Fair or not, Sword of the Sea is a game that’s going to be compared to Journey pretty much anytime it ever gets mentioned. It might as well be intended, because the Creative Director of Giant Squid, Matt Nava, was the Art Director of the 2012 indie classic. With Abzu and The Pathless behind them, both fine games in their own right, Sword of the Sea strikes those same chords. It’s as beautiful as it is engaging, but some gamers might find nothing more than a palette cleanser.
If you’re unfamiliar with or haven’t played games like Journey, there’s a lot to like in Sword of the Sea. It’s nothing stressful or difficult. It’s a linear game that prides itself on its art and gameplay design, and the result is a product that moves the senses.
Aside from the art direction, the biggest reason why Sword of the Sea will draw comparisons to Journey is the fact that the game itself is a journey. You play as Wraith, someone in possession of a sword imbued with the power to unearth water in areas that it’s thrusted. Despite the sword’s magical properties, it’s hardly ever used for violence. In typical video game fashion, it’s primarily used as a method of traversal.
Who needs shield surfing when you’ve got sword-snowboarding?
As soon as you take control of Wraith, you’ll board the sword and venture out of a dark cavern and into desert ruins. This is where you’ll get a hang of the “hover sword” controls. Movement is simple and reminiscent of skating in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,except for the fact that you don’t automatically move forward. You have a jump and double jump that feels like an “ollie,” and you’ll eventually get to a point where you’ll be zipping across dunes, valleys, and other paths in each of the vast worlds there are to explore. Moving around on the sword feels great. Throw the fact that you’ll randomly be doing tricks and picking up speed while doing it gives it a feeling that separates itself from the slow pace of Giant Squid’s other games.
That said, what is there for you to do? Aside from prompts that brief you on controls, Sword of the Sea relies on a combination of its design and your curiosity to figure out what’s next. The game does have a finite path in order to get you from section to section as you make your way to the end, but it also rewards exploration with tetras–currency that you can redeem to unlock more abilities to make traversal both quicker and more enjoyable.
Aside from a prompt at the beginning, the game doesn’t really tell you that your sword is the key to opening up paths. During your adventure, you’ll come across blue cracks on the ground, and when you engage them with the square button (at least on PS5), you’ll usually unleash water that’ll bring some life and a rush of color to the otherwise dull setting. As the environment slowly goes from dry isolation to a buzzing underwater seascape, you’ll uncover things like seaweed and even marine animals that can help you on your journey. The feeling of riding weeds high into the water or bouncing on jellyfish to jump to otherwise inaccessible areas kind of gives the game a Metroidvania-esque sense of accomplishment.
“Riding on a dolphin, doping flips and sh…” – The Lonely Island
Not into the exploration aspect? That’s totally fine. The game actually sort of encourages you to beeline from section to section, thanks to a speedrun trophy you can earn if you can beat the game within two hours. Speaking of trophies, achievements are probably the reason why you’ll want to explore every nook and cranny in Sword of the Sea in the first place. Aside from tetras and the abilities you earn when redeeming those tetras, the game doesn’t actually have any way to keep track of what it is you’re doing off the beaten path. Every level in the game has water switches, patches, and relics for you to uncover. If you’re really into the world, you can look for all of the headstones that contain scriptures and poetry to give you a greater understanding and appreciation of the lore.
If you want to vibe and do tricks, that’s fine too. Every level in the game also has a half pipe where you can trick to your heart’s content. All of these things you can do in the game are tied to trophies and achievements should you choose to pursue them, so that’s always nice.
As enjoyable as my time with Sword of the Sea was, I can’t help but feel like I was just going through the motions. It wasn’t because anything was bad–unless you’re playing on Steam Deck and its atrocious frame rate. I actually had a great time learning the rules of how to progress in each world with the various tools of traversal. That said, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this game is just designed to make you feel something either after or before playing something bigger. I said it in the beginning. The game is a palette cleanser and while some might take offense to that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that kind of game either.
Getting around in the PS5 version of Sword of the Sea is a vibe.
If I had to make any changes to the game, it would be to improve the UI to keep track of every collectible you come across, so you have a better indicator of where you are when it comes to unlocking achievements. Giant Squid did make a great decision by adding a New Game+ option though, as playing this would allow you to have the abilities you unlocked from the get-go for all your speed run pleasure.
At $30, you can probably wait (unless you have PlayStation Plus). Sword of the Sea is a game you’ll enjoy as soon as you turn it on, but if you’ve already enjoyed games like Journey and The Pathless, it just doesn’t feel like a title you should go out of your way and cancel plans to play either.
A review code for the PC version was provided by the publisher. The PS5 version (through PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection) was played to completion.
