Grab Abzû and The End is Nigh free on the Epic Games Store

Another week, another giveaway of great indie games on the Epic Games Store. The storefront has given away over twenty titles since it launched last December, and it will continue to do it for the foreseeable future. Whatever your opinion on the Epic Games Store itself, free games are always nice. So let’s take a look at this week’s titles: Abzû and The End is Nigh.

Abzû: an underwater exploration adventure

Abzû looks like a gorgeous underwater exploration game. I’m partial to Subnautica myself — which was actually the first free game on the Epic Games Store. The difference is that Abzû is a third-person exploration game, and it takes place on Earth rather than an alien planet. If the art style looks familiar to you, that could be because it’s the work of the art director of Journey. I haven’t played it yet myself, but I’m curious to try it out.

According to the game page, “Abzû” is “a word from the oldest mythologies.” Apparently, “ab” means “water”, while “zû” means “to know”. That’s quite an interesting premise for an exploration game.

The End is Nigh: an apocalyptic 2D platformer

If you’re a fan of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac, you’ll almost certainly love The End is Nigh. It’s made by Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, who was also involved in The Basement Collection. This is the kind of gory, weird 2D platformer that’s full of dark humor. It’s also one of those games tagged as “Difficult” on Steam, so unless you’re up for a challenge, beware. It does look like great fun if you’re a platformer aficionado.

And these are this week’s free games on the Epic Games Store. Next week, the storefront is going to give away Conarium, a first-person Lovecraftian adventure. So stay tuned for more Epic Games Store giveaways.