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Sword of the Sea

Sword of the Sea

PCPlayStation
Released

Release Date: August 19, 2025

Adventure, Arcade Elements, Indie Games, Experimental/artistic, PS Plus Premium, PS Plus Extra, Singleplayer

An arcade adventure game about traversing a sand-covered land. Our main means of transportation in Sword of the Sea is the Hoversword, letting us reach high speeds and jump far.

8.7

OpenCritic

8.9

Steam

Rate It!
Ratings
[1:32] - Launch Date Trailer Videos: 2
Screenshot Images: 13
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot

Sword of the Sea is an arcade adventure game about traversing a beautiful desolate kingdom. It was developed by Giant Squid, also responsible for Abzu and The Pathless.

Plot

Sword of the Sea is set in the Necropolis of the Gods, a remnant of a once-great kingdom. We play as Wraith, resurrected to traverse the desolate world and restore life to it.

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Platforms:

PC Windows

PC Windows

PlayStation 5

PlayStation 5

Developer: Giant Squid

Publisher: Giant Squid

Similar Games:

Features

News

PS Plus Extra and Premium: 11 great games, including a beautiful day-one release with a 89/100 score on Metacritic

PS Plus Extra and Premium: 11 great games, including a beautiful day-one release with a 89/100 score on Metacritic

Starting today, PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can check out 11 titles. Among them, hits from Insomniac Games and NetherRealm Studios, but also a day-one release from the creators of Abzu and The Pathless.

video games

Christian Pieniazek

August 19, 2025

PS Plus Extra and Premium: 11 great games, including a beautiful day-one release with a 89/100 score on Metacritic
This week's new Steam releases include a contender for most beautiful game of the year

This week's new Steam releases include a contender for most beautiful game of the year

This week on Steam, games such as Herdling, Discounty, Sword of the Sea, Void/Breaker, Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi, and Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will be released.

video games

Adrian Werner

August 18, 2025

This week's new Steam releases include a contender for most beautiful game of the year
PS Plus Extra and Premium for August 2025 includes a brand new indie and classic superhero game

PS Plus Extra and Premium for August 2025 includes a brand new indie and classic superhero game

This month, PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will have at least nine games to look forward to, including some indies and a modern first-party classic.

video games

Matt Buckley

August 13, 2025

PS Plus Extra and Premium for August 2025 includes a brand new indie and classic superhero game
PS Plus Extra and Premium for August 2025 will be revealed today. We know the title of the first game

PS Plus Extra and Premium for August 2025 will be revealed today. We know the title of the first game

Today, Sony will present PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers with a list of games it has prepared for them for August. The first of these we already know - it's the latest title from the creators of Abzu and The Pathless.

video games

Christian Pieniazek

August 13, 2025

PS Plus Extra and Premium for August 2025 will be revealed today. We know the title of the first game
Highlights from Day of the Devs: indie games to look forward to in 2025 and 2026

Highlights from Day of the Devs: indie games to look forward to in 2025 and 2026

Today's Day of the Devs showcase gave us a look at some of the best indie games to look forward to this year and next year, including three heist games.

video games

Matt Buckley

June 6, 2025

Highlights from Day of the Devs: indie games to look forward to in 2025 and 2026
Sword of the Sea From Co-creators of Journey and Abzu Announced

Sword of the Sea From Co-creators of Journey and Abzu Announced

The co-creators of Journey, Abzu and Pathless presented the beautiful game Sword of the Sea at the PlayStation Showcase.

video games

Jan Kopacz

May 24, 2023

Sword of the Sea From Co-creators of Journey and Abzu Announced

System Requirements

System Requirements for Sword of the Sea Video Game:

PC Windows

PC / Windows

Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-9400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 12 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce GTX 1070 / 6 GB Radeon RX 5600, 15 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit.

Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 11 GB GeForce RTX 2080 Ti / 16 GB Radeon VII, 15 GB HDD, Windows 11 64-bit.

Ratings

Game Ratings for Sword of the Sea Video Game.

8.7

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 98% of Critics. There are 47 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Gamer Social Club: 9 / 10 by Andrew Cooper

Sword of the Sea is a title you shouldn’t overlook. Its simplicity, polish, and attention to detail make it one of the year’s standout releases. For me, it has been one of the biggest surprises in a year already packed with new genres and experiments outside my comfort zone.

Full Review

SmashPad: 3.5 / 5 by Danreb Victorio

Sword of the Sea is a game you’ll enjoy as soon as you turn it on, but if you’ve already enjoyed games like Journey and The Pathless, it just doesn’t feel like a title you should go out of your way and cancel plans to play either.

Full Review

Final Weapon: 4 / 5 by Matheus Nascimento

Sword of the Sea perfects Giant Squid's meditative adventure formula with stunning visuals, fluid hoversword surfing mechanics, and a masterful score from Austin Wintory. This beautiful three-hour journey is both the studio's magnum opus and hopefully its last iteration of this familiar formula.

Full Review
89%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Very Positive (1,211)

STEAM
User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

  • Visuals and Art Style: The game is consistently praised for its stunning graphics, vibrant colors, and beautiful environments, making it a visually captivating experience.
  • Soundtrack: Players appreciate the excellent soundtrack that complements the atmospheric gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Fun Movement Mechanics: The surfing mechanics are described as smooth, fluid, and enjoyable, allowing players to perform tricks and explore the game world dynamically.
  • Exploration and Replayability: Many reviews highlight the rewarding nature of exploration, with secrets to uncover and the ability to replay chapters for achievements and collectibles.
  • Atmospheric Experience: The game provides a calming and immersive experience, often likened to a work of art rather than a traditional game.

The main cons of the game

  • Short Length: A significant number of reviews mention the game's brevity, with many players completing it in under four hours, leading to the perception that it may not justify its price tag.
  • Performance Issues: Many users report frame rate drops, crashes, and other technical issues, impacting their overall enjoyment of the game.
  • Linear Gameplay: Some players feel that the game is too linear, with clearly marked paths that detract from the sense of exploration and discovery.
  • Limited Narrative Depth: While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, some reviews express disappointment with the story's simplicity and the way lore is presented.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

  • Improved Performance Optimization: Many players express a desire for better optimization, including support for technologies like DLSS to enhance performance on various hardware setups.
  • More Complex Gameplay Mechanics: Some users wish for deeper gameplay mechanics and more engaging challenges, feeling that the game could offer more variety in gameplay beyond the surfing and trick mechanics.
  • Skip Cutscenes Option: A few reviews mention the inability to skip cutscenes, which can become tedious, especially for players aiming for achievements or speedrunning.
  • More Lore Presentation: Users would like to see more engaging ways to present the story and lore, as the current method of using textboxes feels lacking.

Summary

  • Overall, while "Sword of the Sea" is celebrated for its beauty and immersive experience, it faces criticism for its short length, performance issues, and linearity.

Summary generated on: