Latest news with #SwordoftheSea
Digital Trends
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
6 under the radar games for the second half of 2025
Believe it or not, but we've already crossed into the second half of 2025. Depending on how you look at it, this year might feel like it has only just started or has been the longest six months of your life. In terms of games, though, we've already had a bounty of amazing games this year, with standouts being Monster Hunter Wilds, The Alters, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Death Stranding 2, just to name a few. Looking ahead, we have a fairly clear roadmap for what the big upcoming games of 2025 will be, such as Ghost of Yotei, Borderlands 4, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. This felt like the perfect time to highlight some of the smaller games that you might not have heard of or maybe forgot were coming out in all the excitement. These are my 6 most anticipated games that might be flying under your radar. Shadow Labyrinth – July 17 Starting off in July, we have the strange reimagining of the classic arcade game as a dark Metroidvania. Shadow Labyrinth pulls out the horror elements that were always present in Pac-Man and fully embraces them. You will take control of a character known as Swordsman No. 8 who teams up with an orb called Puck, which is a direct reference to Pac-Man's original name. Besides standard action and exploration, alongside your usual progression systems of unlocking new moves, you will also be able to fuse with Puck to traverse the map as if it were a classic Pac-Man maze. While I was originally skeptical this game wouldn't stand up beyond its shock value, everything I've seen since its reveal has me convinced it will be a great new Metroidvania. Recommended Videos Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound – July 31 We're seeing a major resurgence in old ninja and samurai games between the new Onimusha and Ninja Gaiden 4 on the way, but we're also being treated to retro-style entries that call back to the series' origins. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound might be more exciting than the next big entry. Coming from the amazingly talented team at The Game Kitchen and Dotemu, it only takes one look at the pixel art to know this game will be something special. Just like the original NES games, Ragebound looks like a brutal but fair 2D action platformer that will bring modern sensibilities to a classic genre. Sword of the Sea – August 19 One of the newer games I added to my list is Sword of the Sea. This is the next game from developer Giant Squid, who you would know as the team that made Abzu and The Pathless. This next game looks like it is combining the vibes and tone of the former with the more advanced and satisfying movement of the latter. The footage shows off a mysterious character surfing through a dead world on a floating sword, bringing life back wherever they go. As water and life return, more areas to explore and restore open up. This game will be all about the world, vibes, and satisfaction you get from the movement. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance – August 28 Remember how I mentioned how many classic ninja games were coming back? Well, here's another one for you to check out in August. Shinobi was a cult classic title compared to its contemporaries, which makes the existence of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance all the more exciting. Like Ragebound, this game is sticking to the classic 2D action style, but with a smoother and hand-drawn art style. If I had to guess from the footage, I'd say this one will be a bit more forgiving than Ragebound, but we will have to see. While there is some clear overlap between the two games, I think there's more than enough room for two excellent 2D action games. Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree – September 18 The only roguelite to make my list is the charming Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. The hook this game promises that is somewhat unique for the genre is the fact that choice and bonds will impact the game. That hasn't been detailed much yet, but the gameplay already has my attention. Action looks slick with tons of characters, plus the inclusion of co-op, but different quests will take you to different timelines. As time advances, the hub village and characters will change. Again, we need to see just how deep these systems go, but it sounds interesting enough right now for me to want to check it out. Digimon Story Time Stranger – October 2 The Digimon Story games have been underrated ever since the first Cyber Sleuth. While some still pass this entire franchise off as a Pokémon clone, the games at least have forged their own path as amazing RPGs. Sure, you will tame and battle with your digital monsters, but the battle system is leagues ahead of Pokémon, and the story and world are a clear step up. This entry will have over 450 Digimon to find and collect, but it is the plot featuring time travel, parallel worlds, and secret organizations that has my inner anime fan fully onboard. If you're not sure Pokémon Legends: Z-A will shake off the poor reputation the series has had as of late, you can always jump ship to Digimon Story Time Stranger.
