesthetics and its fairy tale wonders and Dark Souls for everything else this great medium is capable of.
It's a hard question... I'd have to say RE4 is the one that made me fall in love with videogames in the first place, later the silent hill trilogy made me realize what I really liked about them, but it's with persona 4 that I finally understood what one could do with the medium
Great video!
You mean the last game that did that for me (there have been a number of them)? Hollow Knight. I couldn't put it down for so long. :)
Crazy Taxi
GRIS
you know someone is committed to a conversation with her/his community when the person takes the time to read/heart comments for a video made a year ago ^^
wha a wholesome move
Thanks :)
haha I read all my comments! although sometimes I’m half asleep when I do and forget to heart them 😭 thank you for watching and commenting! ❤️
@@eurothug4000 ^^ that's so sweet
Thank you for putting effort in producing quality content like that :)
Me and my friends played this game in between a bout of dying in bloodborne. It was the pause we needed before we went back to passing the controller around each time we died.
So yea, Bloodborne was my game.
Pretty neat video!
Can't watch at the moment but commenting early for the *A L G O R I T H M*
AYYY THANK YOU
What an inspiring love letter to your favourite game. Your use of language and voice performance are stimulating and entrancing. It really matches the aesthetic you are selling of Abzu. The editing and pacing of the visuals are equally excellent. I'm a big fan of making videos on art that are themselves very artsy. It's clear you understand intimately the care put into this game and have taken measures to match that in talking about it. I'm convinced I have to play this game now. I honestly hope I can make videos like this going forward.
And for the record, Majora's Mask. I made a video on just one part of what I love about it, though I don't think I did it justice quite like you have here.
Thank you so much! If you do play it please do let me know how you find it! :)
Majora’s Mask is a great choice too! 👍
Hollow knight was that one special game for me
I always met every new area with child like wonder and was always left with the feeling that there's always something else waiting for me out there
Dearly hope silksong will be nearly as good
My 2 favorite moments in that game:
1. Mirabelle scamming you.
2. Discovering Deepnest...by falling into it from the pit. I got stuck in that part of the map for so long, I started to feel homesick. Then I thought to just climb back out lol
You're a good narrator
I’m glad you think so! I struggle hearing back my own voice without cringing 😂
I played through Abzu with my Dad because we're both Scuba Divers and it's one of the most magical experiences I've ever had with video games. Thanks for making this video 💜
I feel like Gris was the game that gave me this feeling most recently. Another short but visually and atmospherically stunning game.
I tried that game. But I wasn't able to get into it. Abzu though. Loved it.
Legend Of Zelda A Link To The Past.
Suprisingly, it was twilight princess that fliped that switch for me. Never before had i felt this emotional about a relative short sequence of gameplay, and it changed the way I looked at videogame companions forever.
That Game Company is easily my favourite game creators, I love all their games.
Especially ABZÛ, god this game is beautiful.
Thank you for covering it.
They actually didn’t make this game. The art director of Journey created his own studio called Giant Squid to make this game.
People need to stop making great videos that I should've made.
My 3 year old kid commented "I like this music" as I showed her the controls. She was mesmerized to swim through the fish, and clapped and cheered each time we jumped over the surface and splashed back down with the rhe other creatures.
Not saying that it hard to catch a kid's attention, but to hold it for as long as this game did, speaks volumes about its beauty.
I've always played games, and Galaxy too was a big part of my childhood (my parents got me my own wii with the game for christmas the same year my brother moved out and took his wii with him,) but I dont think I ever really thought about just how incredible the medium is before I played Journey. I think I was 17 at the time, having grown up with Nintendo mainly, my brother let me borrow his ps3 to play a different game, and he told me to try out that one.. Journey, it would only take a few hours he said. I was completely blown away by the sheer beauty, the simplicity, the genius online features and the music. That game made me feel a sense of wonder that I try to consider with every piece of media I consume since.
ABZÛlutely amazing video. I hope you will be able to make that strong connection with more games to come. Cough death stranding cough. My game is stephen´s sausage roll. It is really challenging so beating that game without any guide felt not only extremely satisfying but it also made me realize i can learn and achieve more things in my life than i thought.
first of all wonderful video, just subbed
second of all, abzu is the best game to play when you are high. so calm and comforting and one back flip will turn you off. literally woke up after 15 minute not knowing what happened. the best
i love this channel and this vid. this is sort of out there but i must say : your voice is lovely, and you sound almost exactly like the vocalist from the ultimate hidden gem neo-60s art pop group ‘death by chocolate’ . you should check them out. something tells me you’d dig it. the songs are a celebration of color and sensory perception.
The game that got me all emotional was Silent Hill 2, the ending specifically gets me weeping like a sausage every time. But in more recent times I'd say Jesse Makkonen's Distraint games are also amazing and emotional too, highly recommend those.
Can't tell for sure but most likely Devil May Cry 3. Cleanest action game of all time.
Ori and the blind forest was this game for me. The colours, the story, the music... it drew me into the world in a way I’d never experienced before.
You can ride manatees in this game? Absolute peak wish fulfillment tbh. I think for me the game that most made me permanently rethink how I look at games was Hollow Knight.
