Giant Squid has been making games for nearly a decade now, and they have made some of the most artistic and serene games over the course of that time. Now, they have returned with their third game, Sword of the Sea, which returns the studio more to its roots with a smaller and shorter experience than their previous title. That works in the game’s favor more often than not, and Sword of the Sea is one of the more pleasurable games to experience of the year.

Sword of the Sea feels like a mix between Giant Squid’s first game, Abzu, and thatgamecompany’s Journey. It makes sense as Matt Nava, the studio’s creative director, comes from thatgamecompany. Sword of the Sea fits right into the length and type of gameplay both of those games are known for, and the game makes full use of its short runtime. The game has you exploring a deserted world and restoring life to it in the form of turning the desertscape into ocean with aquatic life. You do this by traversing the world of Sword of the Sea on a literal sword like a snowboard and unlocking specific points throughout the game as you progress through each area.

The movement of Sword of the Sea is so smooth and it feels like you are just flowing through the world as you explore. Throughout the game, you are able to unlock a variety of different tricks that you can perform by visiting mysterious vendors that are scattered among the levels. These tricks, while not needed to progress trough the game, add to your overall score you get at the end of the game as well as being key to doing well in each of the game’s trick areas that you can find while exploring the areas you visit. These were some of the most fun moments in the game as you felt like you were playing a mini Tony Hawk level as you tried to achieve the high score on the area.

Like the other games from Giant Squid, Sword of the Sea has an absolutely beautiful world to explore. Each area stands apart from the others from the sand dunes of the desert to icy mountains to ones I don’t want to spoil. You are just enraptured by the environments as you easily navigate throughout them. While you don’t stay in any area for a particularly long time there is still plenty to discover as you explore such as collectibles and the aforementioned trick areas so its highly recommended to search every nook and cranny in each area.

The only part of the game that people may find lacking is the story of the game. Most of the story is told through stones that you can find through your exploration. However, this can be easily missed if you don’t interact with the stones when you find them. Like most of these types of games there isn’t any dialogue in the game either so you need to infer a lot from what’s happening as you progress through the story. The minimalist story may not be for all, but the game feels more about the experience itself than the story it is trying to tell.

Sword of the Sea is an overall short and serene experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome. While the story isn’t too deep, the beautiful environments and flowing movement more than make up for it. The short runtime is sure to be a plus for those looking to play through a game in one night, and has plenty of incentive to go back through the game to unlock tricks and build up your overall playthrough score. If you are a fan of these types of games like I am, then you are sure to find plenty to enjoy about Sword of the Sea.

Score: 8 out of 10

Reviewed on PlayStation 5