SWORN

About

Early Access Roadmap - Update 1 About the GameSWORN is a 1-4 player co-op action rogue-like. Explore and reclaim a fallen Camelot from the reign of a corrupted Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Play solo or unite with friends to stand off against the Knights of the Round Table. Combine the strengths of your characters in surprising ways and master abilities to become knights worthy…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,312 reviews

gameplay72 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

Fun co-op gameplay that enhances the experience, allowing players to strategize together.
Variety of characters, weapons, and spells provides a lot of build diversity and replayability.
Smooth combat mechanics and engaging gameplay loop reminiscent of Hades.

Frequent crashes and bugs, especially in multiplayer, can disrupt gameplay and lead to lost progress.
Lack of a pause feature in single-player mode can be frustrating for players needing breaks.
Some balancing issues with weapons and blessings, leading to certain builds feeling underwhelming or overpowered.

gameplay
195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The gameplay of this early access title is often compared to "Hades," featuring a solid and engaging loop that emphasizes character builds, weapon variety, and cooperative play. While many players appreciate the depth and responsiveness of the mechanics, some express concerns about balance issues, repetitive boss encounters, and a lack of narrative depth. Overall, the game is praised for its fun multiplayer experience and potential for future content, making it a worthwhile choice for fans of the roguelike genre.
- “This is a very polished early access experience, with very crisp and fun gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is highly engaging and addictive, making it a great choice even for solo play.”
- “Solid gameplay loop with multiple characters and multiple weapons and spells per character, each with a pretty unique playstyle - thin on story, but it's excellent anyway, especially with friends.”
- “However, it soon becomes disappointing to see that the gameplay does not change much and you have to fight the same bosses in the same order every time.”
- “The gameplay of this game is so incredibly 'we have Hades at home,' except the combat feels slower, less fluid, and overall less satisfying.”
- “Current gameplay strongly favors quick or ranged builds, where melee weapons with slow movesets almost force you to exchange health you cannot afford to lose.”
story
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The game's story is widely criticized for being nearly non-existent, with many reviewers noting a lack of interesting characters, dialogue, and narrative depth compared to titles like Hades. While some players appreciate the gameplay mechanics and co-op features, they express disappointment over the minimal story elements and hope for improvements in future updates. Overall, the consensus is that the game currently prioritizes gameplay over storytelling, leaving much to be desired in terms of narrative engagement.
- “The combination of gripping gameplay, a deep story, and the ability to play with friends makes it a standout title in the roguelike genre.”
- “I love the design elements of the game and how they all tie into the story and lore of the version of Camelot the game is set in.”
- “To compare it to Hades isn't quite fair to Hades; there's a lot of lore that I think this adventure will grow into which can surpass Hades, but as of now the depth of characters and storylines doesn't compare to Hades.”
- “The story is non-existent at this point.”
- “The story leaves a lot to be desired, but the gameplay is nearly identical to Hades, just with the option for multiplayer.”
- “The story, characters, and dialogue are practically non-existent, so there's nothing to get invested in, apart from gameplay.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
3%
The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising its unique and charming art style reminiscent of 80s cartoons and comic books. While some players noted that the visuals can feel simplified or less polished compared to similar titles like Hades, the overall aesthetic is considered appealing and well-executed, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. Additionally, the game's graphics are optimized for performance, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.
- “The graphics are excellent on 3080 RTX.”
- “The art style and visuals are also amazing in my opinion.”
- “The combat feels fluid and smooth, the graphics look really unique and beautiful, and it feels like there was a lot of love put into this game.”
- “The game's graphics and story are unrefined at the moment.”
- “The graphic/characters/fae (gods) look rough, cheap, and weak; they could use a little polish.”
- “While the visuals can feel dated, I found that it improved on its inspiration gameplay-wise.”
music
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
51%
6%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its energetic rock and metal soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly during combat and boss fights. However, some players find certain tracks forgettable or dull, comparing them unfavorably to the more memorable music of Hades. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received for its fitting and immersive qualities, there are notable criticisms regarding its repetitiveness and lack of distinctiveness.
- “The music is fantastic.”
- “The soundtrack is wonderful, and it fits very well in this video game.”
- “Music is great, art style is great, king arthur theme is fun.”
- “Also, what is this boring soundtrack?”
- “Music - forgettable tracks, ambient guitar stuff, this could really use an upgrade.”
- “Repetitive soundtrack.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
20%
