Are the Worlds of The Pathless, Abzu and Journey Connected?
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 3. 08. 2024
- The Pathless, Abzu and Journey are all incredible games and are so easy to get lost in their worlds. None of them outright tell you their story and leave a lot up for interpretation. They were all created by Giant Squid and ThatGameCompany (Giant Squid was formed from former members of ThatGameCompany) and they have various similar elements to all 3 games.
This is enough for some people, but for me, I love diving into the lore, learning as much as I can about the history of a world and it's people, and if somehow these worlds were connected I think it would make for an even deeper engagement and feeling in all 3 games.
That being said, this video will be HEAVY on SPOILERS for all 3 games, so if you haven't played them and plan too, I would stop watching right away.
*NOTE*: This is all based on my opinions and interpretations of the games and their stories. If you have any theories, or anything to add to it, please feel free to let me know in the comments down below, I'd love to discuss this more!
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:44 - Power / Energy
05:08 - Gods / TallOnes
08:42 - The Shark
10:56 - Spirit Realm
12:13 - Colour Red
13:43 - Conclusion
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Keywords: the pathless, playstation 5, ps5, playstation 4, ps4, pathless, gameplay, giant squid, abzu, trophies, secret, shell, lore, connection, shark, secret god, 5th god, fifth god, mystery god, god of water, shark, Nautilus, 5th tall one, secret tall one, lore, story, full story, cernos, elk, sauro, lizard, nimue, snake, kumo, bear, basilla, shark, austin wintory, journey, sand, desert, power, energy, abzu, sea life, oceans - Hry
Honestly I was just playing ABZĂ and as soon as I entered the spirit realm, I remembered that The Pathless also had a spirit realm too. So I searched up if these two games were related, and I found this video. (Awesome vid)
Thanks so much! I really enjoyed those games and the lore behind them, so much to explore and dig into! Glad you liked the video! Thanks for the comment!
â@UnbrokenOdds the game called ocean simlar to cotl its a child fell into the sea and a power of the sea like the character in abzu
I literally played Abzu mere weeks before The Pathless, with the Sony Days of Play promotion, so I freaked the heck out when I saw the same spirit realm and the broken shark god statue. Great vid, glad to see I was imagining connections!
Thanks so much! Yeah I had to go back and play them again to make sure I wasn't going crazy after playing Pathless
One interesting thing is that AbzĂ» has a secret mural depicting one of the ancient people with three birds. Could they be a connection to this game, related to the Mother Eagle? Or maybe it's used to explain where the ancients went to, the sky. We do see a floating landmass on the third chapter... but now that I think about it, what if that's the Floating Island in the Pathless?
(Edit for clarity) I think the connection between Journey and the other two games is the weaker of the connections, in all honesty, and it all boils down to differences in the game studios.
Giant Squid has an approach that, while still just as mystical as thatgamecompany's games, is far more grounded in reality. Both the Hunter and the Diver are designed with relatively realistic human proportions and shapes, both games make extensive use of realistic plant and animal life, and both have very solid references to cultures beneath the surface narrative. That, and the games are more consistent in the forms their magic takes (red fire/electricity = bad, blue water = good).
Thatgamecompany, meanwhile, is more minimalistic in its storytelling and settings, more into symbolism than fleshing out a believable fictional culture. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but their games are noticeably more removed from realism, as can be seen by the human stand-ins in both Journey and their more recent game Sky: Children of the Light; the Traveler's design lacks arms and the legs are just pointy sticks, and even the more humanlike Sky Children and the Spirits all have relatively simplistic, cartoonish approaches to anatomy that would look very out of place in a game like Abzu or Pathless. In terms of their magic, everything is far more ethereal, with good magic characteristically centering on air and fire as opposed to water.
Again, just my opinion, but I though I'd share.
Yeah I agree you make some really good points.
