Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsSword of the Sea received generally favorable reviews, with critics most often praising its fluid Hoversword movement, striking environments, and atmospheric sound. Some reviewers, however, found the story or puzzles slight, and the campaign short. Metacritic listed an 88 Metascore from 27 critic reviews when accessed on October 8, 2026; that is a dated aggregator snapshot, not a permanent score.
What is Sword of the Sea?
Sword of the Sea is an atmospheric surfing adventure from Giant Squid, the studio behind ABZÛ and The Pathless. You play as the Wraith, riding an ancient Hoversword across shifting sand, water, snow, and ruins in a quest to restore a lost ocean. Its movement draws on snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing, with momentum-based traversal, jumps, flips, spins, and grabs. Giant Squid’s official game page lists PS5, Steam, and Epic Games Store as platforms. The studio announced an August 19, 2025 release. Giant Squid’s announcement
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Maximum Entertainment 34 Sports Games - World Edition (PS5) | $26.70 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Scars Above, 1 PS5-Blu-Ray-Disc | $29.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5 | $18.18 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Merge Games Let's Build a Zoo PS5 | $18.99 | Buy on Amazon |
What critics think of Sword of the Sea
The critical consensus is favorable, especially for the way the game feels and looks. Metacritic’s review excerpts highlight water visuals, sound, exploration, and snowboard-style tricking. PC Gamer and GamesRadar+ also praise its surfing movement and atmosphere, with GamesRadar+ noting forgiving controls and spectacle. Metacritic PC Gamer GamesRadar+
The main reservations are about how much variety and depth the experience sustains. Metacritic’s excerpts include criticism of the story’s simplicity, short length, and trick system. PC Gamer describes some puzzles as simple and repetitive; GamesRadar+ found giant-creature riding less polished than the usual Hoversword traversal. These are individual reviewers’ assessments, not guarantees of every player’s experience.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Enter the stadium and take part of one of the biggest competitions across 34 sports: from swimming, soccer, extreme bike, weightlifting, trampoline and much more!
- Defend your own country and visit the World: United States, Australia, Japan, France…
- Train yourself alone or compete with your friends!
- An enhanced version of “30 Sport Games in 1”, with revamped design, new games and more customisation!
How to read the scores
| Source and signal | Snapshot | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic Metascore | 88 from 27 critic reviews; accessed October 8, 2026 | Professional critic reviews aggregated by Metacritic. The score and review count can change. |
| Metacritic user score | 8.3 from 362 ratings; accessed October 8, 2026 | A separate user-rating signal, not part of the critic Metascore. |
| Steam user reviews | 89% positive from 1,634 total reviews and 88% positive from 50 recent reviews; accessed October 8, 2026 | Steam customer recommendations, separate from professional critic reviews and subject to change. |
These figures answer different questions: the Metascore aggregates critics, while the user scores reflect player ratings or recommendations on their respective platforms. None should be treated as a fixed measure of how every player will respond.
How long is Sword of the Sea?
It is a relatively short campaign by the estimates published in the cited reviews. GamesRadar+ estimated 2–3 hours for the main story. PC Gamer’s reviewer reported 3.8 hours for a playthrough that included searching for collectibles and buying most tricks. Those are individual playthroughs, not guaranteed completion times; exploration and optional activities can change how long a run takes. PC Gamer also reports New Game Plus. GamesRadar+ PC Gamer
Rank #2
- Tauche in ein ausgeklügeltes Abenteuer ein, das von Klassikern der Science-Fiction inspiriert wurde
- Setze eine Kombination aus Fernkampfwaffen, Gerätschaften, Verbrauchsgegenständen und Nahkampf ein
- Schalte mit dem gesammelten Wissen neue Gerätschaften, Waffen und Fähigkeiten frei
- Aufregende Bosskämpfe: Grauen erregende Gegner, die nach vielseitigen Strategien und Taktiken verlangen
Who is likely to enjoy it?
- Consider it if: you want expressive, forgiving traversal, impressive environments, and a focused atmospheric adventure.
- Temper expectations if: you want a long campaign, demanding puzzle design, or a story with extensive detail. Those are among the areas some critics found limited.
- Think about consistency: most praise centers on Hoversword movement, while some reviewers found creature-riding sequences clunkier and puzzles repetitive.
Giant Squid identifies Matt Nava as creative director and Austin Wintory as composer in the game’s official credits. The studio’s credits page is also useful context for players interested in the people behind the game’s visual and musical identity.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Build your own zoo with over 500 different animals at your disposal, then splice together over 300,000 different animal combinations
- Keep your animals and your itors happy, with hundreds of buildings, foliage, path and enclosure decorations
- Hire the perfect employees to deal with a variety of life events
- Control everything that happens in your park, from what your animals eat to what eats your animals…
- Decide whether you want to run your Zoo above board... or break the law and pocket the extra cash
Rank #3
- PS5 Features include raytracing modes and immersive haptic feedback for DualSense
- Use darkness and cover to avoid being overwhelmed by the ship's deadly new inhabitants
- Seek out the weapon fabricators to increase your firepower as you journey deeper, into the dark and terrifying depths, but beware ammo is limited
- Gather materials & schematics for weapon upgrades and suit customizations with buffs
- Harvest DNA material to improve health, toughness and defensive capabilities.Survive an ever changing labyrinth. Each and every expedition into The Persistence will be disorienting and different.Death is just the beginning. Fatal encounters will result in Zimri's consciousness being uploaded into a new cloned body, ready to try again, with any upgraded stats, suits & weapon schematics kept to aid the next attempt to save the ship
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
