Sword of the Sea feels a bit like one of those chill Disney rides. The kind where you’re crammed into a tiny cart, and you slowly drift past all sorts of magical sights and sounds. You have no real idea what’s going on or what exactly you’re looking at, but you’re still enjoying the beauty of it all. And yet, part of you can’t wait to hop back on the next roller coaster.
I usually start my reviews with a short introduction to the story. But I’m going to be honest: I have no clue what was happening during the five hours I played. Still, there’s plenty of beauty to take in. In that sense, Sword of the Sea feels a lot like an abstract painting.
Developer Giant Squid (Abzû, The Pathless) puts you in control of the Wraith. And as this Wraith, you surf on your sword through vast, abandoned, and stunning landscapes. Yes, you read that right: you surf on a sword. Where else but in games?
Your task is to bring water back to these desolate environments, restoring life to the world. Thanks to your efforts, marine creatures soon return to flourish (sadly no Giant Squids, missed opportunity), and the game quietly reminds you that hope for renewal is never truly gone. That, at least, is a beautiful message.
Surfing on a Sword… Because Why Not?
Surfing is simple: you point in a direction and the Wraith glides there effortlessly. You can jump, double-jump, pull off basic tricks, and use an action button to activate certain objects.
Navigating the environment on your sword feels straightforward and, especially early on, quite satisfying. You carve across the rolling desert waves and can slide along walls. Every now and then you’ll stumble across half-pipes that let you unleash your inner Tony Hawk.
As you progress, new mechanics get introduced, such as speed boosts and the ability to hover briefly, which helps you cross greater distances and reach higher platforms.
Bringing the World Back to Life
Giant Squid kindly marks your path forward with big red flags, guiding you toward points of interest. Interacting with specific objects might open doors, extend bridges, or trigger huge moving chains that push you toward your next goal. Eventually, you’ll unlock the main objects that restore the flow of water to the area.
Doing so not only sets off beautiful animations that show the world slowly returning to life, but also grants you new tools that open up fresh paths.
Restoring water, for example, brings back massive green jellyfish that act like trampolines, or seaweed strands that let you float high into the air.
Other interactable objects include monuments, which provide bits of lore about the world. Unfortunately, these didn’t make the story any clearer for me.
The world is also filled with Tetra; coin-like collectibles you’ll need in order to unlock new tricks. You’ll often find them along the main path, but reaching higher peaks or hidden spots nets you extra rewards.
Occasionally, you can also earn them by taking part in short trick challenges, where you chain moves together to beat the high score. A bit of button-mashing is usually enough to pass these without much trouble.
Then there are the Secret Shells, tucked away in particularly well-hidden spots. Sadly, collecting them never felt very rewarding, due to the fact that even after the credits rolled, I still had no idea what purpose they actually served.
Not Every Game Needs to Be Challenging, but Sword of the Sea Could Have Used a Bit More Bite
Even though you’re surfing on a sword, don’t expect any thrilling combat. It’s purely a means of transportation, and that’s fine: not every game needs to test our skills (please, no). Still, Sword of the Sea could have benefitted from a little more variety and challenge. For a game that only lasts a few hours, I found myself growing a bit tired during the final two (out of the six I spent on it).
With such smooth and responsive surfing mechanics, this game had the potential to introduce more interesting platforming. Near the end, I ended up in a lava-filled level that was supposed to punish you if you lingered too long. But the margin for error was far too forgiving. You could spend several seconds cruising through molten lava without consequence.
“Sword of the Sea could have benefitted from a little more variety and challenge.”
This section could have been a great opportunity to push players toward tighter jumps and better-timed maneuvers. If the Wraith had died the instant it touched the lava, I would have felt more invested.
Later levels also brought in a sort of Tunnel Rush element, where you had to dodge fire attacks inside some sort of tunnel. But again, it was far too forgiving and not nearly as exciting as it could have been. Not every game has to push me to the limit, but it does need to keep things interesting.
Enough About the Red Flags: Let’s Talk About the Red Flags
The real challenge, at least for me, was simply finding my way around. To be fair, that might just be on me. I can still manage to get lost in my own backyard, and my sense of direction is about as good as a headless chicken’s.
Sword of the Sea has no indicators or map, so you’re left relying on the red flags laid out for you, and your own instincts. Unfortunately, those flags don’t disappear once you’ve activated the object they were pointing to. On my way to the exit, I often found myself surfing back into areas I’d already explored, sometimes making no progress at all.
According to HowLongToBeat, this game only contains about three hours of content. Thanks to my terrible sense of direction, I ended up squeezing at least double that out of it. So at least my bad sense of direction often gives me extra value for my money when it comes to games.
The Visuals and Audio Make Up for a Lot
So far this may all sound a bit complain-y, but don’t get me wrong; I still enjoyed my time with Sword of the Sea, thanks largely to its visuals and sound design.
Every time I entered a new environment, my eyes lit up. The colors are bright, vibrant, and burst right off the screen. The contrast between light and dark is beautifully executed, and I was constantly blown away whenever the game unveiled a new level.
So even when I spent a little too long searching for the right path, at least I was surfing through a world that kept stimulating all my senses.
“Every time I entered a new environment, my eyes lit up. The colors are bright, vibrant, and burst right off the screen.”
Because my ears were treated just as well. Depending on the surface you’re gliding across, the DualSense controller produces subtle sound effects that sometimes felt almost therapeutic, especially when paired with the wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack guiding you through each level.
There were even moments when I simply stopped surfing, spun the camera around, and just soaked it all in. Not many games can make me do that, which is a huge compliment to the art style here. It’s also the reason I’d still recommend Sword of the Sea to anyone looking for a relaxing five-hour ride.
Conclusion
Sword of the Sea didn’t quite manage to keep me fully engaged when it came to gameplay or story. For me, the game could have used a bit more bite. The core mechanics would have worked perfectly alongside some more challenging platforming.
Thankfully, that’s balanced out by its gorgeous art style and soundtrack. I was constantly in awe, and it was always a treat to watch the world spring back to life through my actions. It absolutely falls into the category of “games can be art.” Unfortunately, art often tends to go over my head.