Matt Nava is the common thread between the companies , he was the art director for Flower and Journey at ThatGameCompany and founded Giant Squid, so he for sure had help in the direction of all 3 games.
I kind of look at Journey as same world but almost different "religion" if you want to look at it that way. Different parts of the world interpret things differently so it could also be just a different interpretation. Plus it's an older game so they may not have had the tech or budget to make it as realistic as the newer games.
The overall themes still seem to line up, and perhaps Journey is the evolution of the planet years and years later?
Just saw your edit, really really good points. I haven't seen the newer game I'll have to look it up, should be interesting without Matt. I really appreciate your perspective i can definitely understand! Thank you!
Maybe theyâre in different continents
Yeah that's definitely possible!
Well this is may only be Journey reference, but the mountain can be seen in ABZU.
Yes, abzu and the pathless are linked. Journey is definitely not linked most likely because abzu and the pathless are made by the same people and journey is not
Hey thanks for the reply, I really do appreciate it.
You are correct that Abzu and Pathless are made by the same people (Giant Squid which was founded by Matt Nava), Matt also worked on Journey as the Art Director and directly from his website: mattnava.com/
"Over the three years of itâs development at thatgamecompany, I was the Art Director and was responsible for much of the gameâs design and visuals. I created the character and designed and built the levels. I also played a key role in developing the narrative, game world history/lore, and game design."
So while the entire story/idea for Journey was not his, he did contribute a lot of the design elements that he may have carried over into his own games at Giant Squid!
@@UnbrokenOdds The trophies always made me feel that itâs (flOw, Flower, and Journey) then spoiler-wise (Abzu, The Pathless). Flower referenced flOw, Journey references both those games. Abzu didnât seem to connect with Journey with other than the flow *pun intended*
Great video. I always thought it was coincidental, but this is a nice way to connect them all.
If I have to be honest, Journey is the odd one out. But that makes sense because Giant Squid makes the Pathless and Abzu, but thatgamecompany makes Journey.
So, I would say 100% Abzu and The Pathless are the same world - probably in different eras - but Journey is not.
Yeah I realize it might be stretching a little bit, but Matt Nava the founder of giant squid worked on and had a huge role developing the characters, story and interactions in journey when he worked at that game company, so it's possible that he did have connections between it all if he had enough control
I think there will be one more game. We have the desert, water and now the Air Game. Looks like the Elements with calm music, only a little sound from the Charakters... Cool video, thx for that.
Hi! I'd just like to mention that, towards the end of AbzĂ», if you stand on a little iceberg, with penguins and a polar bear, you can look back the way you came, you can see the mountain from journey far off on the horizon! I was looking around to see if there was any mention of this, when I found this video!
Yeah that is such a cool little reference! Just like in journey you can actually find the flower from flower out in the deseet!
It's worth noting that while the companies are different, several people at Giant Squid worked on Journey. And the architecture and implementation of murals is exactly the same between Journey and ABZU. The robot and his "people" look like the explorers from Journey too.
People have treated Journey and ABZU like they were connected even before The Pathless and I think they should. That being said, we have the Desert, the Ocean, and the Forest. What's next?
I know some people have mentioned that Sky the mobile game seems to be related as well, I haven't played that one yet so I'm not sure, but yeah Matt Nava is the big link between both companies, he had a huge role in developing the characters, levels and lore at the old company then founded giant squid and seems to have continued it
Glacier, tundra, anywhere cold, could be cool to see a subversion of Journey were cold=good hot=bad. Could also carry on the water element as Ice is just another form of water. Matt is amazing with lighting and thinking about a place made of Ice that reflects everything in shades of blue/green/purple is already giving me goosebumps. Movement could be Ice skating, a bit like surfing in journey with the inertia of the Pathless but also slippery in some way.
Sounds really cool! I wonder if the skating would be too similar to solar ash now, people already compare that to pathless
@@UnbrokenOdds Fair point, but I think the kinetic sensation would vary quite a lot when you are on ice. Whatever Matt has in store I know it's going to be quite unique to play with.
