Kickflipping down sand dunes and chaining grind combos isn’t exactly what you expect from a Giant Squid game, a studio more known for their calm, meditative adventures, where mechanics, music, and visuals melt together to create that rare kind of relaxing flow. Their debut, ABZÛ, almost perfected the formula – a beautiful plunge into an underwater world, though its simple gameplay held it back from true greatness. Now, the studio takes their signature style of serenity and pairs it with, of all things, extreme sports. As a lone wanderer surfing the desert on a hover-sword, you carve across dunes, restore water to a desert world and, yes, pull off some gnarly tricks along the way. The result is a game that, more often than not, truly soars.
Players familiar with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or even Nintendo’s 1080° Snowboarding will feel surprisingly at home here. With its simple control scheme, Sword Of The Sea has you jumping, flipping, and gliding smoothly in no time. Its intuitive controls mean that within ten minutes, moving your character feels second nature, and you’ll be carving with confidence. More than anything, this game wants you to go fast (move over, Sonic). Nail a dune landing just right, and you’ll soar ahead as everything around you blurs. It scratches a unique itch by allowing you to slip into a mellow flow state while still being thrilling, giving fans of high-octane movement a real kick.
It’s hard not to be swept up by the beauty of Sword Of The Sea.
The game also cleverly introduces new skills and ways to move as you progress through the game, from simple puzzles or tight platform sections, to even introducing a boost just when you think things were starting to slow down; its ability to mix things up as you progress makes sure your trusty hoversword never feels old. It only falters in the few moments it forces you to get off the board and engage in some slightly clunky animal sections.
It’s hard not to be swept up by the beauty of Sword Of The Sea. Its sun-kissed landscapes glow as you carve across them at speed (J.J. Abrams called and wants his lens flare back), but things become even more awe-inspiring once you start restoring water to the world. Seaweed clings to canyon walls, ocean creatures drift alongside you, and you can even stop and hop on a killer whale for a ride (and why the heck wouldn’t you?). Drifting through these transformed lands is an absolute visual feast. Integrating the vast ocean template with deserts, ancient ruins or icy landscapes creates a breathtaking fusion of worlds, and as you catch yourself springing off the top of a jellyfish and gliding past a dolphin, it’ll be hard to think of many other places where you’d rather be shedding sand-waves.
Sword Of The Sea’s world and gameplay serve the minimalist and easy-to-follow story well – you’ll grow fond of your rad little surfer as you traverse this (mostly) lonely land. It’s clear Giant Squid have got all the boxes ticked on crafting games that lean into the cosy and the relaxing, delivering a wholly meditative experience — this time with engaging gameplay to boot. The runtime does sit on the shorter side, and when the credits roll it’s hard not to wish you had more time jetting across its landscapes. But to its credit, a New Game Plus mode gives you plenty of reason to hop back on your hoversword for another run. So switch off and grab your board, because Sword Of The Sea is a wave well worth riding. Surf’s up!
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