First let me start by highlighting some of the controls. The game only shows them to you one time, and (if you're like me) you may forget them. To Dive and Swim, use R2. This is pretty straightforward and you probably won't forget about it, since you will constantly be holding it down for most of the game. To Grab onto a fish, press L2 and hold it. As soon as you let go, you let go of the fish. Keep in mind that it doesn't seem like you can control the fish, but it does give you a boost in speed and lets you get some nice screenshots.To do a little spin move, push the circle button on PS4, or B on the Xbox. This doesn't really seem to be useful for anything, but lets you play around a bit. To interact with something or scan, push the Square button (or X button on Xbox.) This is used throughout the game, so it's probably something else you won't easily forget.
Breaching is a lot of fun... and is something I didn't really discover until late in the game. I just didn't even think about trying it earlier on. ...As you can tell, I'm not very good at these kinds of games. Leave me alone. Anyways, the best places to breach are those that have a lot of open area above the water. In other words, those small caves with just a tiny hole to breach the surface aren't ideal. Once you get to one of these areas, swim about 30-40 feet deep into the water. Then point yourself towards the surface and start swimming. When you get about halfway there, use all 3 boosts to get tons of speed to help you really get air! This is especially fun later in the game when you have a certain friend swimming with you.
Not every sea shell is below you. You get to a point in the game where you can actually climb up out of the water and walk around. There are a few interesting things for you above the surface, so climb up on every area you can. Unfortunately you aren't the fastest walker in the world, but you never have to go a very long distance.
Meditation statues are the final collectible-type thing in the game. They let you perch up there and meditate on the various sea creatures around you. Pretty cool for screenshots and to just give you a chance to enjoy this beautiful game. These statues look like sharks bent at a 90 degree angle. Some are found on the ocean floor, others are on pillars and ruins. The key is to keep your eye out for anything jutting out of the ground or ruins. Unfortunately these aren't always the grey color you'd think a statue might be,
ABZU is a beautiful game, and it's not really about "beating" it. Even though there is a bit of a story and an ending, it's really about just enjoying the beauty of the game and letting you relax a bit.
