History VideoGame / Abzu

* TheRival: The dynamic between the Great One Shark and the diver is very much like a classic rivalry story, even though there is not much for them to rival each other ''over''. They start off on a bad note, with the shark spitefully destroying one of the diver's companion mini-subs, and then, throughout the game, we see the shark always one step ahead, as if racing the diver to [[spoiler:the central core of the LostTechnology polluting the ocean]]. Then, however, [[spoiler:the diver [[AndroclesLion saves the shark from being crushed]], revealing no hard feelings whatsoever, and in return, the shark [[HeroicSacrifice charges the central core]], possibly saving the diver at the cost of its own life. Then, in the final level, the shark is resurrected and the [[RivalsTeamUp rivals finally team up]] towards their goal, and it's glorious]].

* ThreateningShark: Subverted. The game appears to build up to a confrontation with a Great White Shark, who frequently appears, acts aggressive, and eats your helper robots. However, you end up ''saving'' it from some wreckage that it's pinned under. [[spoiler:It then proceeds to help you, first by ramming the massive device, saving your life at the cost of its own, and then joining forces with you after coming BackFromTheDead to destroy the machines once and for all.]]

* OhCrapFakeout: One point early in chapter 4 makes it appear as if a blue whale is about to eat your character - but no, it was just gathering up some fish swimming next to you. Though anyone who is aware of real blue whale biology probably saw this coming, since despite their large size, they're physically incapable of swallowing anything human-sized.

Swimming around under the water, you occasionally find mysterious statues which your character can perch to meditate, surveying the wildlife around her. You also occasionally find and activate small robots which follow you, using them to open passages through the coral which has grown over a cavern. Each chapter sees you exploring ancient, mosaic-laden ruins of a seemingly primitive, sea-oriented culture, and then concluding by swimming into a large, mechanical pyramid which seems to be powered by some advanced, alien technology, but you are left to discover how they relate to one another, assuming there ''is'' a relationship.

* SeldomSeenSpecies: The majority of the animals in the game certainly qualify. Unless you had a prior interest im marine biology, you've probably ''never even heard of'' many of the species the player encounters.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 5. [[spoiler:You find out via a holographic display that your character is based on the same technology as the small submarines and the big mines and that they are likely a creation of a highly destructive, advanced civilization.]] You get over it, only to later witness [[spoiler: the Great White Shark [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] for you when you meet a gigantic mine]].

* AndroclesLion: A great white shark, who you've been following up to this point, is trapped under some wreckage, and your character frees him. [[spoiler:He ends up TakingTheBullet for you in Chapter 5.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:The great white saves you from the device, ramming into it to destroy it, and he dies of his wounds in the following chapter.]]

* OhCrapFakeout: One point early in chapter 4 makes it appear as if a blue whale is about to eat your character. But no, it was just gathering up some fish swimming next to you.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Of a sort. [[spoiler:After you revive the Great White in the final chapter, the both of you proceed to thoroughly trash some pyramids and bring life back to their regions, culminating in the giant one which initially killed him.]]

* WorldHealingWave: Any time you restore life to a dead region, it blooms forth with kelp and fauna in a manner not unlike ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. The ending implies [[spoiler: that with the end of the core piece of the mines, that the whole ocean is now restored.]]

* ShownTheirWork: A lot of detail was put into the animals in the game. [[spoiler:They even avert ArtisticLicensePaleontology with the various prehistoric animals from the LostWorld. Particularly, the plesiosaurs have fairly rigid necks and ''Helicoprion'' has its teeth built like a saw instead of hanging out of its mouth]].

''ABZÛ'' (coming from the cuneiform signs Ab, "ocean", and Zû, "to know", making the title roughly "Ocean of Wisdom") is an independent game from developer Giant Squid and published by [[Creator/FiveZeroFiveGames 505 Games]] for the PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4. It is styled like the works of Creator/ThatGameCompany, which shouldn't surprise anyone, since the art director and composer of ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'' teamed up on this game, too.

* ShownTheirWork: [[spoiler:The various prehistoric animals from the LostWorld. Particularly, the plesiosaurs have fairly rigid necks and ''Helicoprion'' has its teeth built like a saw instead of hanging out of its mouth]].

* ShownTheirWork: [spoiler:The various prehistoric animals from the LostWorld. Particularly, the plesiosaurs have fairly rigid necks and ''Helicoprion'' has its teeth built like a saw instead of hanging out of its mouth]].

''ABZÛ'' (coming from the cuneiform signs Ab, "ocean", and Zû, "to know", making the title roughly "Ocean of Wisdom") is an independent game from developer Giant Squid and published by [[Creator/FiveZeroFiveGames 505 Games]] for the PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4. It is styled like the works of Creator/ThatGameCompany, which shouldn't surprise anyone, as the art director and composer of ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'' teamed up on this game, too.

* LostWorld: [[spoiler:In a region of the ocean apparently cut off from the rest of the world, you find a habitat containing extinct species from nearly every time in Earth's history, from ''Tiktaalik'' to ''Ichthyosaurus'' ]]

* TheRival: The dynamic between the Great One Shark and the diver is very much like a classic rivalry story, even though there is not much for them to rival each other ''over''. They start off on a bad note, with the shark spitefully destroying one of the diver's companion mini-subs, and then, throughout the game, we see the shark always one step ahead, as if racing the diver to [[spoiler:the central core the LostTechnology polluting the ocean]]. Then, however, [[spoiler:the diver saves the shark from being crushed, revealing no hard feelings whatsoever, and in return, the shark charges the central core, possibly saving the diver's existence at the cost of its own life. Then, in the final level, the shark is resurrected and the [[RivalsTeamUp rivals finally team up]] towards their goal, and it's glorious]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The great white bursts out from past the wall of a cavern and trashes one of the mini-subs you've acquired. [[spoiler:Turns out it's sourced from the same device which created the pyramids. And you.]]
** That [[spoiler: a small radar seems to emit from the diver's head along with an electronic beep when you stray off course makes more sense following the RoboticReveal]].

''ABZÛ'' (coming from the cuneiform signs Ab, "ocean", and Zû, "to know", making the title roughly "Ocean of Wisdom") is an independent game from developer Giant Squid and published by [[Creator/FiveZeroFiveGames 505 Games]] for the PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4. It is styled like the works of Creator/ThatGameCompany, especially ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'', especially apparent as the art director and composer of ''Journey'' worked on this game.

''ABZÛ'' (coming from the cuneiform signs Ab, "ocean", and Zû, "to know", making the title roughly "Ocean of Wisdom") is an independent game from developer Giant Squid and published by [[Creator/FiveZeroFiveGames 505 Games]] for the PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4. It is styled like the works of Creator/ThatGameCompany, especially ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'', especially apparent as the Art Director and composer of Journey worked on this game.

Swimming around under the water, you occasionally find mysterious statues which your character can perch to meditate, surveying the wildlife around him. You also occasionally find and activate small robots which follow you, using them to open passages through the coral which has grown over a cavern. Each chapter sees you exploring ancient, mosaic-laden ruins of a seemingly primitive, sea-oriented culture, and then concluding by swimming into a large, mechanical pyramid which seems to be powered by some advanced, alien technology, but you are left to discover how they relate to one another, assuming there ''is'' a relationship.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 5. [[spoiler:You find out via a holographic display that your character is based on the same technology as the small submarines and the big mines and that they are likely a creation of a highly destructive, advanced civilization.]] You get over it, only to later witness [[spoiler: the White Shark [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] for you when you meet a gigantic mine]].