Yeah that's true. I'm still kind of hoping we get something in the pathless world
You forgot to mention Journey's mountain in ABZU, the mountain can be seen in Abzu when ur in the free sea at the end.
Great video, thanks for sharing.
I just finished the pathless. I completely missed the sea shells and secret tomb they open with the shark on the first island, but watching this the connection makes a lot of sense. I did see the fallen shark head statue though and it made me think of abzu.
I actually like the idea of them being stand alone games with connected themes rather than being another 'universe' of games.
Journey is still my favourite of the 3. I don't know if its due to nostalgia or just because I played it first. I enjoyed the other two, I think I like the pathless a little more than Abzu and while both were great - neither of them gave me the chills I got and sense of completeness I received while finishing Journey.
I will continue to play games of this type though as they are great games.
hey thanks for the comment!
I definitely have a special place or feeling anytime I play Journey as well. You're right, it might just be nostalgia but there's just something about that game that hits home every time when you climb to the top and make that sacrifice to start all over again.
That's cool though, is there any reason why you wouldn't like them to be a universe of games, or any games that do share a universe that you think would have been better if they didn't?
@@UnbrokenOdds about the shared universe thing. I guess I'd be a bit apprehensive if they consciously went about making a series of games with a shared universe it could go either way. Like there's potential they could do something great but also risk of them kind of beating a dead horse taking away from the uniqueness of these games but sticking to a set of common rules or lore.
I just played Journey again after finishing the pathless and it's just a perfect game on its own, it doesn't need to be tied to anything else, I don't feel a need for the story to continue or expand on anything else.
I do want to play Abzu again, and I did appreciate on its first playthrough for the world and visual and audible delights. But I remember feeling like it was following the exact same beats of Journey, even the ending went for the big explosive feeling but it just didn't grab me.
Yeah I totally hear you and I think them kind of hinting that they are connected without explicitly saying is a good compromise. It gives fans of the games something to think about without really trampling on the other games toes. I agree about journey as well, it had something that Abzu just can't replicate, I don't know what it is. Pathless at least was very different than the others so it made me feel different things.
I think all three are connected and take place in the same world. I agree with what you say with Abzu and Pathless + Abzu and Journey is connected, Journey's mountain is visible as an easter egg in Abzu.
Abzu and Pathless are obviously connected, they're made by the same developer. And they borrowed some things from Journey which came out long before them. Thats why the similarities but they are not connected. Journey was made by a different company. The Art director for Journey Matt Nava also is the creative director for Abzu (and the pathless).
I was devastated when I found out that I didn't save Journey at library (it was free last year)
oh no that's such a bummer! Yeah I'm happy I grabbed it, and it was cool playing through it again after the other 2 games, going back and seeing how interesting it is even still now!
maybe red means somewhat control.
It also seens pretty clear that the issue on Abzu isn't as big as The Pathless, as for example we still se plenty of fauna and activity in Abzu compared to The Pathless
Those are great points. However in Abzu most of the sea life have been locked away or killed and we are restoring them. In the pathless you still see animals roam before we've done anything, as well as plant life
@@UnbrokenOdds i see, Abzu felt way more populated tho
Yeah I do agree with you, especially once you bring some life back. I really do wonder what the rest of the world looks like, I mean it's stated she's the last Hunter, doesn't that mean humanity is basically gone?
@@UnbrokenOdds OR if she is the only one doing this 'job', we saw in Abzu and The Pathless that the message of cleaning and restoring life was pretty clear, I didn't play Journey enough to say, but maybe the universe of "giant squid games" is all about restoring earth. Now, the chronological order and correlations I have no idea, beacuse in Abzu we see that the 'issue' was caused by his own race (?).
Yeah for sure all the games deal with the same theme of restoring life and fixing the planet, if we go that simple than even their game flower would fit in too! (and there is an Easter egg from flower in journey too haha)
My theory may have a lot of holes but I think it's worth sharing...
