Developer Giant Squid has announced the upcoming PS5-exclusive adventure gameSword of the Sea, which looks like a cross betweenJourneyand aTony Hawk’s Pro Skatergame. Revealed at the2023 PlayStation Showcase on May 24, the title is what the team is calling its “most ambitious game to date.”
From the brief teaser shown during the showcase,Sword of the Seafeatures a breathtaking art style that fans of other Giant Squid games will expect. It seems the studio behindAbzuand2020’s action-adventure gameThe Pathlesswill not disappoint when it comes to visuals.
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While the debut trailer doesn’t reveal much about the upcomingindie game, it does more than a sufficient job at catching viewers’ interests. It shows a range of picturesque and relaxing desert locations, with partially covered ruins and skatepark-like structures breaking through the vast sand dunes. The game’s central mechanic seems to be sailing or hoverboarding around this mysterious world, and some fans will be immediately reminded of the endless runner mobile gamesAlto’s AdventureandAlto’s Odyssey,which also set players on a variety of sandboards to glide through a range of scenic and zen-inducing locations.
Sword of the Seais set in an abandoned realm “where the terrain flows in constant waves” and the primary means of travel is the Hoversword, which serves as a skateboard, snowboard, and hoverboard. The player takes on the role of the Wraith, a mysterious being who has been resurrected in order to bring life back to the empty world. The Wraith will travel across the desolate land, venturing into various ruins, shipwrecks, ancient battlefields, and tombs to discover the hidden cultures within. But giant leviathans will stand in the way of the Wraith’s journey, though it’s still unclear whether these will be fought or just avoided.
Of course,Sword of the Seawill not just depend on its unique movement mechanic of traveling on hoverboards and navigating through “skatepark-like ruins” to attract players. As seen in the trailer, it will offer up incredible vistas that also rely on color and lighting to convey the beauty of the land the Wraith is voyaging through, and it seems like those who enjoyed the aforementionedJourneyorAlto’sgames will be just as drawn in by the ambience ofSword of the Sea. And Giant Squid’s new offering may also make good use of thePS5’s DualSense controller features ifThe Pathlessis anything to go by.
Developer Giant Squid was founded in 2013 by Matt Nava, who worked as art director forFlowerandJourneyby thatgamecompanybefore leaving to start his own studio. The distinctive style of the artist’s previous projects appears to be making a welcome return withSword of the Sea, which promises to combine the adrenaline and fun of a skating game with the exploration and meditative atmosphere gamers have come to expect from Giant Squid.
Sword of the Seais currently in development for PC and PS5.
