A review of Sword of the Sea: Flow, beauty, and world too brief
Giant Squid’s Sword of the Sea blends the meditative flow of Journey with the beauty of Abzû. Stunning visuals, fluid gameplay, and evocative music deliver a moving experience, though its three-hour campaign feels far too short
Growing up, I was a Linkin Park fan – actually, I think I still am – and one of their songs I hold most dear is In the End (from their debut album Hybrid Theory). Its music video, set in an animated desert, shows the band performing atop a lonely tower as the barren landscape gradually transforms into a lush, thriving world filled with flowing rivulets and even flying dolphins.
Giant Squid’s new game Sword of the Sea feels like a chance to step inside the promise at Linkin Park’s music video made: an experience where desolate lands bloom into paradises full of life.
Explaining and reviewing games like Flower, Journey, Sky, Abzû, and now Sword of the Sea is always a difficult task. These are not games defined by mechanics alone but by the experiences they weave, the emotions they evoke, and the way they guide players into a zen-like flow state. Sword of the Sea continues this tradition with remarkable grace, inviting you to glide across desolate deserts and frozen landscapes atop a floating sword.
As you might have guessed by now, this is not just a game about clearing challenges, it is about exploring the world and reflecting on the damage that surrounds you. During my time with it, I couldn’t help but connect the on-screen desolation to the ongoing wars in our own world.
In terms of gameplay, Sword of the Sea is breathtakingly beautiful, accompanied by brilliant music and a sense of motion that feels completely natural. Gliding across the sands is not only enjoyable but instinctive, and it stands shoulder to shoulder with the experience of Journey, a higher compliment I cannot give.
Exploration flows seamlessly, and performing tricks on the sword feels effortless. About half an hour in, you may begin to lose all sense of time and place as immersion and flow take over completely.
Despite the flow and joy the game offers, there are a few shortcomings. The puzzles and exploration elements are too simple, and with a main campaign that runs only three to four hours, the experience doesn’t allow players enough time to fully lose themselves in the world.
If you feel that your life or gaming could do with a bit of revival, then look no further than the Sword of the Sea. With a gameplay journey that lasts a mere 3 hours, I guarantee that you will keep going back to it every now and then.
Sneak Peek:
Title: Sword of the Sea
Developer: Giant Squid Studios
Game Type: Third Person Action Exploration with mechanics of flow
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
Price: INR 1,300 on Steam, and 2,081 on the PS store. Free to play day 1 on PS Plus Extra and Deluxe
Verdict (all scores out of 10):
Innovative Gameplay: 8.5
Game Handling & Quality 9.5
Value for Time 8
Value for Money 9
Overall, 8.75
What Stands Out
• The overall game experience is top- notch: from the game’s speed to the puzzles, the visuals, the music, and the overall narrative, everything stands out memorably.
• The overall campaign is short but there is endless replayability for players here regarding both exploration and puzzle solving.
Fails to impress:
• At 3 hours long, the focused gameplay is fantastic, but for a world this beautiful, the same time seems criminally too short.
• The puzzles and exploration elements could have been a bit more complex. I understand the need to not interrupt flow, but the game could have been a bit more complex.