I think Pathless predates Abzu as it's based on an almost generic story of "we have ruined the oceans and therefore killed the primordial springs of life"
But Pathless is a story of an angry warlord on his quest to become a false god and a heroine who tries to save the day.
My theory is that after the events of Pathless the hunter has become a living legend and everyone knows her story since she cleansed the world of the curse and brought back the sky in a way. Centuries later human kind have advanced so far that they harnessed that same curse as a power source and doomed the entire ocean so the only way to save it is to create an kind of "artificial" hunter to cleanse the ocean like the original hunter cleansed the island.
But the thing that I still can't figure out is why the civilization that worshipped the shark is not mentioned in Pathless. Maybe were in a remote island separate from the eagle's island? And why was Basila nowhere to be found in the game? Surely she would her mother if she could so maybe she was somewhere else all together? But that still wouldn't work because you can find her in the island when you collect the shells
that's a really interesting theory, thanks for sharing that!
Yeah it's really hard to tell (and that's what makes this fun). I can kind of see it 2 different ways. I definitely think the shark in ABZU is the missing Tall One in the Pathless, and since it was "alive" in ABZU and died and became a spirit like the Tall Ones, I could kind of see it happening before the Pathless.
Yet at the same time, they worshipped the shark already like a god, so it's possible it's been rebirthed numerous times (kind of like the Eagle Mother).
I'm not sure if we're looking at different cultures so one may be more advanced than the others (kind of like the Atlanteans were supposed to be more advanced than the rest of the world) and so the people on the island in the pathless just weren't there yet.
But yeah, the fact that it's not mentioned in the game really makes it extra strange. And since there used to be the tablet at least mentioning it. It's like did something happen and they removed the history of that god from their records? Or was it so new that it hadn't happened yet? Or even stranger, maybe it did hatch, but it was a shark and went off and was the god for the people of ABZU so the people on the island didn't know about it really. So many questions un answered!
Oh yeah- the spirit realms are exactly the same. I noticed when I played The Pathless after playing Abzu a long time ago when it first came out. Though honestly, I thought the fifth egg was the godslayer. I thought the godslayer was actually one of the eagles children. I wish we knew his originsâŠ
First of all, awesome video! But I personally think Journey isn't connected to the other games. The team that created Journey also created Flow and Flower which are thematically similar. Flow was a game all about life and evolution and Flower had that exact same theme of revival and survival. Journey was a successful attempt to adapt a deep story to that theme. And from my understanding the team that created Abzu and The Pathless are different (maybe they had most of the originals creators I'll have to check) but they do follow the same revival and survival theme. It may be a coincidence that Journey also had six godlike figures.
hey thanks so much for the comment!
Funny you should mention Journey not being connected, I just posted a video of a Journey Easter Egg in ABZU that I thought was really cool: czcams.com/video/AZxOXmMe_AQ/video.html
Yeah I've played both Flow and Flower, they were all created by ThatGameCompany same with Journey. Matt Nava actually worked on Flower, Journey and then co-founded Giant Squid who made ABZU and the Pathless. In his time at ThatGameCompany he was the art directory and was responsible for a lot of the game design and visuals, as well as the character and levels. He also helped develop the narrative, game world history and lore (he has it all listed out here: mattnava.com/)
but yeah, I do see the theme of revival and survival as well in those games!
Very nice video.
I personally do think as well that The Pathless and AbzĂ» are connected but I don't think Journey is related to them.
I think Journey has most links with Sky and Flower.
They are 100% connected, at least ABZĂ and The Pathless, as at the landing in The Pathless, the tablet says there was 5 eggs, and in the building, there is a broken statue and the head that fell was a shark. With the same spirit realm, and that, they are in the same world. Also, the statue was taken down on purpose I think. The 5th creature is never mentioned anywhere else, and the other statues don't show any signs of wear. This opens up the possibility that the shark was banished.
