Big Squid is without doubt one of the greatest builders within the biz on the subject of crafting fantastically breezy indie adventures. Sword of the Sea, its newest outing, won’t ever escape the plain Journey comparisons, but it surely nonetheless stands tall because the workforce’s most refined sport thus far.
With out desirous to strip the title of its class, Sword of the Sea is principally what you’d get when you mashed Journey and ABZU collectively, and seasoned them with The Pathless. It is a delicate mixture of meditative exploration and slick platforming, backed by easy however evocative storytelling.
In a whole lot of methods, it looks like a real non secular successor to each Journey and ABZU, and so when you’re accustomed to both, you may already know precisely what you are stepping into right here.
Sitting at round 3 hours in size — nearly definitely much less on repeat playthroughs — Sword of the Sea offers a satisfying journey throughout the desert sands and deserted cities of a misplaced civilisation.
All of it begins with the awakening of your unvoiced character, who’s able to using a big sword as if it is a surfboard. Gloriously easy controls make traversal a delight, particularly if you’re zipping by way of the sport’s bigger, extra open environments.
Really, Sword of the Sea is a surprisingly speedy expertise, and as such, it requires a bit extra finesse than one thing like Journey. As you progress, the platforming challenges get a little bit trickier, and you will want to start out interested by hitting high speeds earlier than taking up sure jumps.
That is to not say this can be a troublesome sport — the one penalty for falling into an abyss is a quick reset again to stable floor — however it’s extra concerned than its non secular predecessors. The identical is true of the puzzles, which, whereas simplistic in design, do make you think about your environment.
Our level right here is that Sword of the Sea is extra of a sport than Journey or ABZU are — and that is additional evidenced by the truth that you’ll be able to rack up factors atop your surfsword by pulling off methods and flicks midair. Studying and mastering these strategies is solely non-obligatory, however once more, there is a sure diploma of gameplay depth on supply.
Does that detract from the general expertise, although? Journey is such a masterpiece as a result of it is so streamlined as a slice of interactive media; it would not get hung up on components that might be thought of ‘conventional’ sport design, like scores or collectible currencies — and even textual content.
Sword of the Sea dabbles in all of this stuff, and we predict, a minimum of to some extent, that they cheapen the title’s meditative tone. Do not get us fallacious, a lot of the sport is masterfully pieced collectively — but it surely’s a degree that is value pondering.
As an example, gathering that collectible foreign money we simply talked about, or stopping to learn lore-related messages connected to obelisks, usually disrupts the movement of every locale, pushing you to backtrack for the sake of unlocking new aerial methods. There isn’t any doubt that Sword of the Sea is at its greatest if you’re simply gliding between environments and absorbing the vibes with zero distractions.
Certainly, as an audio-visual expertise alone, that is one thing fairly particular. It is a luxurious launch to gawk at, full of daring color palettes unfold throughout sensible artwork route.
In the meantime, a principally orchestral rating from Journey composer Austin Wintory hits the spot each time, with a mixture of understated melodies and provoking swells.
However what actually units Sword of the Sea aside is its use of distinction; the protagonist has the power to revive water and aquatic life to their barren world, leading to beautiful moments the place crystal clear lakes and rivers sprout from the sands, and all types of fish begin gliding by way of the air.
Environments begin to tackle dreamlike, nearly surreal atmospheres, and all of it simply provides to the sport’s already eye-popping charms.
As soon as the credit have rolled, you are free to leap straight again into Sword of the Sea due to a New Recreation+ mode, which helps you to replay the entire thing with your whole trick-based upgrades intact. It additionally introduces just a few attention-grabbing bonuses, together with the choice to toggle additional HUD components as a way to see your present pace and approach scores.
Due to its brief size, we predict this can be a sport that is properly value replaying a minimum of as soon as. Realizing precisely the place you are occurring a second and even third run offers the title an much more seamless really feel.
Conclusion
Sword of the Sea definitely will not have the identical impression that Journey did all these years in the past, however in so some ways, it looks like a direct evolution of that legendary expertise. It is a fantastically easy sport, set throughout a collection of beautiful environments which are a pleasure to discover. Whereas its extra game-y components do really feel a tad pressured, they are not sufficient to distract from what’s a luxurious journey.
