Sword of the Sea is a single-player adventure built around surfing, exploration, and restoring a buried ocean—not combat or intricate trick scoring. Ride the Hoversword to carry momentum across sand, snow, ruins, and water; when a route appears blocked, search the area for a restoration point, lanterns, or an orb mechanism that changes the terrain. This guide covers the main route, useful detours, collectible recovery, and what to expect from a first or completionist run.
How progression works
You play as the Wraith, who awakens in the Necropolis and sets out to uncover and restore a sea buried beneath the land. The Hoversword is your main way to explore. Build speed down slopes, use ramps to catch air, and follow chains, water rails, kelp lifts, creature rides, and other traversal routes to reach the next space. The official descriptions emphasize flips, spins, and grabs as parts of the movement system; focus on flowing through the terrain rather than mastering a deep scoring simulator. (Giant Squid; PlayStation)
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Restoration is both the story’s central action and a practical route-finding tool. Activating a point can reshape the area, fill channels, reveal platforms, or open a path. A newly restored space may also create a route that uses the Hoversword in a different way, so look around again after the terrain changes.
What to check when a route seems blocked
Before assuming you need a new ability, sweep the current area for an unactivated mechanism or a route made reachable by restoration. The walkthrough’s early and later chapters use several recurring cues:
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- A Turn-Based RPG Inspired by the Classics!
- Engaging Turn-Based Combat - Timed hits, combo attacks, boosting, damage types and spellbreaking.
- Unshackled Traversal - Swim, climb, vault, jump off or hoist up as you traverse the world seamlessly.
- A Story Rich Adventure - Dozens of characters and story arcs will take you on a captivating journey. A World You Can Touch - Need a change of pace? Go sailing, cooking, fishing or find a tavern to relax.
- The retail version includes: a double-sided poster with artwork by Bryce Kho.
- Lantern circles or lines: Ride over the lanterns or activate the nearby mechanism to light them. A gate with several locks may require more than one set.
- Blue cracks, water orbs, and restoration symbols: Interact with the relevant point to change the space or reveal a route.
- Turtle-head pedestals: Carry a nearby water orb to the receiver to open a door.
- Blue crystals: Some contain water spheres and must be broken using a rideable creature found in the area.
- New traversal elements: After restoring a space, check for a chain, water rail, kelp lift, jellyfish platforms, geysers, or a creature route that can carry you onward.
These mechanisms and route cues are described in the third-party Twinfinite walkthrough. If an objective still seems unresolved, check the surrounding ledges and side paths before leaving; a required lantern or receiver may not be directly on the main route.
Walkthrough by chapter
This is a route overview, not an item-by-item collectible map. The detailed guide links below cover specific locations when you want to clear a chapter fully.
Opening and Veiled Sea
Follow the opening surf route into the Veiled Sea. Before crossing the open space, check the sides for lantern circles and Stele pedestals. The walkthrough describes an early lantern circle that reveals a hidden room and a Stele. Activate the red restoration markers as you find them; the resulting stone or water routes lead toward the temple.
At the temple, use the gold pedestal to drain the water and reach Astra, then continue over the ramps and ledges. Check around the major pillar and cavern routes for lore and collectibles. Later, activate the restoration point associated with the Float ability and use the kelp to rise through the opened doorway. If a gate stays shut, search its courtyard and nearby paths for remaining lanterns or locks, then return to the mechanism.
Recommended Free Tools
Merchants offer movement options and tricks in exchange for Astra. Timed challenge rooms are marked with an hourglass; an early example asks you to reach a target score with aerial tricks. These are optional diversions from the route, not a requirement to treat every ride as a score challenge. (Route details: Twinfinite; challenge and movement observations: PC Gamer.)
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Lost Grotto
In the opening area, locate the water orb near a turtle-head pedestal and carry it back to open the gold doors. In the next space, activate the restoration crack and follow the newly formed cliffside route. When you need another orb, watch for sandfalls that can absorb it; use the wall routes to get around them while carrying the orb.
Activate the next restoration point, then ride the jellyfish platforms toward the rooftop water sphere and restore the chain path. Before moving on, check the rooftops for blue Fish Tiles and nearby Stele. (Route details: Twinfinite.)
Forbidden Valley and later chapters
In Forbidden Valley, ride the dolphin and light lantern circles to restore sections of the area. Use the dolphin to break blue crystals containing water spheres. Restoring the paired crystals releases locks and opens a climbable waterfall route; later, geysers launch you toward the chapter exit.
In Shadow Tundra, use the gaze of the large statues and the buried swords as route cues through the snow. Inspect the statue surfaces for Fish Tiles. Later chapters introduce elements including boats, water rails, kelp, additional creature rides, and higher-jump abilities. When one appears, identify how it moves you through the space, activate nearby restoration points, and look over newly reachable ledges before advancing. The chapter routes are described in the Twinfinite walkthrough and PowerPyx guide.
Collectibles and returning for missed items
Exploration targets include Secret Shells, Stele, Frogs, Fish Tiles, Astra, and Water Points. Stele provide background lore; PowerPyx counts 23 tied to the Wisdom of the Ancients achievement or trophy. Many sit beside or above the main route, so check side paths, rooftops, and raised ledges before you leave an area. Use a chapter-specific collectible guide for a true 100% run rather than relying on this route overview.
Rank #3
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According to PowerPyx’s collectible guide, collectibles are not missable: progress persists into New Game+ or Chapter Select after your first completion. One tracking wrinkle is that the yellow marker for a read Stele resets in those modes, so keep your own checklist if you do not want to revisit items unnecessarily. Water Points are different: they reset each time you replay a chapter. To earn a chapter’s full-water-restoration trophy on that run, restore every required point again.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Playtime, difficulty, and trophy pace
Expect a compact adventure, with total time depending on how much you explore. GamesRadar estimated two to three hours for the main story and about two additional hours to unlock abilities and search for collectibles. A PC Gamer reviewer reported 3.8 hours for a main run that included substantial collectible searching and purchasing nearly all tricks. Those are individual review estimates, not guaranteed completion times. GamesRadar describes progression through mechanisms, runes, and structures; PC Gamer found some puzzles repetitive and often based on finding and activating three things. Treat those as reviewer impressions rather than a formal difficulty rating. (GamesRadar; PC Gamer.)
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For a trophy speedrun, PowerPyx recommends New Game+ for the under-two-hour run and notes that finishing below two hours grants a 2x score bonus. The guide suggests maintaining a combo and using groups of jellyfish to build score. That is a trophy-focused approach; it is separate from a first playthrough at an exploratory pace. (PowerPyx trophy guide.)
Platforms and controller notes
Giant Squid lists Sword of the Sea for PS5, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. PlayStation lists the PS5 release date as August 19, 2025. Prices and subscription availability can change, so check the relevant store listing for current terms. (Giant Squid; PlayStation.)
For PC, Steam lists Windows 10, 12 GB RAM, and 15 GB storage as minimum requirements. It also lists full DualSense support when Steam Input is disabled. On PS5, PlayStation lists vibration function as required and DualSense trigger effects as supported. These are controller features, not a requirement to buy a new controller if you already have a suitable way to play. (Steam; PlayStation.)
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