Edit: oh man this was probably stated in the video, I am just posting this while watching.
Edit 2: OK was mentioned. And I didn't find that one tablet, nice to know.
haha I like the commentary of edits. thanks for watching I really do appreciate it. Yeah that link with the 5th egg and then never mentioning it again really got to me, I'll try and post another really short video soon of something related to this I discovered as well!
The Journey mountain is literally included as an Easter egg in ABZU, in chapter 7. đ
Really? Where?
@@UnbrokenOdds In the last big open area of chapter 7, the place where you get the "arctic explorer" achievement, basically this small glacier of ice to the side of the map.
Once you are there and look into the far distance to the left, you can see the iconic mountain of Journey very clearly.
I completed the game for 100% today on steam, and was very excited to notice the easter egg! I looked it up on CZcams after, but didn't find anyone having posted a video about it.
Oh wow thats amazing I'll have to check that out tomorrow, thanks so much for letting me know!
Great vid
Thank you so much!
Let's just say that ABZĂ and The Pathless canonically take place in the same world
It's cooler that way
I like the way you think! Make it so!
I really didn't notice that ABZU and pathless are connected to eachother
I think the godslayer is the fifth child of eagle mother (see on his tail all siblings have one so I think eagle mother created man but he could object / did something wrong and was banished but returned)
1.and I don't think the shark is an eagle mother's baby, it's not blue and doesn't have a tail like all four 2. and I think there are three main deities water - shark earth - eagle mother sky - ??? all deities are also accompanied by lesser deities
That's an interesting theory! I'm not sure if he could be the fifth child. The Godslayer is implied to have begun life as an ordinary human. He spoke out against the Tall Ones when he was a young man, seeing the world they ruled as chaotic and filled with uncertainty. Instead he proposed the One True Path, a single, ultimate path that every person's life would follow. He took on the name the Pathfinder, gaining followers who were willing to both kill and die for him. At some point he was imprisoned, but he converted several other inmates to his cause before being freed by his followers. They helped him through many of the obstacles he faced. Under him they conquered all of the regions of the island, even breaching the passage into the Mountain Tundra. Their efforts allowed the Pathfinder to gain the Mask of Ancients. When he wore the mask he saw the "terrible chaos" of the world, and realized that there was no single path anywhere. He realized that the only way to create a single path was to remake the world itself, destroying the Tall Ones in the process. He renamed himself the Godslayer. After this they helped to clear a path through the spirit world in order to allow him to acquire the Sun Sword. The Godslayer asked his followers to sacrifice their lives to him so that he could destroy the gods, ascend to godhood, and then remake the world as he promised. (from the wiki page)
So while it would be interesting for him to be a child, i think he was just a human that killed the gods and stole their power.
Interesting. When we find the shark behind the secret shell door in the pathless it does glow blue just like all the other tall ones. What makes you think there are different dieties fod the water earth and sky? And why wouldnt the eagle mother be of the sky?
also, the ghostly building thing that the shark in abzu gets revived in is the exact same layout as the building that you go into during the climax of the pathless to get the white bow and revive the eagle, all of the roofs and the pattern are the same.
Yeah exactly! Some kind of shared spirit realm or something!
I think the main connection between the games are the main themes. For example in both Journey and The Pathless the hero of the journey sacrifices themselves at the end/dies to reach their goal.
Yeah that's a good point, although they aren't the only games to have the hero sacrifice themselves at the end (like Zero in MMX, Shadow The Headgehog, Mass Effect 3). also, if you get all the gifts from the spirits in Pathless, there's an after credit scene that you really should see that's very exciting :)
@@UnbrokenOdds Ohh I haven't seen that scene yet!
