Sword of the Sea

A sequel to ABZU in all but name. There are even assets taken whole cloth. I think it is an overall neat 3D platform. More fun in new game plus where speedrunning is encouraged. I also think that it is weaker then their last game The Pathless. The Pathless was fun because speed was a reward to good play and the way they recycled the Breath of the Wild formula was very creative. The skatebording aspect is somewhat pointless until new game plus where speed is once again rewarded by good play. In terms of structure, Sword of the Sea is a return to form in a way as it is much closer to Journey. To me, The Pathless felt like a leap forward as I didn't know Giant Squid could make this kind of game. Sword of the Sea is more their confort zone. Mind you, they are very good at it. As a note, I really wish Giant Squid had something to say. We are three games in, and it seems that they can only say that water and light colours are good and fire and dark colours are bad. I take time to write this because it seems to be a bit wasteful to deploy all that art just to say nothing. Why make a spiritual successor to their first game when you have nothing to add to this world?

I cannot believe I almost missed out on this amazing experience. If other games had movement that felt half this good we'd be eating good 365 days a year. A short but stunning adventure that takes the best from Journey (which I liked), Abzu (which I didn't care for) and the Pathless (which I loved) to create a near flawless final package. Would recommend others to pick this up, potentially during a sale like I did.

this was everything I wanted it to be and also more than that, it was really fun and beautiful, and challenging but not *too* much. it has so much of the wonder of abzu and I explored as much of it as I could (and still definitely didn't find everything). the story is really cool, the character and level design is beautiful, and most importantly, there's fish everywhere, and I love fish.

とにかく移動するという行為が爽快で楽しいゲーム。

Es bueno y lo recomiendo (en una rebaja, eso sí) pero creo que [i]Journey[/i] es más elegante y me gusta más habiendo salido 14 años antes. No es una comparación del todo justa (Matt Nava, el director de [i]Sword of the Sea[/i] era el director artístico de [i]Journey[/i] y ese toque sigue ahí, pero no dirigió [i]Journey[/i]) pero creo que válida. Con una comparación más cercana dentro de los juegos del estudio, veo cambios y mejorías con respecto a [i]Abzû[/i]... y algún estancamiento que me hace pensar en faltas de presupuesto y prisas a la hora de haber terminado el juego. El apartado artístico es muy bueno, al igual que el diseño de sonido y banda sonora. Sigue el camino de sus predecesores a la hora de narrar historias con su entorno de forma excelente. Me ha llevado 4h pasarme el juego la primera vez y me lo he pasado 2 veces más a la hora de escribir esta reseña, completándolo al 100% Como última cosa a comentar, el rendimiento es bastante malo y no se si se debe a falta de optimización, al motor gráfico de mierda (el unreal engine 5) o a una combinación de las dos. [u]Buen juego. Ligeramente decepcionado. F*ck UE5[/u]

Beautiful game but no use. Even long after release it still has big performance issues. No DLSS support either to alleviate the fps drops. Better to watch a 4K playthrough on YT and enjoy the music and art style.

The thumbs down is because Steam has a binary recommendation system. Because Sword of the Sea is perfectly servicable. It has good art and okay worldbuilding and the gameplay is fine (though I did get stuck at annoying moments). It just... has nothing else going for it? The story/characters and the cutscenes are just your typical video game story and therefore kinda bad and cringe. Also, it just doesn't beat playing Journey with 4 friends together and turning it into a co-op game. Your milage might vary of course but for me it was a one and done game and 29 euros is extremely steep for something that I beat in 2,5 hours.

I was expecting a decent game, what I got was a masterpiece. The art style and soundtrack in this game are 100% symbiotic. It's not very long however and finished my first playthrough in 4 hours with lots of exploration which isnt entirely necessary but definitely worth exploring as there are a lot of secrets hidden around. It's like a fusion of Coolborders meets Journey meets ABZU plus a few other games from the same director as Journey etc. Each area has a a fantastic musical piece of it's own 11/10 highly recommend. Quite a relaxing game with some aprehensive elements thrown up in there on occasion really lends to the story as it plays out.

Very beautiful!

10/10 Sword of the Sea is a breathtaking experience that blends stunning visuals, fluid movement, and an emotional atmosphere into something truly special. Gliding across vast dunes and ancient ruins is both relaxing and exhilarating, making exploration a constant joy. The game's gorgeous art direction and haunting soundtrack create an immersive world, while its subtle environmental storytelling gives the adventure real emotional depth. It feels like the culmination of Giant Squid's creative journey. It builds on the sense of wonder found in ABZÛ, the evocative environmental storytelling of The Pathless, and the studio's unmistakable artistic vision, bringing those strengths together into their most refined work yet.