Episode 196

Sword of the Sea (with AndresPlays)

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December 17th, 2025

1 hr 52 mins 8 secs

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adventure giant squid indie games game review

About this Episode

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There is a certain type of atmospheric (usually) indie game that gets praised for its tone, vibes and emotional impact, but sometimes criticized for underbaked or limited gameplay mechanics. Walking sims used to get the brunt of this, but the same could also be said for games like Sword of the Sea director Matt Nava's most famous works, Journey and Abzu. Sword of the Sea may not be an intentional response to those criticisms, but it does add more "involved" gameplay into the fold, incorporating sand surfing and tricks into your verb set. It then begs the discussion- on paper, adding more involved gameplay is good, right? But is that always the case?

Guest info: AndresPlays (he/him)

TIMESTAMPS

  • 0:00 Title Card
  • 0:19 Introductions
  • 4:50 Our Histories With Matt Nava's Games and Sword of the Sea
  • 7:43 Opening Thoughts About Sword of the Sea
  • 14:35 Game Setup and Visual Presentation
  • 20:00 Speed and Sand Surfing
  • 36:16 Music and Visual Presentation
  • 39:54 Lack of Punch and Impact
  • 56:01 Top-Level Story Thoughts
  • 1:01:05 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
  • 1:06:24 AndresPlays- Writing, Streaming and Little Victories
  • 1:11:37 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
  • 1:14:28 Spoiler Section- Story Interpretations
  • 1:28:05 Hype Moments and Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Austin Wintory. Tracks used: From a drop, a flame, One drop remained, Unpredictable and joyous, Swimming in the sky, Sacred River, A city where none live

Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds analyzing Final Fantasy X https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
Check out Dave on Pixel Project Radio analyzing NieR: Automata https://linktr.ee/pixelprojectradio
Check out Dave on the King of Games 1999 https://linktr.ee/retrohangover

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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