This adventure game from indie devs Giant Squid, located in that there California, where you control the character Wraith as he skies with a hoversword across some spectacular landscapes.
A relaxing an absorbing time of it, we had a lot of fun with Sword of the Sea. It launched in August 2025 and is available of PC and PS5. Well worth a gander if you want to chillout a notch.
Stands on Shifting Sands in Sword of the Sea
Giant Squid was founded in 2013 by several former Thatgamecompany employees. They’ve done some wonderful games, but their previous effort The Pathless (2020) was a bit mediocre. Not for the want of trying, though.
This time, the studio is back and as good as ever.
Sword of the Sea is like Giant Squid’s beautiful Abzû (2016) meets Thatgamecompany’s Journey (2012). Both magnificent in their own right, with this 2025 coming out just short of their excellence. But it’s still a mighty fine game with many wonderful artistic flourishes.
Players take control of the mysterious character Wraith, whom you guide around an abandoned and desolate world. The goal is to bring it back to life, so you get the sandy landscape gradually seeping back to life with lush rivers of fish.
It’s magnificent stuff to see in action, just look at this thing.
A surprising influence for the game mechanics was 1080° Snowboarding (1998) on the Nintendo 64, which was pretty revolutionary for the time.
But it also merges in scuba diving and surfing, so there’s a variety of gameplay needs to adapt to. Not that it’s a super challenging experience, more based around relaxation, but there are certain moments of puzzle-based solving requirements.
There’s also a definite twinge of the brilliant Alto games by Snowman. Really two of the most chillout, glorious experiences and Sword of the Sea channels that influence clearly at times.
To add the atmosphere is some great music. Austin Wintory’s excellent score (more on that further below) really brings the game to life.
Sword of the Sea is an artistic experience, that’s why you’re there. To see some sights. Some of the shifts from sand to rivers of fish are exceptionally well conceived and delivered. Quite the marvel.
As a gameplay experience, it also has its moments. It’s a unique mixture of relaxation meets casual thrills, something Giant Squid has balanced out very well.
It met with strong reviews last year, with 5/5 from Eurogamer being a highlight. It’s not quite perfect and can be a little repetitive at times, but its many wonders make for one of the most relaxing escapist experiences you could wish for in 2026.
Behold! Austin Wintory’s Sword of the Sea’s Soundtrack
Austin Wintory is an American composer for film and video games. He’s worked for Thatgamecompany before and did the music for two of its titles (Flow and Journey).
Sword of the Sea is arguably his best work! And you can enjoy the entirety of the work above, complete with annotations from the composer himself. Fantabulous.
