Once in a while, a game will cross your desk like this one, where you know before you so much as play a second of what’s in store for you, you’re in for something special. The kind of game that doesn’t just aim to be a fun, memorable experience, but something closer to a ‘come to god’ moment.
I knew that was what was ahead of me in Sword of the Sea, as my brief time with the preview at Summer Games Fest had given me a taste of the good stuff. The rolling sand dunes, the new skateboard-themed traversal, and everything in between.
It was everything that I, a person with a tattoo of the Traveler from Journey and a deep love for sister projects like Flower, The Pathless, and Abzu, could have asked for, and I had fingers crossed that the rest of the game could live up to that promise.
Well, if you want that answer up front. It is. It’s jaw-dropping, atmospheric, cathartic, and damn-near perfect from start to end. But, stick around for the details as we give you our argument as to why Sword of the Sea is a prime candidate for one of the best games of 2025.
Wintory The Wizard
Due to the staggering production value that goes into just about any game worthy of praise in this modern era, it’s pretty rare that you hear a soundtrack within a blockbuster game that isn’t of a truly impeccable standard and improves the overall player experience.
Which, as a result, means that, as a composer, it’s harder than ever to stand out from the pack and produce something that makes people stop and take notice. Which is exactly why we need to protect Austin Wintory at all costs, as this is another generational performance from the esteemed composer,producing yet another scorethat not only complements everything on screen, but steals the show.
The use of multiple choirs with a range of skillsets, an assortment of woodwinds beyond traditional inclusions and many more approaches to soundscaping that I won’t even pretend to understand, Wintory manages to create melodies and soundtracks for each area of the game that perfectly captures the mood, evoking emotions in the player just when the game needs it most to elevate the experience.
It’s not very often that a game’s sound design is the thing you would label as the standout feature, especially when the rest of the game is as strong as Sword of the Sea is. But, I would go on record saying that without Wintory’s work, Sword of the Sea wouldn’t hit anywhere near as hard. And for the record, it’s all killer, no filler action that hits like a truck.
A Bounty of Beautiful Biomes
As much as musical tracks produced for a game can be excellent in isolation, they only truly become a soundtrack when they have something to back and breathe life into. So, it’s a blessing that Sword of the Sea is one of the most visually striking and beautiful games ever produced.
The game visually takes a lot of notes from Journey and Abzu, offering levels with dynamic rolling hills, gorgeous sunlit vistas, and vibrant bursts of color via the flora and fauna on show. But equally, the game has the ability to offer moments of contrast with dark and dingy areas and oppressive environments.
If you’re a fan of Journey and Abzu, it’s essentially a perfect middle ground between the two titles in terms of visual splendor, with silent storytelling through the environment and your actions, as well as a wealth of nautical themes that take moistureless biomes and make them lush, aquatic playgrounds.
However, in comparison, what stands out the most about Sword of the Sea is the sense of openness to each area. There’s the ability to steamroll through the content and complete the game in barely a couple of hours. But, for those willing to explore, you’ll be rewarded at every turn.
Yet, there’s no fear of these open environments becoming overwhelming, confusing, or bloated. Each is tailor-made to offer a streamlined experience that is rather linear, but is as open-ended as you choose to make it, as simply existing in these magical locations is its own reward.
I will concede that levels where you control animals are fun as a one-time novelty, but feel very lackluster on repeat playthroughs—reminding me of the notoriously sloppy shark segment from What Remains of Edith Finch at times. But all in all, every fragment of Sword of the Sea is beautiful, and begging to be explored.
Tony Hawk’s Sword Skater
While the sounds, sights, and general atmosphere of Sword of the Sea are made with exceptional past projects in mind, this game is not without its own unique charm and slew of unique features. But the one that stands out immediately and serves as the gameplay hook for the duration is the skating traversal.
Unlike games of this ilk that have come before and offered an experience akin to glorified walking simulators, which I say with love, by the way. Sword of the Sea sets its stall out as a bona fide platformer, and a bloody good one at that.
