Sword of the Sea review — Everybody’s gone surfin’

If you’ve played Giant Squid’s previous titles (Abzu, The Pathless), you likely have a good idea of the vibes you’ll get with Sword of the Sea. Where their previous titles accentuated peaceful ocean exploration and fluid open-world movement accordingly, Sword of the Sea adopts and grows both those aspects to create a peaceful, memorable game you’ll want to soak up like a sponge.

In Sword of the Sea, you’ll take on the role of the Wraith, a warrior resurrected in the Necropolis who takes up the Hoversword on their quest to turn arid deserts and frozen wastelands into vibrant oceanic landscapes teeming with life. As you explore each environment, you’ll activate points that beckon the ocean beneath the land to spill forth, transforming the world into a beautiful, colorful world full of fish, turtles, and more. 

Along your *cough* journey *cough*, you’ll find tablets with ancient writings that give you a better understanding of the world, as well as history and lore to explain more fully the nature of the conflict the Wraith has been brought back to solve. You’ll encounter some other characters on your travels, and the mystery of their roles is resolved in time. For a game with no spoken narrative or dialogue, Sword of the Sea tells a fascinating story with some poignant twists that manage to deliver real emotional impact.

From a gameplay perspective, Sword of the Sea is straightforward. You’ll move around on the Hoversword from place to place, jumping to reach new heights. As you play, you’ll be able to pick up shiny collectibles that can be cashed in for various upgrades. Your goal will often be to activate different mechanisms to open the path forward. This often involved reactivating nodes that open the barren surface to overflow of the sea, which in turn transforms the landscape in meaningful ways.

While I largely consider Sword of the Sea to be a cozy exploration title, it’s worth noting that the game classifies itself as part surfing/skateboarding game as well. This is evident with the inclusion of tricks, which can be performed when you jump, as well as ramps and half-pipes. It even keeps track of your score behind the scenes. While it seemed like performing tricks gave me a bit of a speed boost, I honestly didn’t see much reason to do it throughout the game apart from the fact that, well, it’s fun and looks cool. That may be a pretty good reason to do it, but I found myself frustrated with things like the half-pipe on a couple of occasions because some of the mechanics just didn’t play well with my learned history of tricks in gaming. Let’s take Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as an example. In THPS, you’ll hold the jump button, releasing as you get to the lip for extra air before executing your sick moves. With Sword of the Sea, doing the same thing will cause a small hiccup that completely disrupts your flow and momentum. It’s jarring and ultimately disincentivized me from spending too much time in the half-pipe. The game definitely feels more in its element when you’re just flowing around the environments.

There’s one thing I would like to call your attention to. While PlayStation went out of its way early on to showcase the DualSense controller with games like Astro’s Playroom and Returnal, not much has been done to highlight the controller’s haptic feedback. Sword of the Sea is a notable addition to that list. Whether you’re surfing over sand, gliding across the water’s surface, or sliding across ice, every bump and glide can be felt with fidelity that borders between jarring and immersive. I say jarring only because it’s so immersive; it took my brain a few moments to adjust to it. If you’re playing on PC and have access, I’d strongly encourage you to plug up a DualSense controller for the best experience.

I love Sword of the Sea’s aesthetic vibe. The soundtrack is low-impact and immersive, letting you enjoy the on-screen experience without distraction. The game’s art design is also just incredible. While it isn’t pushing out crazy geometric numbers like some of today’s top technical powerhouses, Sword of the Sea has jaw-dropping visuals. Animation is smooth and fluid, and environments are bright and eye-catching. There’s nothing quite like watching the Wraith activate a node and experiencing the sea burst forth with various wildlife swirling about. It all integrates so seamlessly into the experience, it offers something few games have delivered. It’s exhilarating. I audibly hooped as playful dolphins joined me on my rounds for a few delightful seconds. It’s gorgeous and joyful in a special way.

Sword of the Sea is an experience that successfully combines beautiful art, smooth gameplay, and ludonarration in a way few titles can. It’s a feel-good game with some amazing moments and fun, fluid gameplay that will leave your jaw open and your eyes wanting more. While it makes a couple of minor missteps, this is an experience no one should miss.