Those who have played ABZÛ know that it is a simply stunning experience, exceptionally beautiful and entrancing. This is in no small part thanks to the Austin Wintory’s music for the game, equal in its energy and lushness, transporting the player/listener to a world they’ll never want to leave. (I constantly find my breath taken from me as I’m completely submerged in Wintory’s music for this game.) At the end of January, we in Bloomington had the pleasure of hearing some of this music performed live by way of Nehemiah Robertson’s wonderful arrangement of “Ichthyosaurus Communis.” Nehemiah’s arrangement of this track for the NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble married excited agility with delicate intimacy, leaving the audience truly amazed. If you’d like to read more about the V&VG performance or Nehemiah’s arrangement, check out the article published by IDS News (linked below).
– Sy Anderson
IDS News article written about the recent “Voices & Video Games” concert:
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/01/jacobs-school-of-music-notus-music-in-games-society-collaborate-in-choral-concert-voices-and-video-games
Listen on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCL0jRV_xb4
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/163rlW0yY6SUBETXD1tXFs?si=cvmjmMh8SSi8hnrQBzSCrA
Game Summary:
“Discover a lush hidden world as you descend into the heart of the ocean, where ancient secrets lie forgotten and encounters with majestic creatures await.
ABZÛ is an epic descent into the depths of the sea, where players will explore beautifully rendered ocean environments with fluid swimming controls. The experience draws inspiration from the deep innate narrative that we all carry within our subconscious: the story of ABZÛ is a universal myth that resonates across cultures. The name references a concept from the oldest mythologies; it is the combination of the two ancient words AB, meaning ocean, and ZÛ, meaning to know. ABZÛ is the ocean of wisdom.”
(Source: https://abzugame.com/)
Enjoy!
Sy Anderson (he/him)
Music in Games Society; President
sa19@iu.edu | +1 512-259-4441
Leave a Reply