The ability to get up to blistering speeds on your sword surfboard and take to the sky off the crest of a wave never gets old, and as you work your way through the experience you only become more adept at maintaining speed, gathering momentum, and making the environment work for you, which is a sign of a masterful platformer.
But, into the bargain, the game also borrows some classic traits from the classic THPS series, allowing players to quickly unlock tricks that can be performed to attain high scores and chain combos, which will prove especially useful in the dedicated trick attack zones.
It’s perhaps not as deep as some would like, but I’m of the opinion that if these mechanics were any more of a focus, they would detract from more important features, so they hit that perfect sweet spot between cathartic and conveniently mindless in my book.
But, above all, this approach does one thing that just might make those Journey and Abzu detractors think twice before overlooking this game. It makes the game less reliant on atmosphere and plucking on heartstrings to keep players invested, because, to put it simply. This game is tons more fun.
The moment-to-moment gameplay is a blast, players are constantly rewarded for heading ‘out of bounds’ and thinking outside the box, the puzzle design is simple but satisfying to keep things accessible for all skill levels, and thanks to the steady inclusion of new traversal mechanics, every new level forces players to adapt.
For anyone expecting the skating mechanics to be the star of the show, in truth, they are more like one of many well-oiled cogs in a beautiful machine. But, without them, that machine wouldn’t hum along anywhere near as smoothly.
What’s The Story, Allegory?
It’s not often I can say this about a game, let alone one that I have personally been waiting on tenterhooks to play with an overwhelming sense of anticipation and hype. But, on this rare occasion, Sword of the Sea lived up to the billing and was everything I could have ever hoped for, except for one thing.
What makes Journey such a wonderful game is its ability to sell a silent story that resonates with you in ways you could have never imagined going in, and it manages this through offering an allegory for life, death, and the afterlife. Not to mention that incredible anonymous multiplayer feature, but that’s besides the point.
I understand that Sword of the Sea is its own entity, with its own story to tell. But it shoots for the same thing, with silent, environmental storytelling that aims to speak louder than words.
I’m not always the best at this sort of thing, and there’s a chance that the true meaning of the story flew right over my head. But, for me, the pagentry, the spectacle and the beauty all hit the mark, but I couldn’t really find any sort of grander meaning or deeply affecting thread to follow as far as the narrative was concerned.
This didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the game. But, there was an expectation on my end of a highbrow, grandiose message baked into the story, and that simply wasn’t forthcoming.
I’ll be the first one to hold my hands up when I inevitably watch a video essay detailing the rich symbolism featured, but, as it stands, the story left me feeling a little cold.
Short, Sweet, & Satisfying Second Time Around
As the game is only about five hours long, if you really take your time to stop and smell the roses and the sea salt in the air, it’s only right that we talk about replay value, as the game surprisingly offers a New Game Plus feature.
This allows you to play through the game, but with the addition of a high score counter on screen, a speedometer, and the ability to earn boosts by chaining combos through natural play. Which incentivizes playing with style and flair in mind on the second lap, as well as offering a convenient way to build up speed and each secret area with ease.
Thanks to the wealth of secrets like Shells and Frogs added to each level, there is value to playing the game over, and with the ability to make use of a chapter select, focus on speed runs, and take on no-hit boss runs, there’s variety to each lap around.
I would have appreciated a skip option for cutscenes between chapters, as this elongated things like retries on the no-hit boss battle by about a minute every time, for example. But all in all, it’s a game that definitely warrants another lap to truly appreciate the scale and spectacle of the project Giant Squid has masterfully brought to life.
Closing Comments
“Sword of the Sea is everything we could have hoped for, and then some. Offering sights and sounds that most games could only dream of replicating, but with the added caveat of incredibly satisfying and slick traversal that makes moment-to-moment gameplay much more involved and fun compared to its contemporaries. It’s an all-killer, no filler experience with jaw-dropping moments at every turn, and a soundtrack that is sure to win a slew of awards in the near future. My only gripe is that the story doesn’t offer a grandiose message or hit as hard as I would have liked, relying more on pageantry and spectacle to get by. But, rarely does a game take me aback and thank my lucky stars that the medium of video games exists, and that’s why we see this one as one of the standout performers of 2025 so far.”
