Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
- April 16, 2012
- Superbrothers
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP" is a pixelated adventure game with puzzle-solving elements and a heavy focus on narrative. Players control a wandering warrior on a quest to discover the ancient Sworcery rituals and save the world from darkness. The game features a unique player-driven soundtrack and a minimalistic art style, creating a memorable and engaging atmosphere.
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Reviews
- Beautiful pixel art and stunning soundtrack create an immersive atmosphere.
- Unique storytelling and humor that engages players in a whimsical way.
- Interesting puzzles and mechanics that encourage exploration and creativity.
- Controls can be clunky and frustrating, especially on PC compared to touch devices.
- The game can feel slow-paced and repetitive, with a lot of backtracking.
- Some puzzles lack clear guidance, leading to confusion and reliance on external help.
- music595 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in "Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP" is widely praised as its standout feature, with many reviewers highlighting the exceptional soundtrack composed by Jim Guthrie. The music enhances the game's atmosphere, creating a unique and immersive experience that resonates with players long after they finish the game. Overall, the combination of beautiful pixel art and a captivating soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's charm and emotional impact.
“The soundtrack is absolutely incredible.”
“Jim Guthrie's soundtrack is unsurpassed, but more than anything what I love about this game is the mood they achieved.”
“The music is easily the best part and the pixel art design is a nice touch.”
“The main selling point of this game seems to be the OST, given the name of this game (Sword and Sworcery EP), but the soundtrack is just as uninspired as the rest of the game; it's generic and not at all memorable.”
“The humour is immature and boring, the visuals are flat and boring, the music is uninspired and boring, there is no gameplay.”
“Half the game is slowly walking through the same few sets, graphics are largely copy-paste throughout, the soundtrack is nothing to brag about and the out-of-place language used is enough to make a hipster blush.”
- story297 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP" is often described as intriguing yet vague, requiring players to engage deeply with its abstract narrative. While some find the storytelling innovative and evocative, others criticize it for being overly simplistic or confusing, with a mix of humor and self-awareness that may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game is praised for its atmospheric integration of art, music, and narrative, creating a unique experience that appeals to those who appreciate contemplative and artistic storytelling.
“The story is interesting and a little vague, but it adds to the intrigue.”
“Both audio and visual design are stunning and come together to support a simple yet moving story with a very limited cast of characters.”
“A truly remarkable experience where both storytelling and music really make this game a unique gem.”
“The story is absolutely boring; the game mechanics are truly the absolute worst I have ever seen.”
“The characters are flat and everything they say is forgettable, as with the story.”
“The story is presented as remarks on what's happening, and it looks like a step-by-step retelling or series of tweets.”
- gameplay198 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simplicity and minimalism, often relying on point-and-click mechanics that some players find repetitive and lacking depth. While the controls and mechanics can be frustrating, many reviewers appreciate the game's atmospheric elements, art style, and soundtrack, which contribute to a unique and immersive experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as secondary to the artistic and narrative aspects, making it more suitable for those seeking a chill, exploratory journey rather than intense gameplay challenges.
“It's a game built on simple gameplay with just a few simple routines, with a fairly simple story that plays out mostly avoidant of significant twists and turns, and yet it manages to use art and music and dialogue and atmosphere to create one of my favorite video games that manages to stick with me to this day.”
“The gameplay is simple and intuitive.”
“Amazing gameplay experience with an awesome soundtrack.”
“The gameplay is extremely limited - click to move; click to interact with object; click to send a tweet about the object.”
“The gameplay is slow and bland, and the pixel art is ugly, even if you like that sort of thing.”
“Gameplay is non-existent.”
- graphics194 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique pixel art style and atmospheric visuals that evoke nostalgia, while others criticize them as outdated or unattractive. Many players appreciate the integration of graphics with the soundtrack, creating a captivating experience, though some find the visuals repetitive or lacking depth. Overall, the artistic direction is often highlighted as a strong point, despite its polarizing nature among players.
“Its dry humor, gorgeous visuals, and wonderful soundtrack are tied together by a melancholic, otherworldly mood that keeps you enthralled the whole way through.”
“The graphics and music create a pretty atmospheric feeling and are the strong point of this game.”
“The beautiful visuals meshed seamlessly with the haunting soundtrack.”
“The graphics are ugly and pixelated for retro nostalgia reasons.”
“Putting aside the art style (which to me was ugly as sin, but to each their own), I only made it up to the first battle, which consisted of clicking a sword icon and a shield icon, before I uninstalled this.”
“While the 'retro' style graphics have some charm, these outstay their welcome as there are just a handful of environments to view and backtrack through multiple times.”
- atmosphere99 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, haunting soundtrack, and immersive storytelling, creating a unique and memorable experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to draw players in with its artistic direction and mood, despite its simple gameplay mechanics. Overall, the combination of art, music, and atmosphere is considered the game's strongest aspect, making it a must-play for fans of atmospheric indie games.
“A very unique experience that's difficult to explain in a review, because it's not about its gameplay as much as drawing you in with its incredible atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere created by the awesome soundtrack and beautiful graphics is truly unique.”