Hello! First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed this video, it really helped shed some light on the lore. You connected everything wonderfully. Second, I have my own theory to add on! During, or maybe after(?) the events of The Pathless, AbzĂ», and Journey, the events of Sky Children of the Light also happen. In Sky, the color red, energy, gods, and a spirit world are depicted. The color red is seen in Eden, and looks quite similar to the red in the other 3 games. Just like in the other 3, red represents darkness and corruption, which is a fairly simple interpretation. The energy is in the name, The Light. Every child in Sky carries a light which is meant to extinguish the corruption of Eden. The âgodsâ are the Elders of the realms. Like The Pathless, Sky has an elder that is never mentioned, but taking into account that the story is told without words, this was deliberate. However, this common distinction, at least I think, is meant to symbolize something. Edenâs elder was purposely forgotten by the other elders, and so the elders decided to create the Children, who could live and nurture the Light and never know the true face of the darkness. As for the spirit world, it looks quite different from the one that The Pathless and AbzĂ» share, but it is interesting. It is depicted as dark and without any life, except for a sole Light that brings the player to the last stage of the game. Now, I could be pulling at loose strings here, but I think this could tie all 4 games together. Feel free to add your own thoughts! ^V^
oh wow thanks for that! I actually haven't played child of light, I keep meaning to and then getting distracted. That sounds really cool how it may be connected as well, I'll definitely have to make time to play it. How long does it take to get through the game? I really appreciate your thoughts that's really cool!
@@UnbrokenOdds if you don't care about the other spirits/ cosmetics etc. Then it would only take a couple of hours.
I đ the video.so Amazing
Thank you! đ I appreciate it!
I wish I had âthis powerâ
Don't we all!
Lol
And flower đđđđšđŠđșđŠâïž.
I disagree with the Journey connection but 100% sure Abzu and Pathless are connected though I wonder why the tablet was patched out
Yeah I tried asking the developer but he didn't respond to that, found something else interesting though, should have a new video soon!
Your theory has some pretty solid evidence to back it up and overall, I agree with it. However, there are some things you missed that Iâd like to point out and some changes to make.
The triangular chaos robots (lets call them Harvesters) from ABZU were not created by the ancient civilisation.
- There are a couple of things to back this up, such as their relatively primitive architectural and building abilities; itâd be a stretch to assume they created them.
- The highly advanced nature of the Harvesters is unlike anything ever seen before, even for us modern humans - and we're more advanced than this ancient civilisation.
Both the glyphs and the sky itself show that the Harvesters were introduced to the world, like an invasive species. You never see any glyphs nor mention of people creating the Harvesters, only glyphs of them suddenly appearing like aliens and taking ocean energy. Speaking of aliens, if you look up to the sky, you can see Harvesters in space. This debunks your theory connecting the civilisation from ABZU and/or the Godslayer with the Harvesters in ABZU. Additionally, from what I can tell, the Godslayer did not come from outer space nor did he have plans to go there.
Interesting
Thanks!
So the six tall people are the sprites of the mother eagle and herv5 kids?
They are the mother Eagles children yup!
Itâs more pathless and abzu and journey and sky. I donât think that journey is connected with pathless and abzu. Maybe nice to make a video about the connection between sky and journey?
thanks! I'll have to play Sky, never got around to playing that one to see the similarities!
no doubt pathless and abzu have to be connected. not sure about journey though.
Its hard to find a shark in a desert. hahahaha
je trouve que la théorie tien la route
I find it impossible to connect the games since the 3 are from different companies abzu (505 games) journaley (sony entertainment) pathless (annapurta interactive)
Totally understand, those are the publishers of the game though, ThatGameCompany and Sony Santa Monica created Journey, then Giant Squid created Abzu and the Pathless. Matt Nava worked at ThatGameCompany and was the lead art director, a lot of his creative vision made Journey (characters, world, levels, even the trailers etc), he then founded Giant Squid and directed the other games, you can read about it here mattnava.com/
I think you're spot on đ beautiful!âïžđŠđŠđșđšđ.