Fair or not, Sword of the Sea is a game that’s going to be compared to Journey pretty much anytime it ever gets mentioned. It might as well be intended, because the Creative Director of Giant Squid, Matt Nava, was…
Fair or not, Sword of the Sea is a game that’s going to be compared to Journey pretty much anytime it ever gets mentioned. It might as well be intended, because the Creative Director of Giant Squid, Matt Nava, was the Art Director of the 2012 indie classic. With Abzu and The Pathless behind them, both fine games in their own right, Sword of the Sea strikes those same chords. It’s as beautiful as it is engaging, but some gamers might find nothing more than a palette cleanser.
If you’re unfamiliar with or haven’t played games like Journey, there’s a lot to like in Sword of the Sea. It’s nothing stressful or difficult. It’s a linear game that prides itself on its art and gameplay design, and the result is a product that moves the senses.
Aside from the art direction, the biggest reason why Sword of the Sea will draw comparisons to Journey is the fact that the game itself is a journey. You play as Wraith, someone in possession of a sword imbued with the power to unearth water in areas that it’s thrusted. Despite the sword’s magical properties, it’s hardly ever used for violence. In typical video game fashion, it’s primarily used as a method of traversal.
Who needs shield surfing when you’ve got sword-snowboarding?
As soon as you take control of Wraith, you’ll board the sword and venture out of a dark cavern and into desert ruins. This is where you’ll get a hang of the “hover sword” controls. Movement is simple and reminiscent of skating in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,except for the fact that you don’t automatically move forward. You have a jump and double jump that feels like an “ollie,” and you’ll eventually get to a point where you’ll be zipping across dunes, valleys, and other paths in each of the vast worlds there are to explore. Moving around on the sword feels great. Throw the fact that you’ll randomly be doing tricks and picking up speed while doing it gives it a feeling that separates itself from the slow pace of Giant Squid’s other games.
That said, what is there for you to do? Aside from prompts that brief you on controls, Sword of the Sea relies on a combination of its design and your curiosity to figure out what’s next. The game does have a finite path in order to get you from section to section as you make your way to the end, but it also rewards exploration with tetras–currency that you can redeem to unlock more abilities to make traversal both quicker and more enjoyable.
Aside from a prompt at the beginning, the game doesn’t really tell you that your sword is the key to opening up paths. During your adventure, you’ll come across blue cracks on the ground, and when you engage them with the square button (at least on PS5), you’ll usually unleash water that’ll bring some life and a rush of color to the otherwise dull setting. As the environment slowly goes from dry isolation to a buzzing underwater seascape, you’ll uncover things like seaweed and even marine animals that can help you on your journey. The feeling of riding weeds high into the water or bouncing on jellyfish to jump to otherwise inaccessible areas kind of gives the game a Metroidvania-esque sense of accomplishment.
“Riding on a dolphin, doping flips and sh…” – The Lonely Island
Not into the exploration aspect? That’s totally fine. The game actually sort of encourages you to beeline from section to section, thanks to a speedrun trophy you can earn if you can beat the game within two hours. Speaking of trophies, achievements are probably the reason why you’ll want to explore every nook and cranny in Sword of the Sea in the first place. Aside from tetras and the abilities you earn when redeeming those tetras, the game doesn’t actually have any way to keep track of what it is you’re doing off the beaten path. Every level in the game has water switches, patches, and relics for you to uncover. If you’re really into the world, you can look for all of the headstones that contain scriptures and poetry to give you a greater understanding and appreciation of the lore.
If you want to vibe and do tricks, that’s fine too. Every level in the game also has a half pipe where you can trick to your heart’s content. All of these things you can do in the game are tied to trophies and achievements should you choose to pursue them, so that’s always nice.
As enjoyable as my time with Sword of the Sea was, I can’t help but feel like I was just going through the motions. It wasn’t because anything was bad–unless you’re playing on Steam Deck and its atrocious frame rate. I actually had a great time learning the rules of how to progress in each world with the various tools of traversal. That said, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this game is just designed to make you feel something either after or before playing something bigger. I said it in the beginning. The game is a palette cleanser and while some might take offense to that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that kind of game either.
Getting around in the PS5 version of Sword of the Sea is a vibe.
If I had to make any changes to the game, it would be to improve the UI to keep track of every collectible you come across, so you have a better indicator of where you are when it comes to unlocking achievements. Giant Squid did make a great decision by adding a New Game+ option though, as playing this would allow you to have the abilities you unlocked from the get-go for all your speed run pleasure.
At $30, you can probably wait (unless you have PlayStation Plus). Sword of the Sea is a game you’ll enjoy as soon as you turn it on, but if you’ve already enjoyed games like Journey and The Pathless, it just doesn’t feel like a title you should go out of your way and cancel plans to play either.
by Danreb Victorio