Engadget
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Sword of the Sea is what happens when Matt Nava strides back into Journey's shadow
Sword of the Sea is a game about letting go. Its main mechanic involves surfing across vast desert dunes on a thin blade, slicing through glittering sands and scaling ancient towers on a quest to unearth the secrets of civilizations past. It plays best when you forget about the controls entirely, and just surrender to the slick physics and let your little character flow. With enough exploration, you'll naturally discover glowing orbs and shining gold gems, and the sands will transform into deep, crystal clear seas with fish swimming through the air, carving wet paths through the dirt. Your character, dressed in flowing robes and a gold mask, rides the orange hills and the blue waves with the same easy athleticism, reacting instantly to every input on the controller. Charge up a jump and then complete sick tricks with a few quick inputs, or unleash a bubble of sonic energy to smash nearby vases, uncovering bits of currency in the shattered pieces. The protagonist moves in whatever direction you push, stopping immediately when you let go of the analog stick. There are giant chains to grind, a hover ability in some areas, and half pipes generously positioned around the environments. Control prompts pop up when you're first introduced to an ability, but the text fades quickly and you're left alone in the desert. There are no waypoints in Sword of the Sea , but the environment tells a clear story, inviting you to solve puzzles in the mysterious temples dotting the landscape. Find glowing orbs on the rooftops and hidden down secret passageways to unlock the buildings' secrets, opening up new areas. Your Yahoo privacy setting is blocking social media and third-party content You can Allow your personal information to be shared and sold. Something went wrong. Try again. You can update your choice anytime by going to your privacy controls, which are linked to throughout our sites and apps. This page will now refresh. I played about 20 minutes of Sword of the Sea at Summer Game Fest, but I wanted to surf its dunes for a lot longer. It's the kind of game that makes the real world fade away, no matter how chaotic or intrusive your immediate surroundings are. It's built on rhythm and vibes, and it encourages a meditative flow state from its first frames. Learn the controls and then forget them; play with pure intuition and it'll most likely be the right move. 'The game is about surfing, and it's really about the process of learning to surf and getting comfortable with surfing, and then trying things that are a little bit beyond your abilities, failing, and then figuring it out and actually accomplishing them,' Sword of the Sea creator Matt Nava told Engadget on the SGF show floor. 'And in the process, you kind of realize that surfing is all about harnessing the power of something greater than yourself. You're not paddling — the waves carry you. The zoomed out camera, the little character; in a lot of games, they're right on the character, because the character is the focus. But in this game, it's about how the character is a part of the environment, that is the focus. And I think that's a constant in a lot of the games that we've made.' Nava is the creative director and co-founder of Giant Squid, the studio behind Abzû and The Pathless . Even with these two successful games under his belt, Nava is still best known as the art director of Journey , thatgamecompany's pivotal multiplayer experience that hit PlayStation 3 in 2012. Nava has spent the past decade attempting to build explicitly non- Journey -like games with Giant Squid, and while Abzû and The Pathless both have his distinctive visual stamp, they're the opposite of Journey in many ways. Where Journey was set in a dry, desert landscape, Nava's follow-up, Abzû , took place in an underwater world. After that, The Pathless was mostly green, rather than dusty orange. With Sword of the Sea , Nava let go. He dropped all preconceptions of what he should be making and mentally said fuck it . He finally allowed himself to manifest the game that came naturally to him. 'In this game, it's very much taking on, accepting and proclaiming that this is me,' Nava said. 'I did Journey . I'm doing orange again. And I'm going back to the desert because I have way more ideas that we couldn't do in that game … It's like I've been living in my own shadow for a long time in a weird way. It's like, why am I doing that? I should just be who I am and continue to explore the art that is my art.' Sword of the Sea is a specific and special game, and even though it's set in an orange desert, it doesn't feel like Journey . The game also includes music by Austin Wintory, the Grammy-nominated composer behind Journey , Abzû and The Pathless . Together, Nava and Wintory form a formidable foundation. 'A lot of video game scores, they just make a music track for the area,' Nava said. 'If you're in the town, you hear town music, and then it just repeats. But that's not how it works here. The music advances as your story advances, it reflects where you are on your surfing adventure, what you're learning how, how far your character has gone on this character arc. And so that's where the music of a video game like ours should be.' As Nava and I chatted, someone sat down to play Sword of the Sea on a nearby screen, and when I glanced up, I saw that they were gliding through an area I didn't find in my runthrough. A giant animal skeleton was half-buried in the sand, bright white vertebrae dotted with gold gems for the player to collect. There are a lot of secrets to find in Sword of the Sea , Nava assured me. The best way to find them is to just let go and play. Sword of the Sea is due to hit PlayStation 5 , Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 19.
