The Journey 2 that couldn't

[lettmon]

Congrats, this game has even less gameplay than Journey, and the music is so unfitting, they missed a great opportunity here to use cool ambient music, but they had to go with generic classical music like 95% of modern games ?

[Neef-GT5]

Well I might give a try then.

 

What actually matters is the gaming experience - gameplay is just one aspect of it...

 

[DrBloodmoney]

There is no Classical music in Abzû though? 

 

The soundtrack is all original score by Austin Wintory, AFAIK, and was written for the game.

 

 

 

[JoesusHCrust]

Has anyone else noticed that the title for this game is incorrect? It's listed as 'ABZ' in this forum.

 

I didn't particularly like Journey so Abzu isn't top of my list of must-play games, but for free I'll definitely grab it! 

[lettmon]

10 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

There is no Classical music in Abzû though? 

 

The soundtrack is all original score by Austin Wintory, AFAIK, and was written for the game.

 

 

 

 

Classical string instrument music.

[DrBloodmoney]

24 minutes ago, lettmon said:

 

Classical string instrument music.

I believe it was a full scoring orchestra, with an additional choral ensemble - some strings in there, of course (pretty hard to curate a scoring orchestra without some ?) but the score is a far cry from Classical, or even Classical-style.

 

Felt pretty modern-filmic to me 

 

I quite liked it, and the game too, but for sure it’s not for everyone.

 

 

30 minutes ago, JoesusHCrust said:

Has anyone else noticed that the title for this game is incorrect? It's listed as 'ABZ' in this forum.

 

I didn't particularly like Journey so Abzu isn't top of my list of must-play games, but for free I'll definitely grab it! 

Yeah, I’ll bet there is some issue where the ‘û’ character isn’t supported in the titles of the forums - strange that it would default to just omitting it though, rather than replacing with a ‘u’ ?

 

If you weren’t a Journey fan, yeah, tough to recommend Abzû, though there may be something to be said for the visuals -

 

I found it quite similar to Journey in the sense of the meditative pace and the slow discovery of mysterious stuff, but Abzû, while it has nothing quite as technically impressive as the sand surfing lighting effects and such in Journey, has a leg up in terms of the overall look being more consistently interesting and beautiful.

 

It’s not a game for high tension or thrills, but can be a very pleasant, low-key way to pass a few hours.

Edited March 28, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[JoesusHCrust]

It's an interesting question. Can Wintory's music be described as 'classical'? I think there's a case to be made but his music is generally classed as 'electronica'. 

[DrBloodmoney]

5 minutes ago, JoesusHCrust said:

It's an interesting question. Can Wintory's music be described as 'classical'? I think there's a case to be made but his music is generally classed as 'electronica'. 

Not to get too technical - but Classical music is only ‘Classical’ if it was written in the Classical period, i.e. late 1700s to mid 1800s.

Immediately prior to that is generally ‘Baroque’ and immediately after is ‘Romantic’.

 

There is ‘Classical-style’ modern music, but it is specifically music aping the style of that period. I think if Austin Wintory had released his Abzû sountrack in 1790, it would have felt quite ahead of it’s time ?

[LoveInHell]

Download Spotify and listen to cool ambient music. Problem solved...

Edited March 28, 2021 by LoveInHell

[JoesusHCrust]

58 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Not to get too technical - but Classical music is only ‘Classical’ if it was written in the Classical period, i.e. late 1700s to mid 1800s.

Immediately prior to that is generally ‘Baroque’ and immediately after is ‘Romantic’.

 

There is ‘Classical-style’ modern music, but it is specifically music aping the style of that period. I think if Austin Wintory had released his Abzû sountrack in 1790, it would have felt quite ahead of it’s time ?

Yes, sort of. Classical music is used coloquially for what we should properly call 'Western Art Music'. You could make a case for including earlier liturgical music under this category but you're right that we have Baroque, Galant, Classical, Romantic, Modernist, Postmodernist etc. as separate music styles colloquially grouped together as 'classical music'. 

 

I disagree that Modernist or Postmodernist Western Art Music are aping the style of Classical music. I don't like them, but they are music forms in their own right. 

11 minutes ago, LoveInHell said:

Download Spotify and listen to cool ambient music. Problem solved...