“It creates an amazing atmosphere with so little material: the art, the animations, the sounds and the soundtrack and the story just fit perfectly together to create an impressive experience you won't forget that easily.”
“It sets up a fantasy atmosphere but constantly ruins it with 'hip' and 'cool' lingo in addition to trying to be meta.”
“Even if the presentation and atmosphere draw me in, I need a reason to stay and have fun, and I wanted more.”
“It tries to inspire atmosphere but I didn't feel any emotion to it (except in the beginning when I was still very excited).”
- humor66 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as quirky, self-aware, and often charming, with a mix of dry wit and sarcastic dialogue that enhances the overall experience. While many players appreciate the funny quips and entertaining narrative, some find certain attempts at humor to be hit-or-miss or even immersion-breaking. Overall, the game successfully combines its humorous elements with beautiful visuals and a captivating soundtrack, making it a memorable adventure for those who enjoy a lighthearted tone.
“Funny, stylish, and short, this is exactly the kind of game I tend to enjoy.”
“The dialogue in this game pokes fun at itself and is genuinely funny; I get kind of an Adventure Time feel from it.”
“Eye candy pixel art; catchy musical score and humorous storytelling in an extraordinary dream-like adventure.”
“It's not funny or clever at all.”
“And let's not forget that annoying voice acting of Logfella when he tries to make awkward conversations with you; it's unfunny and out of character, lacking any attempt to sound like an old woodsman and instead sounding like an awkward teenager, which loses any immersion in the game.”
- emotional16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its heartfelt story, evocative music, and stunning visuals that create a deeply moving experience. Many reviewers noted moments of joy and melancholy, often leading to tears, as the game effectively pairs sound with gameplay to enhance emotional impact. Overall, it is described as a touching and heartwarming adventure that resonates strongly with those willing to invest emotionally.
“The story is also surprisingly emotional, and there are bits of detail that add a sense of history to the world.”
“Overally it gave me very melancholic feelings and the ending simply made me cry.”
“The music is sublime, the retro graphics perfect, while the game has a great quirky sense of humor and a simple, approachable plot that may have you in tears by its climax if you're willing to emotionally invest in it.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unengaging, with players noting excessive backtracking, repetitive battles, and monotonous puzzles that detract from the overall experience. The slow movement speed and lack of meaningful variety in gameplay mechanics contribute to a frustrating sense of drudgery, making the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable adventure. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a significant flaw that overshadows any potential enjoyment.
“Locations to which repeated travel is needed are placed a maximal distance apart with tedious and identical battles in the middle for no reason other than to stretch out what little content there is.”
“40%-50% of the gameplay is slowly backtracking through the same areas over and over again, it's really very tedious and the game's biggest fault.”
“You wander around a bit and spend the entirety of the game grinding repetitive (click-it till you win-it) quests.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is noted for its limited replayability, with many reviewers highlighting its short playtime and lack of substantial content to revisit. However, some appreciate its artistic value and unique experience, suggesting that while it may not offer much in terms of replay, it still provides memorable moments worth experiencing.
“This game actually makes the arguments 'Can games be art?' and 'Are games practical in the real world?' seem like ignorant questions... because this game is art and the consciousness-expanding setting will teach you about yourself and give you moments of self-reflection. A game's value comes down to its entertainment, replayability, and enjoyable memories, and that's why this game gets high marks from me and is worth more than the asking price.”
“That said, this game is high-quality escapism and does have replay value (though I haven't done it yet and may not for some time).”
“But not so, this helps build a level of replayability in the game.”
“There's pretty much no replay value, but nonetheless it's fun and has its exciting moments.”
“5.5 hours - all achievements and a game that has little replay value.”
“However, it is quite short, with not a whole lot of replayability.”
- stability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game experiences occasional bugs and glitches, including freezing issues that may require players to replay sections, but overall, it runs smoothly on some systems, such as iMacs.
“So far, it runs great and I have not had any problems on my iMac!”
“The game has been incredibly stable; I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs.”
“I've played for hours without any issues, which really enhances the overall experience.”
“The game suffers from some weird bugs and glitches that the developer seems to have overlooked, which can be quite frustrating.”
“It also freezes at times, forcing you to replay sections of the game.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players feeling it resembles an interactive advertisement at times. However, others appreciate the developers' efforts and are willing to support them financially, contrasting their approach with that of mainstream cash-grab games.
“Felt like I was watching an interactive advertisement at times.”
“I've played this game on iPhone and didn't finish it, so I bought it again to re-experience it and support the developers a little, because they deserve more praise and money than those other game producers that make mainstream cash grabs.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization for touch screens has received criticism, as users feel that the mechanics and combat system are lacking, particularly for those not using a two-finger setup.
“The game mechanics themselves don't do much for me, mainly because it was optimized for touch screens.”
“The combat system is deficient as it is definitely optimized for two fingers.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character design, noting it as a strong point in the game's overall character development. However, there is limited feedback on the depth or progression of the characters themselves.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
“The depth of character backstories adds so much to the overall experience, making every decision feel impactful.”
