80%PlayStation 5

As a player who prefers good gameplay over everything else, I didn't think I would get engrossed in Sword of the Sea. I was expecting to play it for a few hours, admire some of the landscapes, and then drop it halfway through. However, the surfing gameplay required enough of my full attention to string me along. What I was rewarded with were beautifully framed vistas, levels that encouraged exploration, and a few opportunities to show off my mastery. I would still prefer a more mechanically dense game, but Sword of the Sea has the right amount of interactivity to encourage every type of player to see the gorgeous sights and experience a linear adventure that was crafted with intent.

90%PlayStation 5

I loved Journey but this tops it. The gameplay is so addicting and fluid. The level design is layered and absolutely littered with secrets and hidden jumps. The story is interesting and out of the way. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of my roughly 3 hour playthrough. I will be coming back just to feel the gameplay if not to re-experience the whole game. A Must play if you liked Journey or Abzu.

70%PlayStation 5

Basically you are a guardian who goes out into immense desert areas, navigating on a sword, in gameplay that is a mix of snowboarding and platforming. The main objective is to explore those areas seeking marine seeds to bring oceans and marine life back again. The mechanics are fun, but even being a very short game, they get a bit repetitive after a while. Also, the narrative is weak and feel underdeveloped.

80%PlayStation 5

Breathtaking. No other word describes this game better. There were moments that completely blew my mind in a way I haven't experienced in a while.
Continues the legacy of Journey, Abzû and Pathless, with fluid gameplay, incredible sound design and stunning visuals.
The type of game to be played with the art direction in mind, doesn't have a very interesting story nor complex world building.
Could have tweaked a bit the formula and added more variety to the puzzles and level design tho.

70%PlayStation 5

Amazing landscapes and fun when you get the abilities. I started to feel as if the puzzles were repetitive halfway through but considering its a short game, it wasn’t too bad. Did not collect the seashell collectibles and the last ability for 5000 points.

80%PlayStation 5

Sword Of The Sea is a mesmerizing and relaxing 3-hour-long adventure with incredibly satisfying sand/water/ice-surfing traversal, many intricate platforming puzzles, amazingly beautiful art and another masterfully done soundtrack by Austin Wintory. With surprisingly good photo mode as well

100%PlayStation 5

Art.

70%PlayStation 5

Review: 7/10

A charming and quirky little game that delivers exactly the kind of journey you’d expect. Its calming vibes, stunning visuals, and beautifully crafted soundtrack create a serene atmosphere perfect for those moments when you just want to relax and unwind. The DualSense integration adds a subtle but satisfying layer to the experience.

While the gameplay can feel a bit dull and repetitive at times, the consistently captivating art direction keeps things visually engaging. It’s short—no surprise there—but it makes the most of its brief runtime with a zen-like quality that’s probably good for your mental health!

60%PlayStation 5

6/10 - 🟡

80%PlayStation 5

hot damn this game is great, if you enjoyed The Pathless or Abzu this is a must try. the gameplay loop is fun and the soundtrack is relaxing, plus its free on ps plus, get amongst it.

50%PC

Giant Squid continues to make the same game, and the problems don't get fixed. Lovely movement based gameplay but really awful tryhard writing. Just wish they had someone who knew how to write a good intrigue or world-building. This shit is so generic and ass.
There are two sections, one with a dolphin and one with a shark, that are completely a misunderstanding of their own game. The dolphin part especially feels so fucking bad to play. The great part of the game is the traversal and gameplay, and they just take that away from you for such a long time. For a game that can be completed in 2-3 hours this is such a baffling decision.
This game felt like it was divided between two games, one more journey like and another more focues on combos and skating. Pathless really had a great loop and was almost perfect except for the dogshit story at the end. Here it feels incomplete and confused. Deciding to release this for 30€ is also insane. The game has some replayability but who wants to play through those awful dolphin sections again. There were also some trickzones were the developers just showed they didn't know how to make a good arena

80%PC

I like the art style. Faster segments have a great sense of momentum. The platforming is very forgiving, which gives the feeling of a casual game. After the credits you get your playtime and score, which feels like an accomplishment.