But then I wouldn't be able to demonstrate to a stranger on the internet that I'm familiar with the correct terminology for different forms of Western Art Music! I don't want people thinking I'm stupid

 

I don't really like ambient music. If I got a spotify account, I think I'd listen to 'Old Time' Appalachian fiddle music, Baroque Western Art Music and Reggae!! Those are my favourite genres!

[DrBloodmoney]

1 minute ago, JoesusHCrust said:

 

I disagree that Modernist or Postmodernist Western Art Music are aping the style of Classical music. I don't like them, but they are music forms in their own right. 

Yes - sorry, that is what I was saying - I meant that there is a modern style of music that apes Classical music, i.e. Classical-style, but not that all, or even a majority of modern orchestral music is that.
It exists, but is a specific niche, and the Abzû soundtrack definitely does not fall into that niche.

[dieselmanchild]

2 hours ago, Neef-GT5 said:

Well I might give a try then.

 

What actually matters is the gaming experience - gameplay is just one aspect of it...

 

Well said, and I agree completely. Of course gameplay matters for the most part, but these types of games woke me up to the fact that a video game has the power to offer something completely different... an experience that is unconventional, yet equally valuable.

 

Journey was the first game I played that, to me at least, came across as much more than just a game. To be honest, it felt much more like an emotional experience, like a incredible piece of music or a sublime painting, a piece of art designed to immerse you in beauty and make you feel something special.

 

Not only did I find it to be a playable metaphor for the journey that each of us takes throughout life, but I found the whole experience to be filled with a kind of indescribable wonder and beauty that no game before had ever offered. Everything about it was beautiful to me, particularly the moments in which I would cross paths with other faceless, nameless souls embarking on their own journies, using nothing but primitive chimes and musical notes to try and communicate with one another, causing us to share these small but meaningful moments together before diverging on our own paths once again.

 

Yes, it was very short. And yes, it didn’t have much in terms of traditional gameplay. But I don’t think it needed to either. It offered me something so much more, a unique and heartfelt experience that I hadn’t had before in a video game.

 

Journey did something ballsy and special, and in my opinion it paid off for a lot of people. There have been other games like RiME, Abzu, Fe, Sea of Solitude etc. that have set out to offer player’s something similar, and personally I’m always happy to dive in to these kinds of games as I find them really relaxing and strangely cathartic in a way. I am personally enjoying the vibrant, underwater refuge of Abzu. ?

[kALWa888]

On 28.03.2021 at 10:38 AM, lettmon said:

Congrats, this game has even less gameplay than Journey, and the music is so unfitting, they missed a great opportunity here to use cool ambient music, but they had to go with generic classical music like 95% of modern games 

Agree. I'm not even sure if it's a game. And I dislike the idea of "emotional expierience". I mean - it feels more like a longer tech demo with minimal gameplay and almost no story at all. Yeah, there is a "story", just like in Journey. But both these "games" are lacking - in terms of gameplay and story. You can interpret it any way you want, but without it, there is almost nothing.

 

And I think these both "experiences" are wasted potential. You can tell great many things with product like that, but they did something that looks beautiful and "deep". And people seem to forget, that Journey is not first game in that style. There was Rez and it's one example. It told story in minimalistic way, and was still a game and an expierence with unique music. And if you don't care about its story, there is still engaging gameplay, beautiful and unique visuals.

 

When it comes to Abzu or Journey, when you don't care about story, there is no engaging gameplay. Which leaves only beautiful (?) music and visuals. And I won't forget the most beautiful games ever made like Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian and many more - that are considered art. Like I said before, Journey and Abzu are lacking in many things. And mind you, I'm emotional guy. Shadow of the Colossus or The Last Guardian left me devastated, and I cried like a bitch when I had to go trough microwave part in Metal Gear Solid 4. No to mention Nier or Okami. These are masterpieces.

 

And most importantly, creators like this (and fans of these games) forget (or so it seems), that gameplay is also a way to tell a story. And that is why games can differ from other mediums. It's a shame that Journey and Abzu doesn't do that, and still are considered beautiful works of art.

 

Shaking my head.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by kALWa888

[XpanderFX]

On 10/5/2021 at 4:15 AM, kALWa888 said:

Agree. I'm not even sure if it's a game. And I dislike the idea of "emotional expierience". I mean - it feels more like a longer tech demo with minimal gameplay and almost no story at all. Yeah, there is a "story", just like in Journey. But both these "games" are lacking - in terms of gameplay and story. You can interpret it any way you want, but without it, there is almost nothing.

