Title: The Unfinished Swan
Platform & Format: PS4, PS3, and Vita via PSN
Release Date: January 17th, 2017
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Giant Sparrow
Original MSRP: $14.99
ESRB Rating: E10+
PS4 Pro Support: No
PS VR Support: No
Every once in a while I’ll be going back and doing reviews of not necessarily retro, but old games. So today, let’s take a look at Giant Sparrow and Santa Monica Studio’s The Unfinished Swan.
The Unfinished Swan began development in February 2008 as a prototype which took about 2 months to make. Later in the year, the team expanded the game and summited it to the Independent Games Festival, where it came in second in its category.
After Giant Sparrow showed this game at the Independent Games Festival, Sony and Giant Sparrow signed a deal to help make the game with Santa Monica Studio. The deal seemed to stretch into What Remains of Edith Finch but in early December, Giant Sparrow left Santa Monica Studio for another studio and now What Remains of Edith Finch is no longer PS4 exclusive and is coming to PC. Sony is no longer publishing the game as well. So this deal must’ve been some kind of timed thing.
Anyways, back to The Unfinished Swan. It was released on October 23rd, 2012 exclusively for PlayStation 3. Later in 2014 on October 28th, it ended up releasing on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
The story behind this is a boy named Monroe. His mother has died when he was little and the orphanage he ended up going to only let he keep one painting of hers. So, he picked one with a swan on it since it was his mother’s favorite. Well, one day the swan disappears and now Monroe is going on a journey to find this little creature. The way Monroe finds his way around is by splattering black paint around trying to figure out where everything is in that world. In some scenes, though, he is using water to grow plants or even building environments to navigate his way around the area.
The game features not only a gorgeous art style but a beautiful soundtrack. Both work together in perfect harmony, unlike most games. The story combined with these elements also makes the game feel even more emotional than it already was.
While this game is really short, like less than two hours, it seems like the perfect length! Why? Well, The Unfinished Swan is meant to be played over and over again. A lot like a children’s favorite storybook.
The Unfinished Swan is one of my personal favorite games and it reminds me why I keep gaming on PlayStation. Sony just offers experiences like no other. This is definitely worth the money and is one of the best games you can get on PSN today.
I thank the team at Gaint Sparrow for everything they’ve done on this game and I look forward to reviewing What Remains of Edith Finch next year! For more coverage on Giant Sparrow games, keep it locked to LNGamers.com!
Score: 10/10
Reviewed on PS Vita and PS4
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