*The abzu has flourished, the abzu is beautiful.
The abzu shall establish the lord as its lord.*

By far the most common description Abzu gets is to Journey, except being underwater instead of a desert. While this isn't quite offbase and in many ways is a valid way to compare the game to something else, I would say it still feels wholly like a different experience altogether. The most defining factor separating the two would most easily be theming and atmosphere. Whilst Journey is a game about cycles, life, companionship, and isolation, Abzu tends to lean into different topics through its encompassing world. Ideas such as natural preservation versus human involvement, and nature versus machine are far more present here. Abzu tends to layout the greater ideas amongst its environments far more clearly and often than Journey's few and rare murals. Outside of that, the game is very similar in mechanical design. You guide a simple to move character through a specific biome(this time being the many different places the sea is home to) that is occasionally halted by some sort of small puzzle like obstacle. You will never find yourself stuck or challenged as the point of Abzu is not this, but for you, the player, to find yourself immersed in the greater vastness and beauty of the deep sea. A world not seen by humans often, teeming with beauty, and plenty of mystery. I personally liked it as much as Journey as it scratched the same itch, but I highly suspect the mileage will vary between the two depending on what kind of person you are.

We hereby award: The Silver Seal of Merit