That's Pyre for me. I first time got emotional when the bard performed "The journey shall be made", but the final song at the end got me that much that I even cried a bit, the same goes for Hades and the "in the blood" song at the end.
One Love!
Always forward, never ever backward!!
☀️☀️☀️
💚💛❤️
🙏🏿🙏🙏🏼
"Therapuetic" is the best word for the environments (most of them. There are some stressful and heartbreaking moments.)
Yeah. I booted up Abzû many times when I felt upset or sad.
I always wanted to play this game but my Thalassophobia prevents me from playing it and subnautica
Honestly Abzu might be very therapeutic for you since there is nothing that can harm you in this game. You wont lack oxygen just as you wont be attacked by any creature. It's just a sense of marvel and calm that wraps you in its warm blanket all throughout.
Probably The Pathless, which I discovered before Abzu, I'm actually finally going to get to play it now that it's on switch, and I am on major hype for it's beauty in so many ways! Abzû does seem really cool too though, and so does it's predecessor, Journey. Definitely both games I'd like to play someday.
For me it was "Unravel". But Abzu would have certainly done the trick as well. :)
Other mesmerizing games I liked were "Flower" and "Typoman". Though Typoman may not be considered 'beautiful', it's both creative and encouraging.
Unravel also has a sequel, though I prefer the original if I had to choose.
Wonderful video! God bless and have a nice day! =)
Absolutely agree with your beautifully put review but I have a very specific question: which chapter can you ride a blue whale and see penguins?? That looks so amazing!!
Journey was my quite large spark, ABZÛ was fuel to that burning fire. I just played ABZÛ as of today, and as the time I'm writing this, i'm getting ready to do another play through of Journey. These games are truly wonderful pieces of human art.
Mine was stardew valley. I easily sunk 150+ hours into that game before I had to take a break, and I still come back to it now and again when it gets updated
Great work as always
Mine was Half Life 1, it told it's story in such a fantastic way.
Abzu is one of my favorite games ever. Here's my story. I'd enjoyed videogames since I was a kid. One favorite childhood game was Ecco the Dolphin, long before the distinction of indie and mainstream. I fell in love with Kingdom Hearts in 2005... and out of love in 2019. I needed something to fill that gap, and started trying other games, including many indie games.
What was mine? It was called Journey.
Four years after Journey's release, the composer, Austin Wintory, and the creative director, Matt Nava, went on to make Abzu.
Awesome content as always, so interesting to see more on this game.
abzu is beautiful and so is this video
The first game that changed me and made me think games were more than just games, was Super Metroid. In early 90s, I had some experience with SNES and arcade games, but games were just funny things you play for an hour or so each time, and not think about later, until you play again. Super Metroid changed that!
First, the visuals. I love the graphics of Super Metroid, the style, the atmosphere they convey, like ancient ruins and lost civilizations. Then the music, which was simply perfect, like the music you hear in a horror movie, not in a funny game. Finally, the gameplay, a game you need to invest time in to finish and explore completely. To this day, almos 30 years later, I still sometimes dream about an area of the game that doesn't really exist, but that in my dream it exists; it's a cave system between Crateria and Brinstar. In my dream, I get lost there, I can't find my way out... well, not me, I don't dream I am there, I dream I am playing Super Metroid and I can't find the way out. It's not upsetting, it's just the feeling I got when i first played the game, of being lost and alone.
Then there have been other games that made me see games almost like art: Doom, Final Fantasy 7, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2... then I stopped playing games for many years, and in 2020, when I returned, I found Dark Souls Remastered and I got to experience the same feeling of being lost and lonely I experienced playing Super Metroid. I hope that in 25 years I discover a game than makes me feel that again.
Spyro was mine. The music, the whimsical characters, the playful nature of it. I think it's probably my most replayed game. x'D
I think this is the first media that’s taken place in the ocean that I’m not scared of.
That’s, *Really* amazing considering how terrified I am of it LOL (found out the hard way from watching Solar Sand’s Thalassophobia video on my tv. literally felt like I got off a rollercoaster, it was nOT fun lmAO-)
As for the game that clicked with me, I feel like the closest would be Feather? Or Sky, since they both involve flying and exploring and are just really, relaxing~
Ooh that ending got me! Well, as I said I love ABZU. There's a similar game that I've seen ABZU called the spiritual successor to: Journey. It's something I genuinely hope everyone sits down and experiences in one sitting as well, without much knowledge beforehand because of how beautiful and subjective it is.
i haven't played that many videogames myself. For the majority of my childhood i would just see my big brother play any game and be entranced with it (it kind of felt therapeutic to watch). sometimes we would just play multiplayer fighting games together, and on my own i think i've only engaged with platform or RPG games like Pokemon, Super Mario 64 and Spyro. But one day he made me play Journey (he said i needed to because it was beautiful and could be finished in just a couple hours) and -by god- that was definitely the one that revealed to me the beautiful artistic potential of videogames. for a non-gamer like me, i think it changed my life. to this day i'm still thinking about those golden skies, the silk-like sand, the immersive and jaw-dropping music, everything it achieved with very simple game dynamics. hands down one of the best games i've ever played. I'd also love to play Abzu one day if i get the chance. Great video as always!
