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Big Squid is without doubt one of the greatest builders within the biz in terms of crafting fantastically breezy indie adventures. Sword of the Sea, its newest outing, won’t ever escape the apparent Journey comparisons, however it nonetheless stands tall because the group’s most refined sport so far.
With out desirous to strip the title of its magnificence, Sword of the Sea is mainly what you’d get should 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 quite a lot of methods, it appears like a real religious successor to each Journey and ABZU, and so should you’re accustomed to both, you may already know precisely what you are moving into right here.
Sitting at round 3 hours in size — nearly actually much less on repeat playthroughs — Sword of the Sea gives 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 clean controls make traversal a delight, particularly once you’re zipping by the sport’s bigger, extra open environments.
Truly, 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 somewhat trickier, and you will want to begin interested by hitting prime speeds earlier than taking up sure jumps.
That is to not say it is 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 religious predecessors. The identical is true of the puzzles, which, whereas simplistic in design, do make you think about your environment.
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Full Accessibility Report
Information by Household Gaming Database
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 may rack up factors atop your surfsword by pulling off methods and flicks midair. Studying and mastering these methods is fully 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 does not get hung up on parts 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, no less than 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 — however it’s some extent that is price pondering.
For example, gathering that collectible forex we simply talked about, or stopping to learn lore-related messages hooked up to obelisks, typically disrupts the circulate 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 once 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 whenever, 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 flexibility 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 every kind of fish begin gliding by 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 because of a New Sport+ mode, which helps you to replay the entire thing with all your trick-based upgrades intact. It additionally introduces just a few fascinating bonuses, together with the choice to toggle further HUD parts so as to see your present velocity and approach scores.
Due to its brief size, we predict it is a sport that is properly price replaying no less than 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 actually will not have the identical affect that Journey did all these years in the past, however in so some ways, it appears like a direct evolution of that legendary expertise. It is a fantastically clean sport, set throughout a collection of beautiful environments which can be a pleasure to discover. Whereas its extra game-y parts do really feel a tad compelled, they are not sufficient to distract from what’s a luxurious journey.
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