A Hopeful Take On Environmentalism And Placing Down Your Sword

Big Squid, the indie studio behind ABZÛ and The Pathless, is gearing as much as launch Sword of the Sea. The newest addition to their credit, Sword of the Sea is a brand new atmospheric browsing journey that continues the studio’s custom of distinctive inventive design, charming scores, and above all else, exploration. 

For Summer time Sport Fest Play Days, we went hands-on with the title and wrote a preview. Now that I’m sitting right here writing my assessment, my funding on this title has solely deepened. If there’s a recreation I’ve misplaced myself in fully this 12 months, it’s Sword of the Sea. It effortlessly calls you to discover and lulls you into its world, rewarding you for each flip you are taking off the crushed path. 

Within the recreation, you play because the Wraith, resurrected within the desolate Necropolis, and your sword is now not used for combating. As a substitute, you employ it to surf throughout the sands and sea, as you convey life again to the world. Every little thing in regards to the recreation’s atmosphere feels historic, as does the water and sea creatures you name forth. 

I hesitate to name the shifting dunes desolate, as items of the world’s previous jut out, revealing themselves extra as you retain progressing by way of the story. You discover sinking tombs and skatepark-inspired ruins impressed by Italian Renaissance and Islamic structure, browsing their partitions, leaping larger and better as you trip the half-pipes that point has created. 

Big Squid’s Sword of the Sea understands motion and what makes traversal particular.

Sword of the Sea’s world is lonely, however it’s by no means empty. Large open areas one way or the other nonetheless carry hidden pasts and cultures, and as a substitute of discovering boredom, all you are feeling is curiosity. Whereas the core of the sport is to convey life again to the world round you, basically combating local weather change, in the event you ask me, I discovered myself extra referred to as to know all the pieces I can in regards to the world I used to be browsing by way of. 

As you discover the world, you remedy environmental puzzles alongside the best way, all of that are intuitively designed. With out overlays, Big Squid is trusting you to grasp the world round you, and that makes each level of navigation all of the extra fulfilling. Utilizing a vibrant colour language, Sword of the Sea tells you and reveals you precisely what it’s essential do whereas additionally rewarding you for attempting issues out.

In some puzzles, you construct momentum in a halfpipe and pull off creative platforming to seek out the discharge level for the water. In others, you grind large chains linking pillars. And in others, you discover artistic methods to string collectively totally different traversal actions by way of totally different environmental options to navigate your method by way of the land. 

Even while you’re doing one thing unsuitable, you don’t ever really feel such as you’re failing, or such as you’re misplaced. Whereas some are far too simple, Sword of the Sea is among the few video games the place I didn’t need issues to be more durable.  With regards to exploration, puzzles, and platforming, I would like it to be tough. I wish to fail and really feel the reward of lastly overcoming one thing.

Bringing life again to an empty world is a quest value taking. 

But, the calmness that Sword of the Sea instilled in me as I performed stored me invested, even when it was at its best. The reward and the dopamine hit simply got here naturally. It’s a simple accumulation of experiences that made me really feel like I used to be part of one thing greater. This appears like the sport’s second objective. The primary is simply nailing nice browsing mechanics, and the second is connecting you to one thing bigger.

To the primary level, Sword of the Sea’s most super success is its intuitive stage design and considerate management schemes. They iterate on traditional speed-based skating and snowboarding video games. This combo makes the sport simple to grasp, however barely more difficult to finish the additional you get. It’s good to join all the pieces you’ve discovered to succeed.

The traversal mechanics are so seamless that as your pace picks up and you understand how to navigate the totally different environmental triggers, all of it simply feels second-nature. As you progress by way of the world, you carve your method throughout the atmosphere on an historic and highly effective weapon. However the Hoversword isn’t a weapon anymore, it’s a automobile that delivers fluid motion between jumps, flips, and grabs.

You depend on it, the land, and pulling your physique in to construct momentum and launch your self throughout gaps, over dunes, and in the end discover a method by way of vertical environmental puzzles to finish your quest. The shifting tones between precision and speedy enjoyable are balanced extraordinarily properly, however even once I was simply within the open dunes with nothing, it felt good. 

Big Squid’s give attention to constructing intuitive techniques and environments pays off in spades.

Sword of the Sea places you right into a stream state that you just don’t wish to go away. It’s particular, the sport’s capacity to shift from weighty motion as you grind partitions and chains into one thing extra meditative as you coast on open sand or sea.

As you progress, sandy dunes rework into glittering, emerald waters, and magical sea life returns in breathtaking shoals. This brings a religious magic to browsing as you join with nature and restore life. The enjoyment you are feeling bringing water to a land as soon as void of it’s exhausting to outline. It’s in the end a easy mechanic, however it lends method to a lot extra. 

Proper now, because the world’s local weather disaster will get extra harmful and pure disasters occur increasingly more, it’s simple to really feel helpless. To be sincere, I’d wager that I really feel hopeless and helpless extra days than I don’t. Enjoying a online game doesn’t repair the world, however it lets me really feel like I’m doing one thing, even when it isn’t actual. There’s a sense of rest that comes with Sword of the Sea’s simplicity, however there’s additionally whole immersion.

The sand strikes, the water strikes, there isn’t a single a part of this world that doesn’t really feel alive. And while you understand that all the pieces round you, together with the sand, holds magnificence and life, you already know you aren’t alone. Sword of the Sea captures the great thing about nature, however extra importantly, that we’re accountable for it. The funding that the sport builds with you every time you see new animals be a part of the world in all their whimsy retains you taking part in. 

Sword of the Seas’ message is simply that there’s something “after” and that’s what makes it vital.

As I performed by way of Sword of the Sea, I stored at the back of my thoughts my interview with the sport’s Inventive Director, Matt Nava. After I requested Nava in regards to the recreation’s message, he responded:

“I consider that each one the present occasions bought me eager about what occurs on the finish of all this, what occurs when all of the wars are fought and all of the wars are achieved? What’s the sword for? What do you do with them, and what’s your id in spite of everything that? I feel that’s the form of query the sport is attempting to discover. The character is that this warrior, and now he’s bought to do one thing new as a result of there’s no person to battle anymore.”

That’s a potent message for the world proper now. What will we do after we’re achieved combating, even when proper now it appears like it’s going to by no means finish? The reply is to be form, be linked, and save issues. You may’t preserve combating indefinitely, even in the event you’re a warrior. Sword of the Sea has the energy to inform its gamers that there could be one thing after all of the darkness. And generally, the one method to have individuals put down their swords is to indicate that there’s one other method.

Whether or not it’s the sport’s not-too-subtle commentary about local weather change or Nava’s rationalization of the Wraith, Sword of the Sea is attempting and succeeding at making an impression. No singular factor can change the world, however it could actually plant a seed, and with this title, I hope everybody feels looking forward to a time to rebuild. 

Sword of the Sea is obtainable now for PlayStation 5 and PC (through Steam and the Epic Video games Retailer).