ABZU re-sparked my love for games as well. Everything here was beautifully said, and I'm so grateful other people have been able to experience what I have with this game. Subbed !!
Abzu is amazing!
a perfect analysis
wow hadn't heard of it before, looks stunning and interesting with lots of nice touches. Enjoyed the review and looking forward to watching your other vids.
Giant Squid's next game The Pathless became really special to me; it came out a week before my son was born and I loved everything about the game. I highly recommend it.
RIME kept me glued to my TV screen until my PS4 gave me an alert that it had to shut off or overheat. The only reason I had stopped playing was because I didn't want my console to overheat lol The music, art, and overall feeling of RIME captivated me.
This game is amazing, yes short, not much to do (you can collect collectables which i did) but game is an art.
I was originally interested in this because of the name. In ancient times the absu was a place only the gods journeyed to. "Lost book of Enki" and even in his books the Absu was a mystery. But what we know was that it was a place of water. And now looking at this game, weired things are coming to me. Is it on Ps5?
When i was younger any game that had an open world or multiple worlds absolutely blew my mind, Spyro year of the dragon and Kingdom Hearts II have stuck with me for 18 years now. I think it's the feeling of adventure and not knowing what could lie ahead. I can't think of many games that replicated that feeling.
Breath of the Wild was the first game where I truly realized games could be beautiful. Journey was the game that made me realize I want to make games, and Abzu was a fantastic follow-up.
Dark Souls was my Abzu. Then a few years later after I had drifted away from games again it was Darkest Dungeon. I don’t know what the next one will be but I’m excited to find out.
Truly an experience. I got to play this with my 6 year old Junior. We both loved it to bits :)
Great video, such a nice small relaxing look into a beautiful game I would have probably never known of otherwise. Super nice of you to end it on a question too, mine was a game called Edith Finch that me and my friend played together out of boredom but were both absolutely bawling by the end of on account of the masterful and heartbreaking story.
beautiful video, really made me want to pick it up again. another aestetically pleasing game i'd suggest...spiritfarer
I love this game :) The game that I remember most vividly is The Longest Journey. I played it in my early teens and I remember it just being the most amazing game I ever played. I've replayed it many times since and even though graphics have come a long way I feel like it holds up pretty good. I also remember the Myst games from around the same time, they also really shaped my love for games.
GRIS was the first game that I played where I was like holy shit I want to do stuff like this because it is amazing. games like GRIS, journey, and abzu to name a few will always have a soft spot in my heart they are all masterpieces
For me, the game that changed my outlook on video games and became something more than just games was FF7 (original PS1) and Metal Gear Solid soon after.
There is this game called Genshin impact, it has gotten very popular this past year and even though the games’ company has their flaws, their game was truly memorizing to look at. To the wind hitting the grass, to the footprints of your character leaves behind, this game is truly beautiful. The soundtrack is a big factor as well as it really brings you in the kind of setting it gives in whatever area you’re in, for example there is a place based on Chinese culture, not only does the soundtrack brings you in but it makes you feel like you are just in a dream with it beauty. Genshin impact is really one of those games that we take for granted for the graphics and beautiful music
I'd say that undertale was one of those games for a lot of us. It made us rethink the way we play games, and wonder why we do the things we do in them. It hasn't changed much about how people make those sorts of games, but I've seen lots of instances of players being changed. I watch matpat play on gtlive, and while playing both bendy and the ink machine and omori he would feel bad about killing things. I saw comments about this under his first omori video, and during the bendy and the ink machine one, his wife even read out loud a message from the chat that said "not everything can be Undertale "
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean on GameCube was my first real contact with beauty in a video game, both in music and visuals.
I might get this on switch now
I think its time to give Abzu another shot. When I initially started it, I remember the controls being a bit physically uncomfortable, but I ought to give it another go.
I enjoyed it, but this was not Journey. Everything you said I can apply to Journey only.
looks nice! too bad it uses digital restriction management software called denuvo, which forbids me from buying it.
I barely played any video games between 2012-2016 while I was going to college, but after I graduated, my friend lent me his switch with Breath of the Wild and I got sucked back in. Been playing consistently again since then!
aw man now I wanna play this my game was symphony of the night it blew my mind when I was kid when I found out there was a second castle AND it was upside down with completely different levels
Nice video! Subscribed
Oh my goodness yes this is one of my favorite games! In my top 10 and probably in my top 5. My inner child is happy
absolutely agreed, i love this beautiful game! thank you for the review!
I swear I dreamt this game. The pallette and long seaweed like at 1:29 are so close to how the dream appeared.
Lee Jennifer Rodriguez Betty Walker Larry
Both Shadow of the Colossus and Papers Please (and maybe a little bit MGS3) really opened up my eyes towards story telling posibilities in videogames. That game company just knows how to make their games on such an immersive way, they´re pretty great.
Transistor from Supergiant Games was that special game from me, and it also introduced me to the indie games scene