70%PlayStation 5

Pretty cool visual experience in the style of journey. I played this on the PS5 and it had pretty nice integration with the controller.

70%PC

weak story

75%PlayStation 5

Good not blown away but a solid way to spend 3 hours. I hear journey is more well rounded.

75%PlayStation 5

I loved Journey back when it came out, but I was not as excited about this one. Maybe it's just me, because the game seems about as good as Journey, although it doesn't have the same multiplayer element. The graphics are beautiful, eyecandy, and the gameplay has a nice flow. But the puzzle are very repetitive, and the game is somehow too slick. Also the purpose is very vague, and overall it gives me a kind of generic impression. The amount of talent and effort that went into this game is impressive, but it just didn't do much for me. It was nice for a quick play-through, but it won't stick with me the way Journey did back in 2012/2013. In the end I was glad I played it through PS Plus and didn't purchase it.

80%PlayStation 5

8/10

40%PC

Rating based on my overall enjoyment of the game.

Considering the game seemingly wanting to create a sense of movement and flow, I don't know why it insists on interrupting your gameplay every time you press a switch with an unskippable cutscene. I would get frustrated that the game just wouldn't let me PLAY it, so intent it was to wrench the camera away and go "LOOK AT HOW PRETTY THE AREA IS, LOOK AT THIS STATUE LIGHT UP. TWO MORE TO GO!" and continuing to do so throughout the entire game. Just giving an option to skip would have been appreciated.

I was also frustrated that the gameplay never felt like it hit an enjoyable pace. Even at the very end of the game you aren't really doing anything you weren't doing at the beginning. You never need to show any kind of skill with the mechanics, and they don't encourage chaining them together. You can't go up in kelp, wall run, then boost into a trick jump to gain distance or anything. It's always the one mechanic in that section and that's it. The most frustrating part was the lava areas near the end, you can't spend too long in the lava or you die. Cool, so I can like trick and wall surf around these rooms right? No. Platforming only. Jump from one platform to the next. It doesn't matter you have a hoversword, and it doesn't matter you have a glide, in fact give us back that glide you can't have that anymore, now do the standard jumps. Why even make this great movement system if you aren't going to DO anything with it? I'm not asking for really intense and difficult tech, but at least giving players something to experiment with in this already incredibly linear and short game would have been nice.

There are some timed 'challenge' areas where you just jump and do tricks repeatedly until you pass the score target which provides you with currency. This currency can also be found in chests/glyphs or just floating around, which you can give to the nice jar man for the most uninspired rewards I have ever seen. You get tricks, tricks but longer, able to fall faster, slightly higher jump, shell. That's it. Which doesn't feel like much of a reward for looking over every nook and cranny for chests and little sea creature glyphs.

Also that boss battle at the end was so mind numbing. It didn't need to be incredible, but doing the most basic of jumps and moving side to side isn't exactly...anything. I was also really disappointed in how your two allies did the exact same thing and had no gameplay relevance to them, making freeing them feel pointless as well.

The game looks beautiful, the use of water is legitimately incredible, and the amount of stuff to find is impressive. But the lack of mechanics doesn't make it 'zen'. You're constantly having control wrenched from you in already incredibly linear areas, or being forced into these 'cinematic' sections where you aren't allowed to do anything while listening to music that isn't doing anything to wow you. I finished it frustrated this could have been more.

80%PC

Not as great as Journey but still a pleasant experience. story was okay but the movement and traversal in this game was absolutely amazing. Performance is a problem here, I did manage to get a stable 60 frame on high setting but the game was as resource heavy as the biggest recent AAA games which shows the game is not well optimized and would run badly on weaker/older systems and that shouldn't be the case for a shot chill game like Sword of the sea.

75%PlayStation 5

It is without a doubt, one of the best looking games out there. The design and feels of the controls are perfect. It just kinda stuttered for me in the middle, I didn't enjoy the riding levels and it went from this big open area to a more on rails approach to level design.

