Abzu - A Sharks in Gaming Special

No game has ever made me care more about sharks more than this one.

this game made me tear up as a person who's always loved sharks

I thought the great white was gonna be the sterotypical mindless killer, I was really happy I was wrong!

I love how you could see the coelacanth looking for prey and when it looked at the bonnet head, the little shark sped up XD. The ecosystem is so fascinating to watch in this game.

I think this is the first game where sharks aren't the stereotypical enemy creatures...and The Great white shark in this game is proof that sharks aren't evil and all that jazz...more games should be like this where sharks can be intimidating but gentle..so far Abzu is a 1000/10 for me :)

This game was so amazing, and the sharks were absolutely my favorite parts, especially the amount of care and detail they put into the designs; I honestly didn't' even notice the Goblin Shark mouth protrusion until this video pointed it out. Really reinforces all the good things I've said about the game's developers. Glad to see another gamer who likes sharks as much as I do, great work man!

I think that this was my favorite game of all time. It showed the importance of sharks and the role they play in the food chain. And that they do not deserve the reputation that Jaws gave them.

Abzu is one of my favorite games to watch others play. It allows me to judge a persons creativity, open mindedness, path of thinking, etc. This game is extraordinary, not just for its use of emotion and connection with ALL Sea life, but the fact that it's a perfect analogy showing mankinds impact on the environment. Throughout the game, you come across deadzones as well as machines. The little robots are seen broken down with oil having seeped into the surrounding sand and rock. I think what's most wonderful is there is almost no reward for destroying the machines and bringing life back, other than just seeing the beauty of a working ecosystem. Yet, almost everyone who plays doesn't notice the lack of a reward and is perfectly happy being at one with nature. I think this game allows us to see that we are meant to live in harmony with nature, and that we have to change the way society sees nature.

12:55 lol that poor hammerhead getting knocked aside upside down

Dang, I totally missed that Basking Shark. Crazy that it's just cruising around down there.

Ocean Man, take me by the hand...

When I started playing Abzû, my immediate thought was "... Aww shucks, are they gonna cast the shark as the villain of this game? :/" as I'm very opposed to shark fear mongering. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised! Four for you, Giant Squid, four for you!

thought id put this in here its been 6 years and this is one of my favorite gaming specials I've ever watched, its a genuine masterpiece, well done my friend

"A modern day interactive Fantasia segment." This is quite an apt comparison for capturing the approach and feel of the game. I kept wondering to myself how to describe it to someone when trying to recommend the game. "It's a little like ballet" I thought, with the movement on screen matching up with the music and the two complementing each other to tell a story without spoken dialogue, but the comparison still didn't quite fit for me.

I love that during the game, even if the player is at first afraid of sharks (even if just the great white) they tend to love that great white at the end. :) It's one of the reasons that watching letsplays of this game is so satisfying.

I know I'm late but thank you so much for this video! As someone who is terrified of the open sea I still wanted to enjoy the beautiful design of this game and maybe loose my fear in doing so. The brief encounters with the great white at the beginning of the game shocked me so I definitely needed the spoilers. I know sharks are not evil and I'm glad this game doesn't depict them as such.

I know that I'm a little bit late to be commenting on these, but I just finished all three of your sharks in gaming videos and just felt the need to thank you for taking a deep dive into this topic. I really loved your analysis on the different portrayals of sharks and found all of the information given to be really interesting. I tried playing Abzu when it first came out but I have a terrible fear of water that is either dark where you can't see either below or above you or water that is very open, so I put it off and never went back to it. After seeing this video though I am determined to go back and complete it. It's such a beautiful game, the scene where the great white died and then later when it was revived both made me tear up. It's so refreshing and, as you said, very special to see a great white portrayed so beautifully and with such empathy.

This is probably one of the best things I've ever laid eyes on. I have always loved the ocean and its animals, particularly sharks and whales, and I am absolutely astonished and grateful for this game's noble portrayal of the shark. I wish more games and media could foster this kind of respect for such misunderstood animals.

You've got to hand it to Giant Squid on getting the emotions right - I've played ABZU start to finish 4 times now and every time, including watching it in this video, my eyes have watered when 'you-know-what' happens at the start of Chapter 6 :-(

What a nice video. You made me discover the Basking Shark!!! I had not spotted it during my first playthrough. And what a game, by the way... I just loved it so much and just can't understand how the other people don´t... It made me remember when I was 12 playing Ecco The Dolphin in Sega Genesis and, just like now, I loved it and everybody else thought it was boring as hell...