Sword of the Sea Review

Giant Squid was founded by several former thatgamecompany employees. If the name thatgamecompany sounds familiar, it’s for good reason. The studio was well known for releasing critically acclaimed and industry-beloved titles, such as Flow, Flower, and most notably, Journey. Giant Squid’s latest game, Sword of the Sea, feels like the ultimate culmination of Journey and Giant Squid’s previous titles, Abzu and The Pathless. It combines the gorgeous visuals of Journey, the tranquillity of Abzu, and the free-flowing movement of The Pathless to deliver a majestic adventure.  

Sword of the Sea begins with a sea (pun intended) of silent stone warriors, until a stray drop of water brings them to life. This is our playable character, known as Wraith. They seem to have been part of an ancient race, one who lost their war and were laid to rest. With their Hoversword at their feet, Wraith leaves their resting place and is introduced to the desolate and empty world outside. Something terrible has happened here, which has dried up the world and made all lifeforms vanish. In a similar storytelling method to Abzu, Sword of the Sea is without spoken dialogue, and instead, the story is told through ancient obelisks and intricate murals. The obelisks contain the written word from a long-lost civilisation that describes the history of this world, while the murals showcase a visual representation of its history. Sword of the Sea’s story will resonate most with the players who invest the additional time to explore and appreciate the subtle narrative.

The lifeblood of this unknown world is the sea itself, and Wraith has the power to return the water to this dry desert land. As Wraith brings the sea back to these lands, the world begins to overflow with sea creatures. Schools of fish begin to flourish, ancient sea life is born anew, and even dolphins, orcas, and sharks begin to return. The water’s arrival is like seeing a brush stroke painted across the sand, as it reveals an entirely new world that had been sadly hidden beneath the dust. Sword of the Sea is a relaxing adventure, emphasising free-flowing movement and almost no punishment for performing a wayward jump. However, the final area contradicts this gameplay mentality. Thematically, the final area makes sense, but its execution feels out of place. While the rest of the story encourages meditative movement, the final area adds an unexpected tension that discourages the best elements of Sword of the Sea. The area itself isn’t long, and it isn’t challenging, but it felt unusual in an otherwise tension-free and serene adventure.  

Sword of the Sea is incredibly short. I explored each area thoroughly, and I finished the story in around four hours. But most players will probably finish their initial playthrough in two to three hours, and that’s being generous. When I reached the end credits, I was left wanting more. Sword of the Sea does not overstay its welcome, but I do wish this adventure had gone on for a few hours more, perhaps rivalling the six-hour adventure of The Pathless. 

Riding your Hoversword is the main gameplay mechanic used to traverse the world and solve puzzles, and controlling it feels like a mixture of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and SSX. You will gracefully glide across the land in a zen-like manner, while also grinding, wall riding, and pulling off sweet tricks. Sword of the Sea offers a responsive movement system that improves on the brilliant freedom of movement found in The Pathless. Sword of the Sea also utilises the haptic feedback within the DualSense controller to make each surface deliver distinct vibrations that make the world feel interactive and alive. Gliding across the land always feels exhilarating, but Giant Squid ensures this traversal method never gets old by adding a few different gameplay mechanics throughout the adventure. This includes two levels where your character takes a break from their Hoversword, with each of these levels offering a fresh and unique change of pace to traversal.  

Sword of the Sea’s freedom of movement truly shines once you return water and sea life to each location. Colourful jellyfish act as trampolines to reach distant areas, while kelp can be used to propel you to great heights. Once water returns, levels transform into your own personal skatepark, where almost no location is off limits. Flying around these areas at breakneck speeds is ridiculously fun.

There is also a heap of well-hidden collectables to find, special abilities to unlock, and even score-based time trials to complete, which are a lot of fun. Sword of the Sea also tracks your overall game high score, which is accumulated by pulling off sick tricks. This feature is initially hidden within the menu, but can be added to your HUD after finishing the story. Unfortunately, there are no leaderboards available to compare your scores with friends, which seems like a missed opportunity, especially for the score-based trials. 

The incredibly talented Austin Wintory returns to once again collaborate with Giant Squid, having previously worked with the studio on both Abzu and The Pathless. Wintory’s new original soundtrack is marvellous. Utilising string instruments, clarinets, flutes, and more, Wintory has produced a serene audio experience that truly captures the personality of Sword and the Sea. There were several moments where the audio and visuals came together in perfect harmony, evoking powerful emotions and truly bringing this world to life. The soundtrack ebbs and flows when it is required, delivering relaxing, meditative sounds during quiet moments, and grand, audible spectacles to emphasise impactful scenes. Austin Wintory is a masterful composer, and he has once again produced something spectacular. 

Giant Squid is known for creating beautiful games, but Sword of the Sea is the best one yet. The game has a crisp and clean visual style with a vivid, vibrant and varied colour palette. When we are first introduced to the outside world, it is a vast and empty desert, but it is beautiful to behold. The lighting is gorgeous as it bounces across the glittering sand; the intricate architecture of a long-lost civilisation is spectacular, and somehow, even when travelling at breakneck speeds, the game remains genuinely stunning. But somehow Sword of the Sea looks even better when water returns to these sand-soaked lands. The world then becomes filled with colourful sea life and brimming with adorable creatures. Sword of the Sea also branches out to different themed locations that look just as beautiful. I also loved the fact that your character will progressively become dirtier as they travel the world. It’s a minor detail, but it showcases the care that was taken to ensure this game was a visual delight.