80%PlayStation 5

Um bom jogo contemplativo com ótimos visuais e gameplay gostoso, além de ser curto na medida certa.

70%PlayStation 5

Este juego es como estar de visita en el museo del prado y que te venga un chaval con la PSP y te invite a jugar al Tony Hawk.

Sword of the Sea es una obra de arte en lo sensitivo, en lo visual y en lo sonoro. su pecado es ser demasiado parecido a Journey, pero al final, parte de la autoría procede de las mismas manos, así que supongo que se le puede perdonar. pero queda raro.

Lo mejor de Sword of the Sea es cruzar su mundo priorizando el flow emocional, disfrutar de cada escenario, cada movimiento de la tabla-espada, cada curva en las dunas y sumergirse en su atmósfera.

El peligro es cogerle a ese chaval la PSP y viciarte al Tony Hawk, liarte con la parte arcade, tropezarte con coleccionables que te hacen peinar los escenarios, picarte a puntuaciones, trucos y contrarrelojes que rompen la magia del título. y no hay nada de malo en esta parte, incluso habrá quien la disfrute más, pero mi sensación ha sido que estas dos mitades del juego hablan un distinto idioma.

Otro aspecto importante que destacar es la duración, me lo terminé en apenas 3 horas, lo que me ha parecido ideal porque, siendo sinceros, la historia no daba para más, y porque sostener la maravilla audiovisual y la sorpresa en los escenarios es algo limitado.

Quizás ahí está el secreto, no todo tiene que ser profundo, largo o complejo. A veces lo maravilloso es emocionarte sin saber bien el por qué. Sentir el viento virtual, navegar por el paisaje y no pedir nada más.

Hay juegos que no se juegan, se deslizan.

70%PC

Beautiful game with amazing movement that I'd recommend anyone to try out. However, I can't help but compare it to their previous games, especially Journey. I know of course not all the same people worked on both games, but it's impossible not to draw comparisons especially with the themes they took on in this game. It feels like an intentional nod to not just Journey but their other previous games too. I found the world to be quite lacking and some of the scenes you play through to be kind of silly, the lore was overexplaining itself and the tricks you do on your sword were never necessary to actually do. I don't know, this game doesn't feel fully realized to me, it feels like something inspired by Giant's Squid's games and that's it.

Without Journey I might've looked at this game a bit differently, but honestly what Giant Squid was doing with Journey and Abzu is so incredibly different from this. It lacks innovation and creativity. Yes, the environments are gorgeous and they do do unique things with it, but so much felt like it came straight from their older games that I was constantly waiting for the lore to reveal that these worlds were connected. Journey and Abzu didn't need any words to explain what they wanted to do, they didn't need coins and points and speedruns, Journey and Abzu were at its core meditative and transformative experiences that I just don't find the same way in Sword of the Sea. Instead it's a pretty, fast-paced, skating game that doesn't really tell me much. Or at least nothing new that they haven't already talked about in their previous games.

None of this is to say that their new way of making games is inherently bad. I just don't find it as transformative as Journey and Abzu were. It's barely scratching the surface of reinventing the wheel, which makes me sad because they've shown that they can.

If you had told me (without listening to Austin Wintory's amazing soundtrack for the game), that this was just a different studio imitating Giant Squid, I would've believed you.

90%PlayStation 5

This is a very beautiful game in multiple ways.

Artistically, it's visual direction is gorgeous. It has a watercolor painting-like style to it that really pops as you're gliding around and bringing water/life back to various locations. It's hard not to just appreciate how much color there is and how they make it pop in the animals, the landscapes and everything. It truly syncs you with the feeling of bringing life back to the land. Thematically, the game is also beautiful as there are definitely positive environmental messages as you quite literally bring about water and life in the places you surf around.

