HOLY FUCKING AWESOME
Perhaps I should start over.
I got an iPad for basically one reason; I saw it as a future platform for indie game developers. There are certainly more indie games available for the PC and to a lesser degree, the three major console systems, but the first trailor I saw for this game, I knew I needed to get an iDevice. The iPad was really just a convieniant newcomer that didn't require me to upgrade my phone.
It was almost a year ago that I saw the artwork for the game that would become Sword & Sworcery, and again, I felt that need in the pit of my stomach. There was just so much awesome. A dude, clad with sword and shield...PIXELISED??!! Fuck yes!
Month after month after fucking month I waited for this game to be released. It was originally slated for a January release, but developer Superbrothers pushed the game back until spring because, as they put it, "we got a wave of inspiration and decided to add more awesome".
And now spring is upon us. It may be 39 degrees outside, my balls may be ice cubes, but I have this game to play! And boy, what a fucking game it is. There's nothing else like it out there. And while it's much more of the adventure/puzzle genre than I expected (which was RPG, God I love my RPGs), it's still the best game I've ever played in my life.
You heard me right. The best game I've EVER played.
That's a bold statement, considering I've forced my girlfriend to accept that fact that our first child WILL be named The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Ultima VI, Onorato. But Sword & Sworcery is that good. It's fucking brilliant. It reminds me of games like Loom, and Out of this World (or Another World, if you live in Europe). It's entirely pixelated, but it's gorgeous nonetheless. The music is incredible. It's all done by Jim Guthrie and it sounds like 1970's Doctor who music mixed with chiptunes and folk-rock.
The game is rather short, but it makes up for it by being a mixture of clever and impossible. It took me fifteen minutes just to figure out how to get from the main menu to the actual gameplay, because everything in this game is a puzzle. Like Out of This World, Sword & Sworcery does not give a fuck if you find the gameplay too hard. It does not give a fuck if you're confused. And it does not give a fuck if you're lost. There are only a couple boss battles, but they are so brutal and unforgiving, that until you figure out the pattern you're supposed to follow, you will cry out in pain.
But it's worth it. And right up until the very end you're reminded why. Everything in this game is an experience you just can't get anywhere else. Sword & Sworcery makes full use of the iPad's touch, HDMI, accelerometer, and internet capabilities. According to the mysterious "Archtype" character, the game's outcome is effected by your participation in the social experiment. Almost everything you do or see, or have a conversation with can be tweeted.
This game is a must have. I don't have a rating system, but I'm officially creating one for this game. Sword & Sworcery gets five out of five Deloreans.
