Abzu: The undervalued gem of E3

Do you know what I hate? An underwater level of a game. I’ll admit it. Maybe it’s the restricted movement, the limited breathing time or the fact that weapons rarely work down there. But when I see water, I lose interest (there is a pun in there somewhere if I try hard enough).

And this is a shame, as one title that passed beneath the surface for me (see, I got there soon enough) at this year’s Sony E3 was Abzu, a beautiful title from the creators of PS3 indie hits Flower and Journey.

Rather than try to explain, it’s better to simply watch what Abzu is all about. All those hassles I mentioned of underwater levels are taken care of, and perhaps the biggest aggravation of E3 trailers – how far away they are from release – is not an issue here, as Abzu becomes available  on the PS4 on August 2.

So as to what the specific control layout or objective of the game is? I have no idea. Mostly I’m trying to shake the image of Lara Croft and Ecco the Dolphin having a baby (analogy gone wrong; I don’t recommend it). However the art style in this is beautifully conceptualized, and while I’ve never been the rage-quit type myself, titles like these do seem a tonic to the hot-headed competition of some other game genres.