From a gameplay perspective, it's extremely fun/satisfying. This is very much a flow state type of game, which admittedly is sometimes interrupted by the platforming, but overall you are gliding around at high speeds on a sword. That shit is just cool. It also feels fantastic on a duel sense controller as the haptic feedback is giving you a tactile sense of the different surfaces you're on with vibrations and sound. It makes tricking and gliding around so fun and immersive. You sometimes just get caught up in the experience of it all. Even when the tricking doesn't serve a "purpose" it's just fun to do and comes with no added pressure which is very pleasant and relaxing mostly.

The game also has beautiful sound and music to guide everything along and it definitely keeps you in this sort of spiritual, ethereal mood from start to finish I would say.

I'm sure this isn't a game for everyone as I understand none of their games are. Some night find it too simple, too short and thereby overpriced. But honestly, this was a very good quick playthrough for me and I enjoyed going along for its ride. I am not sure if I will go back for the content I missed (very easy to miss collectibles and not get all of the tricks in one playthrough!), but I am definitely glad I got it at the price I paid. I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys the "art" of video games, and anybody looking for a more laid-back, but still emotive and fun experience.

Call this something like 8.75-9.

80%PlayStation 5

Absolutely beautiful game with fun movement and art direction. It's great fun simply moving around with the games control scheme, and to see what sights you would see next. I just wish they could have expanded on certain gameplay mechanics, and had more sections where you could go faster.

85%PlayStation 5

cozy short art game, i like it.

90%PC

TL;DR If you liked Journey and ABZÛ, you will love this new game, without a doubt.

The music by Austin Wintory is as beautiful as you can expect. The visuals and what we can expect from these developers. I played in 1440p and it looked fabulous. The game, as is, offers the opportunity to take hundreds if great screen captures. There is also a photo mode which might be responsible for you to fill up your hard drive with pictures.

The gameplay loop and mechanics are evolutions of what you might find in Journey and ABZÛ. There are more things to do, more collectibles and more reasons to explore each area to find something. The controls are great and each area offers something different enough that it's not repetitive.

There are some story events that will make your control your characters in different ways and you can get new powerups that will allow you to reach new areas.

I think the game is more focused and has more depth than the previous games made by that team and once you beat the game you can access each chapter individually to get the collectibles you may have missed along the way.

I won't spoil anything here. Get it. Totally worth the price. I beat it in roughly 4h20 and I consider that's a fair time if you explore and try to find stuff. I give it a 9/10. The whole experience was enjoyable and I think it's their best work so far. I can't wait for their next game.

80%PlayStation 5

Great artsy game.

Abstract story.

Beautiful visuals with great art and some beautiful environments and cool scenes

Gameplay is simple but very pleasurable with great controls, good sense of speed, good level design and some cool scenes.

Beautiful music that compliments perfect to the tone of the scenes and overall feel of the game.

Very short game but extremely pleasurable to play. Great overall experience.

80%PlayStation 5

A good little short art driven game, played it as part of PS Plus, but couldn't justify spending much on such a short game. I did enjoy the concepts involved, nice simple relaxing gameplay.

80%PlayStation 5

Sword of the Sea Review

Overall: 77/100

Graphics (78)
The visuals are dreamlike and painterly, reminiscent of Journey and Abzû. Each sweeping dune and ruined temple feels alive with atmosphere. Compared to Calir Obscur Expedition 33, which uses stark contrasts of light and dark to express dualism, Sword of the Sea takes a softer approach, using color gradients and motion to highlight the tension between serenity and intensity.

Audio (78)
The soundscape builds immersion with serene and flowing tracks, yet lacks the memorable anthems found in Journey. In contrast, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater uses energetic soundtracks to push adrenaline, while here the music underscores introspection, closer to Omno or Abzû.

Puzzle/Quest Design (78)
Puzzles are integrated into traversal, rewarding momentum and flow rather than halting progress. Like Omno, the puzzles are approachable and lightly challenging, designed to keep rhythm. However, unlike Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’s arcade-style goals, these puzzles lean more toward harmony and discovery, connecting to the game’s central dualism of speed versus stillness.

