December 17, 2025

196: Sword of the Sea (with AndresPlays)

1 hour 52 minutes

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There is a certain type of atmospheric (usually) indie game that gets praised for its tone, vibes and emotional impact, but sometimes criticized for underbaked or limited gameplay mechanics. Walking sims used to get the brunt of this, but the same could also be said for games like Sword of the Sea director Matt Nava's most famous works, Journey and Abzu. Sword of the Sea may not be an intentional response to those criticisms, but it does add more "involved" gameplay into the fold, incorporating sand surfing and tricks into your verb set. It then begs the discussion- on paper, adding more involved gameplay is good, right? But is that always the case?

Guest info: AndresPlays (he/him)

Twitch, Writing and More https://linktr.ee/andresplays93

Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/andresplays.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:19 Introductions

4:50 Our Histories With Matt Nava's Games and Sword of the Sea

7:43 Opening Thoughts About Sword of the Sea

14:35 Game Setup and Visual Presentation

20:00 Speed and Sand Surfing

36:16 Music and Visual Presentation

39:54 Lack of Punch and Impact

56:01 Top-Level Story Thoughts

1:01:05 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations

1:06:24 AndresPlays- Writing, Streaming and Little Victories

1:11:37 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous

1:14:28 Spoiler Section- Story Interpretations

1:28:05 Hype Moments and Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Austin Wintory. Tracks used: From a drop, a flame, One drop remained, Unpredictable and joyous, Swimming in the sky, Sacred River, A city where none live

Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds analyzing Final Fantasy X https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/

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Check out Dave on the King of Games 1999 https://linktr.ee/retrohangover

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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By Dave Jackson

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