 

And I think these both "experiences" are wasted potential. You can tell great many things with product like that, but they did something that looks beautiful and "deep". And people seem to forget, that Journey is not first game in that style. There was Rez and it's one example. It told story in minimalistic way, and was still a game and an expierence with unique music. And if you don't care about its story, there is still engaging gameplay, beautiful and unique visuals.

 

When it comes to Abzu or Journey, when you don't care about story, there is no engaging gameplay. Which leaves only beautiful (?) music and visuals. And I won't forget the most beautiful games ever made like Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian and many more - that are considered art. Like I said before, Journey and Abzu are lacking in many things. And mind you, I'm emotional guy. Shadow of the Colossus or The Last Guardian left me devastated, and I cried like a bitch when I had to go trough microwave part in Metal Gear Solid 4. No to mention Nier or Okami. These are masterpieces.

 

And most importantly, creators like this (and fans of these games) forget (or so it seems), that gameplay is also a way to tell a story. And that is why games can differ from other mediums. It's a shame that Journey and Abzu doesn't do that, and still are considered beautiful works of art.

 

Shaking my head.

 

 

 

hate this "arty" games. Boring, boring, and again boring. Playing them only beacuse was free somewhere (ps+/playathome) and because of easy trophies. Worst game of this kind, played recently, was paper beast. 

[Sebulba2000]

On 28.03.2021 at 10:59 AM, Neef-GT5 said:

Well I might give a try then.

 

What actually matters is the gaming experience - gameplay is just one aspect of it...

 

Nope. Every game should have a solid gameplay to justify a story and atmosphere, that someone would not care about

[daveM12DIM]

Have just played through for my first time (blind, no guide) and honestly, I left feeling completely underwhelmed.

I should say, I am a huge Journey fan. Have done very very many "journeys" and every one to me somehow still feels different. Maybe it is unfair to compare Abzu to Journey when Journey really set such a high standard, but hell, if you are going to model yourself so obviously on Journey then you deserve to be compared to it. 

The positive.. Graphically its a beautiful game, its simply stunning to look at, and the gameplay and controls are easy to grasp (although why camera default view is reversed I dont know). The areas of full of life and colour, loads of fish, and flora to explore in contrast to the starkness of Journey

but...

First issue is purpose. In journey the purpose was clear, reach the summit of the mountain, and that in turn justified everything you did. When you were struggling against the wind trying to climb the summit, the struggle was to get where you were aiming to get to. When dodging the creatures in underground, you were dodging them because you were driving to reach that ultimate goal. Thats what drives you from both a gameplay perspective and emotionally to complete the game. Abzu had NONE of that. Why were you doing this, were you just out for a swim, what was the purpose. Sure, towards the end you got a bit of "why", but ultimately there was never that end goal which meant i struggle to ever connect to the game emotionally.

Second.. level design. In journey each level was very very distinct. In Abzu it was all much of a muchness with the one exception being the red sea with the electric things. The rest of it was very samey, water with seaweed and fish. More water, with more seaweed and fish. 

The ending.. came very suddenly, and i was literally "was that it".. it just ended out of the blue without warning. Mega anticlimax. 

 

Like I say, maybe unfair to compare it to Journey when the bar was set so high, but when you are going to blatantly recycle numerous elements from it, you deserve to be compared to it. 

Journey after multiple plays still hits me emotionally with every trip. Abzu didnt trigger me emotionally at all. Very very disapointing

[DN91]

As soon as I finished ABZÛ, I went back and replayed Journey.

Journey was a very magical experience, I really liked it, although I cannot say the same about ABZÛ. 

Even the way you select chapters here is lazy. Not even mentioning the fact that this is a strictly single-player experience, and while some might say "Journey doesn't really add much in terms of multi-player" well, it adds another person. 

You're there, wanting to get to the mountain and suddenly another traveler pops in, tries to communicate with you, no words spoken, just actions. 

In comparison, ABZÛ is pretty much boring.

Edited October 18, 2023 by DN91
Just adding here that I have already played Journey a few years ago on PS3, before they made it free with that Play@Home event.