Combat (71)
Combat feels underdeveloped, almost like an afterthought. It does not carry the same weight as the traversal or puzzles. While Calir Obscur Expedition 33 uses combat to embody moral duality and narrative stakes, Sword of the Sea reduces conflict to short interruptions. This is the weakest factor.

Boss (78)
The bosses that do appear are visually impressive and symbolically rich, with arenas that feel like living temples. They echo the spectacle of large set pieces in Journey, though they are fewer in number. Compared to Calir Obscur Expedition 33, which builds dualism directly into boss mechanics, Sword of the Sea feels more atmospheric than mechanically layered. Unfortunately, the game would have benefited from a greater variety of bosses.

Plot (75)
The story is conveyed through symbolic imagery and environment. Like Journey and Abzû, it leaves much to interpretation. While Calir Obscur Expedition 33 explores dualism narratively (light vs. shadow, choice vs. consequence), Sword of the Sea expresses it thematically, through contrast between motion and tranquility.

Character (75)
The silent protagonist embodies mystery, acting as a vessel for the player’s emotions. Compared to Omno’s warm, childlike avatar, this character feels distant but intentionally so. This distance reflects the game’s theme of dualism—self versus environment, control versus surrender.

Pacing (78)
The pacing balances exploration and puzzle solving well, though some sections slow down more than needed. In comparison, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater thrives on relentless momentum, while Omno is more about soft rhythm. Sword of the Sea sits in between, bridging adrenaline-fueled skating with meditative pauses.

Storytelling (76)
Wordless and symbolic, the narrative design is closest to Abzû and Journey. Unlike Calir Obscur Expedition 33, which makes dualism explicit through branching choices, Sword of the Sea prefers subtle imagery and environmental storytelling, requiring the player to interpret meaning.

Mechanics (76)
The traversal system feels like skating on sand, with tricks and momentum echoing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Yet, unlike Tony Hawk’s combo-driven scoring, Sword of the Sea prioritizes flow and spiritual progression. The integration of puzzle-like elements recalls Omno, though without as much variety.

World Design/Theme (81)
This is where the game excels. Vast deserts, submerged ruins, and floating structures create a surreal world. Unlike the moral dualism of Calir Obscur Expedition 33, Sword of the Sea portrays a thematic dualism: the coexistence of movement and stillness, exhilaration and serenity. Few games capture such balance so elegantly.

Performance/Readiness (80)
Technically stable, polished, and optimized. Unlike Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater which emphasizes precision physics, or Omno which relies on smaller scale puzzles, Sword of the Sea runs smoothly even in its vast environments.

Verdict

Sword of the Sea is a meditative yet thrilling experience, fusing the momentum and tricks of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater with the puzzle sensibilities of Omno and the wordless storytelling of Journey and Abzû. Its exploration of dualism—speed versus stillness, control versus surrender—sets it apart thematically, though weak combat and a limited number of bosses hold it back from greater heights.

Overall: 77/100 – A poetic skating adventure with puzzle exploration and symbolic storytelling, standing strong among the most artistic indie games.

85%PlayStation 5

Enjoyable game, same beauty as journey.

85%PlayStation 5

Lovely bite-sized game with beautiful music and great game-feel. Really felt like a 3d platformer with the vibes of Abzu but greater depth. Tons of secrets to find if you want to look, and it just allows you to explore an area quite freely.

80%PlayStation 5

This is a chill, beautiful, mood-driven game in the vein of Abzû and Journey—but in my opinion, it surpasses both. It captures that same meditative sense of flow and exploration, but scales up the breadth and presentation.

One of the things I appreciated most was how the game handled its world. It could have forced me to linger in areas longer to “get my money’s worth,” but instead it lets you glide through huge, open spaces at your own pace. Sometimes you spend only minutes in an area before moving on, and that feels right. The design embraces the idea that the experience is about movement, momentum, and freedom, not about padding or artificial obstacles.