Engadget
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Sword of the Sea launches August 19
Giant Squid has announced that it's latest game, Sword of the Sea , will come to PlayStation 5 and PC on August 19. It'll also appear on PlayStation Plus from day one for Extra and Premium Subscribers. The fantasy adventure game marries surfing mechanics with the atmospherics of the developer's previous games like Abzû and Journey . Giant Squid showed off more gameplay in a new trailer as part of PlayStation's June 4 State of Play. "At its core, Sword of the Sea is all about surfing," the developer wrote. "You'll be carving your way across mysterious moving waves of sand on the ancient and powerful hoversword." Other scenarios include dreamy ice-scapes and oceans full of flying dolphins. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Giant Squid again teamed with creative director Matt Nava and composer Austin Wintory, who also worked on Abzû and Pathless . "As a surfer and snowboarder myself, I have felt the rush of movement and seen the beauty of nature in a way that only these extreme sports can deliver," Nava wrote about Sword of the Sea.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
PS Plus Summer 2025 Lineup, Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, and More
Image via: Sony Summer 2025 will be a wonderful time for PlayStation Plus subscribers, something they've been eagerly waiting for. Sony's release lineup is a carefully curated mix of retro favorites, modern masterpieces, and promising day-one launches. With classics like Resident Evil 2 & 3 and the Twisted Metal series, plus ambitious new titles like Sword of the Sea and FBC: Firebreak, this summer is very much an active production for Sony to take a strategic shift in how they frame PlayStation Plus. The Return of Legends: Classics That Defined Generations In 2025, PS Plus Premium Classics is slated to see the return of several favorites once again. Headlining this retro revival are Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - two, arguably, of the most iconic survival horror titles of all time. The renewed interest in the franchise following the success of the recent remakes has essentially ushered in an opportunity for newer players to experience the original PS1 versions that set the tone for the genre. PS Plus Extra June 2025 Games | GamingByte In conjunction with the classic Resident Evil titles, Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 will be set loose on the service on July 15. The timing's just perfect, aligning with the release of season two of the live-action Twisted Metal series, so there's hardly any denying the synergy between Sony's gaming and entertainment arms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Update: The Strategy Uses By Successful Intraday Trader TradeWise Learn More Undo Other classics to look out for are Myst and Riven, the atmospheric puzzle adventures that land during the Days of Play in June, and Deus Ex (PS2) on June 17, which to this day is considered one of the most defining immersive sims ever made. New Frontiers: Day-One Titles and Fresh Experiences The classics, no doubt, are geared toward tugging at the heartstrings of the longtime PlayStation user. Still, Sony does understand that the majority of the market desires novelty in their games. Wellspring to this charge of change is Sword of the Sea, an ethereal adventure by Giant Squid, the makers of Abzû and The Pathless. Set to launch for Extra and Premium subscribers on August 19, a dreamlike journey combining skating mechanics with the vast desert landscape and magic ruins awaits. Sword of the Sea - Launch Date Announcement | PS5 Games Equally worthy to be witnessed by the gamers is FBC: Firebreak, another instalment to Remedy Entertainment's Control world. Arriving on June 17, Firebreak seeks to further enrich the mythology of the Federal Bureau of Control with a standalone narrative, set to whet the appetite of those yearning to return to its supernatural world. A Glimpse at the Future of PS Plus The summer 2025 lineup is telling of the somewhat larger strategic intent. The company is gradually going to proceed to phase out the PS4 titles from its monthly PlayStation Plus offerings come January 2026, indicating a shift wherein it hopes to fully embrace the PS5 ecosystem. Players are encouraged to upgrade due to the gutsiness of the move, while also attempting a redefinition of what the service is all about; less on backward compatibility, more for premium next-gen experiences. Further, Essentials for June comprise NBA 2K25, Alone in the Dark, and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, whereas recent arrivals to the Game Catalog such as Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Skull and Bones, and GTA III: Definitive Edition (June 10) help to ensure that there is something for everyone.
