Uploaded September 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this episode of Writing on Games, I examine a game which I felt didn't get enough attention at launch - Giant Squid's 'Abzu'.
After playing games with my nephew for a long time, I found that even games like Minecraft caused him frustration due to their surprising mechanical complexity. I wondered why there weren't any games that could do the same thing the writing in Pixar's films manages to achieve, for example—provide a valid experience for everyone, regardless of age.
As it turns out, Abzu fills that gap very nicely - not only is it a non-combat focused, somewhat educational experience for children, the game has relatively simple controls which reward even imprecise movement with beautiful fluid animations. As such, for me, the game was a break from mechanically intense games - for him, it was the first experience he'd had with a game in which he felt truly in control.
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Patreon: patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast (iTunes) - itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/writing-on-gamescast/id1124674245
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Thank you SO much for watching, subscribing, sharing, pledging to the Patreon, etc. It all helps more than you can possibly know and I can't thank you enough for it. If you want to see your name on the end scroll, or you want early access to episodes/access to soundtracks and scripts, please consider pledging!
Thank you for your continued support!
In this episode of Writing on Games, I examine a game which I felt didn't get enough attention at launch - Giant Squid's 'Abzu'.
After playing games with my nephew for a long time, I found that even games like Minecraft caused him frustration due to their surprising mechanical complexity. I wondered why there weren't any games that could do the same thing the writing in Pixar's films manages to achieve, for example—provide a valid experience for everyone, regardless of age.
As it turns out, Abzu fills that gap very nicely - not only is it a non-combat focused, somewhat educational experience for children, the game has relatively simple controls which reward even imprecise movement with beautiful fluid animations. As such, for me, the game was a break from mechanically intense games - for him, it was the first experience he'd had with a game in which he felt truly in control.
---
Patreon: patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast (iTunes) - itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/writing-on-gamescast/id1124674245
---
Thank you SO much for watching, subscribing, sharing, pledging to the Patreon, etc. It all helps more than you can possibly know and I can't thank you enough for it. If you want to see your name on the end scroll, or you want early access to episodes/access to soundtracks and scripts, please consider pledging!
Thank you for your continued support!