Despite the scale of these environments, I never felt lost. The game provides subtle guidance—sometimes so subtle it felt like I was choosing my own path—quietly nudging me in the right direction. It’s clear the designers didn’t want frustration to get in the way. There are no real barriers, just a steady encouragement to enjoy the atmosphere and the vibe.

The one part that didn’t fully work for me was the boss encounter. Since the game never puts you in any real danger, the sequence felt more like following a script than overcoming a challenge. It didn’t feel especially rewarding, and I’m not sure this kind of set piece fits the overall experience.

On the positive side, this is the best use of haptic feedback I’ve experienced on the PS5. The controller responds to different textures and friction beneath you, and the contrast between feeling the ground and then the complete silence when airborne was surprisingly powerful. It really heightened the joy of soaring.

At just under three hours, it’s short, but I think that works in its favor. I got this game through PS Plus, and while there are valid arguments against the negative impacts the subscription model has on on the industry, this game the perfect use case. If people bought this as a full-price game, the run-time might cause some frustration. As it stands, it’s a concise, beautifully realized experience that knows exactly what it wants to be.

90%PC

I'm going to say it. This is better than Journey. Very reminiscent of some of my favorite indies like Solar Ash and Wavetale.

90%PlayStation 5

Honestly, Giant Squid just doesn't miss. The short, sweet and impactful experience that just feels good to play at every turn.

65%PC

A bit disappointed.
I won't deny that the game is fun, but I was expecting something new from this game. It feels very similar to the old games, like Journey and Abzu. When I saw the trailer back when it was announced, I was hyped because I thought we where getting an evolution from Pathless with various mechanics from some skating games. But no, we just got another carbon copy of Journey, wich isn't bad, but from the OGs I was expecting more.
Glad that a lot of people are enjoying it, though!

90%PlayStation 5

Excellent game. Feels like Journey 2 with a focus on movement. Prefer this over Journey but the ending docks it down for score. Not the type of game I want a boss fight in.

70%PlayStation 5

A beautiful and fun game, but painfully short. Yeah there are some secrets and NG+, but at 2 hours a playthrough the value isn’t great.

90%PlayStation 5

Une belle petite gifle qui fait du bien, ça résume bien mon expérience je pense

En vrai, les gens se prennent trop la tête à dire "gneugneu c'est trop court" alors que si un jeu nous donne ce qu'il a à donner en 3h et bah c'est très bien

Et là il donne une direction artistique à tomber par terre, un jeu hyper fluide, un gameplay ultra agréable à prendre en main, la mise en scène est absolument sublime, les couleurs sont canons, les musiques aussi et BORDEL QUEL PLAISIR

C'est peut être juste un poil trop simple et les défis annexes sont répétitifs, dommage à ce niveau là

Mais un très très bon jeu indé à faire, un vrai coup de coeur !

50%PC

This game is a massive disappointment for me. Beautiful art design and gameplay concept. Visually stunning, locations are versatile, captivating. My main problem with this game is that it has very few original ideas. It's like a mix of the developers previous games, glued together into one game: "A Qiant Squid best of". Journey + Abzu + Pathless= Sword of the Sea. Although I am fond of the earlier titles this developer made, Sword of the Sea shows very few new additions on its own, with a quite simplified, linear gameplay. This and the incredibly short runtime made me quite disappointed, I have been waiting for this game at least for 2 years, and this was nothing what I was expecting it to be. Pathless was much more an open world game, with a highly detailed world design, world map, long runtime, many side activities- I thought this was the new standard for Giant Squid. Well anyway, I hope other players have a good times with this.

85%PlayStation 5

Beautiful and simple story, gorgeous visuals and breathtaking vistas. And of course, fluid, fun movement/gameplay. There were some minor performance hitches on base PS5 (few fps drops) and one major technical issue that I noticed - if you leave the game running and your PS5 goes to rest mode, when you resume playing the fps will stay low until you quit to main menu and start again.
I wish there was a collectibles checklist or progress page, at least accessible from the main menu so it doesn't distract during gameplay.