Boarding the Unseen Wave: Why Sword of the Sea Might Just Melt Your Mind (and It's Hitting PS Plus, Mate!)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Giant Squid's *Sword of the Sea* is set to redefine movement in games, offering a meditative exploration experience akin to the tranquil joy of extreme sports, and it's launching straight into PS Plus.
Right, so you know how sometimes you stumble across a game and it just *clicks*? Like finding that obscure spell combination that turns your enemies into rubber ducks, or maybe discovering a hidden passage that leads to a chest full of shiny, delightful loot you didn't even know existed. Well, I've been poring over the details of Giant Squid's upcoming title, *Sword of the Sea*, and bloody hell, it sounds like pure magic.
This insight comes courtesy of a recent preview on Eurogamer, penned by Chris Tapsell, who had a chat with Matt Nava, the creative director at Giant Squid. Nava’s a bit of a digital wizard himself, responsible for the exquisitely meditative *Abzû* and *The Pathless*, and even lent his artistic eye to the groundbreaking *Journey*. So, yeah, when he talks, us curious gamers tend to listen.
Now, Nava reckons the most obvious truth is often the most profound: moving in video games is just, well, *fun*. And fair dinkum, he's dead right. But here’s the kicker: he’s not talking about the kind of movement that’s just a means to an end, like sprinting to escape a horde of goblins or meticulously lining up a jump for a pixel-perfect platform. He's talking about movement as its own reward, as a pathway to pure, unadulterated joy.
Think about it: how many 'movement' games are solely about winning a race or racking up points? Racing sims, snowboarding challenges... It's like only ever using your teleport spell to escape a bad date. Functional, sure, but where's the *discovery*? The serendipitous flow? That’s where *Sword of the Sea* slides in. Imagine all the exhilarating motion of those extreme sports titles, but transplanted into an *exploration* game. Now *that’s* an experiment I can get behind.
My mind immediately conjured images of those rare moments in games where traversal just *feels good*. Not just mechanically sound, but emotionally resonant. *Sword of the Sea* aims for something rarer: a 'flow state' that isn't forged from intense pressure or nail-biting challenges, but rather, as Chris put it, “like the flow of water itself.” It’s the kind of zen that washes over you rather than being hammered into you. And honestly, after the chaotic, often-stressed-out vibe of most big gaming events, the idea of a game that offers tranquility just by *moving* sounds like a digital spa day.
So, what does this actually look like? Well, you awaken from some kind of mystical hibernation, claim a wordless destiny-imbued sword (because of course you do), and then… you’re away. Your sword isn't for slashing; it’s a surfboard, a skateboard, a snowboard. The sprawling dunes are your waves. And off you go, to see what secrets the vast, sandy expanse holds. You’ll be smashing pots – yes, very *Zelda*-esque, apparently – and gathering shiny prisms of currency, primarily by just… *exploring*.
Nava draws a fascinating parallel to real-world extreme sports. He talks about snowboarding: "You're going fast down the mountain; you get to see all of the mountain very quickly. It's the closest you can be to being everywhere at once." It’s a way of *connecting* with the world, of understanding it on a different level. He applies this same philosophy to *Abzû*, recalling his own scuba diving experiences. Every game portrays diving as a frantic, air-meter-depleting, shark-infested nightmare. You know the tune: *dee-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo!* (He apparently laughs while mimicking it, which makes me trust him even more). But real-life shallow water scuba? It’s sunlit, beautiful, just your breath. It’s meditating. "It’s nothing like what you see in video games," he muses. "I was like: where is that?" And *that’s* the feeling he’s chasing with *Sword of the Sea*.
Mechanically, it’s elegantly simple. A jump, a double-jump (because why not?), a pulse to reveal hidden goodies. Hold a bumper, mash some buttons, and you’re pulling off tricks mid-air. It’s all about immediate cause and effect, an intuitive dance with the environment. You’ll slide through caves, across ruined bridges, and then, suddenly, the magic happens: desert gives way to ocean. Lifelessness is replaced by flying fish and floating whales. And then, the ultimate reward: a massive, glorious slide, full of those golden, not-quite-coins. Gather enough, deliver them to a 'funny-looking guy' (every hero needs one, right?), and voilà – upgrade! Bring enough life to the world, and new dunes, new grind rails, new half-pipes open up. It’s almost instructional in how it encourages exploration and immersion.
Nava also touches on the deeper philosophical side of game design. He says that many games simulate the *surface* qualities of a subject, but truly great ones delve into *why* people do what they do, capturing that deeper motivation. It's a tougher problem, he admits, but ultimately more rewarding for the player, offering a different kind of experience. This ties into the subtle spirituality often found in Giant Squid’s work, stretching back to *Journey*.
I mean, when people talk about games they truly love, it’s often about those life-changing, moving experiences. Even in the midst of a loud, chattering games expo, Nava brings up how people form spiritual connections with even 'rattling machine gun' games (he laughs, but earnestly). He reckons the human mind still needs some kind of spiritual connection, some hope, some motivation, even in our modern, science-heavy world. *Sword of the Sea* tries to channel myth and religion through symbolism, offering a sense of oneness, an open path. It’s about more than just playing; it’s about *feeling* the world you’re traversing.
And the cherry on top, the bit that makes me want to start a small, enthusiastic cult: *Sword of the Sea* is landing on PS Plus at launch. Mate, if you've got that subscription, you are, as Chris Tapsell at Eurogamer rightly puts it, 'in for an absolute treat.' So clear your calendar, prepare your mind for some tranquil traversal, and get ready to carve some digital waves. This one looks like it could genuinely transport you.
Tags: Indie Games, PS Plus, Exploration, Adventure, Giant Squid
Original article: Eurogamer