A whole lot of watching displays just like the PlayStation Showcase is simply considering a recreation is likely to be a sequel to a factor you want, and as a Journey fan, Sword of the Sea had me by the throat for a sizzling minute throughout the present.
The sport comes from Big Squid Video games, the studio behind The Pathless, however its Journey DNA is fairly obvious in its visuals. That’s as a result of Matt Nava, the artist who labored at Journey developer thatgamecompany, can be engaged on Sword. There are scenes and set items within the trailer that look straight up pulled out of Journey, from the glistening desert sand to the way in which its foremost character boards throughout it, should you didn’t see the title card on the finish, you’d suppose this was a Journey sequel. Whereas it’s clearly attempting to recapture the 2012 recreation’s magic, it’s going to have its work minimize out for it when it launches later this yr.
Take a look at the trailer beneath:
Whereas Journey was a fairly once-in-a-lifetime online game expertise that’s arduous to recreate, I do commend Sword of the Sea for simply actually committing to the little bit of being legally distinct whereas clearly drawing inspiration from the unique recreation. What stays to be seen is simply how a lot it should riff on the identical concepts of connection Journey leaned into with its seamless, wordless multiplayer expertise. The sport appears rather more fascinated with letting you do sick tips in your board, so it’s unclear simply how a lot it should lean into the solemn framing of its inspiration.
Admittedly, I by no means obtained round to The Pathless, however now that it’s been dropped at my consideration simply how a lot Journey is in Big Squid Video games’ work, I’m tempted to return and provides it a re-assessment. On the very least, it should give me one thing to do till Sword of the Sea launches solely on PlayStation 5.