15%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, driven by diverse character options, build variations, and enjoyable mechanics. Many players find it addictive, often wanting to play "just one more run," and the cooperative mode enhances the experience further. While some note that it is still in early access and could improve, the current replay value is considered strong, offering many hours of engaging gameplay.
- “The variety in the different characters and builds make it very replayable.”
- “Insanely replayable with the amount of combinations.”
- “As I said before, I very much like this game so far, but it still needs a lot of time in the oven, and instead of focusing on developing features that make the game more replayable, diverse, and convenient (e.g. the opening menu does not pause even in solo), they are pushing around numbers.”
- “This rogue-like keeps you on edge with brutal but fair difficulty, fast-paced combat, and endless replayability.”
- “It has so much replayability this early in development and could further be improved moving forward.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" are mixed, with many players finding the experience tedious due to enemies becoming overly resilient and the repetitive nature of tasks. While some appreciate the fluidity of progression and the enjoyment of multiplayer gameplay, others feel that the grind detracts from the overall fun, suggesting that the game could benefit from more engaging methods of unlocking content. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant factor that can lead to player fatigue, despite some enjoying the core gameplay loop.
- “Enemies become damage sponges even more so than before, which makes them even more tedious to fight.”
- “It's a chore list; it literally feels like it's an inch away from having a cash shop. Not because I think there are plans for it, but because cash shops are mostly used for people to skip over the repetitive, grindy nature of something that quickly loses the player's interest. That's what the important parts of this game seem to be, in my opinion.”
- “Right now it feels too grindy, and frankly that always gives me cheap vibes.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant bugs, crashes, and issues like poor hitboxes and unresponsive controls. While some users report a mostly bug-free experience and commend the gameplay, others express frustration over frequent crashes and game-breaking bugs. Overall, the game is seen as fun but plagued by stability issues, typical of early access titles.
- “Playing on Steam Deck with the latest GE Proton layer capped at 30 FPS, and it runs great. It's easy to get sucked in trying to gather materials to upgrade. Great colors and challenging gameplay.”
- “Despite being in an early access state, the gameplay is surprisingly deep, and I've had a mostly bug-free experience.”
- “Poor weapon balance, poorly designed boss fights, poorly designed special events, buggy, crappy hitboxes, unresponsive controls, some fae lords' abilities are bugged.”
- “Sworn has a satisfying game loop (basically a Hades clone) but in the current state it's a buggy mess with frequent crashes and game-affecting bugs.”
- “Really fun, can be a bit buggy at times with my teammates getting stuck outside the zone or us getting soft locked out of progressing to the next room, but otherwise solid game; it's Hades but co-op.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
22%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with smooth performance and great graphics noted by players. However, some users have pointed out the need for more detailed graphics settings and improvements in quest objectives, as well as minor issues like frame rate fluctuations and occasional hitching in menus. While it runs well, there are suggestions for further enhancements to fully realize its potential.
- “Also, it is optimized and the graphics are great.”
- “While there are some bugs present, most of them have been dealt with during play tests and the game runs smoothly.”
- “On the actual state, Sworn is really optimized and plays well; it just needs to find its own identity and detach itself from Hades.”
- “Another small complaint is the lack of detailed graphics settings to optimize performance.”
- “The game itself is playable, but it needs better optimization; the FPS stays at 50-55 FPS with the TDP at max (15W locked) in the Steam Deck overlay.”
- “Faelands need better quest objectives with performance tied to the reward.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Character development in the game is mixed, with some players praising the unique and appealing designs of the 'fae lords' and the overall art style, while others find the character designs lackluster compared to titles like Hades, which features more engaging and mythologically inspired characters. The narrative and character arcs are noted to be enjoyable, but the generic medieval weaponry and less compelling boons detract from the overall experience.
- “I am really enjoying the game; the art style and character designs are really well done and look amazing.”
- “The art style looks awesome, and each 'fae lord' looks distinct and has appealing character designs.”
- “The visuals, while the art style is pretty decent overall, the character designs are pretty lame. In Hades, your boons came from uniquely cool takes on classic gods; here, your boons come from differently shaped and colored 'fae' people. In Hades, your arsenal consisted of a variety of weapons with unique Greek (or other) mythology-inspired designs; here, you're just using generic medieval weaponry, except clunkier to fit the art style.”
- “Character development feels shallow and uninspired. The characters lack depth, and their backstories are either clichéd or poorly executed, making it hard to connect with them.”
- “The progression system for characters is frustratingly linear, offering little in the way of meaningful choices or growth. It feels like a missed opportunity to create a more engaging experience.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the game evokes nostalgic emotions reminiscent of their childhood gaming experiences, highlighting a strong emotional connection. They also anticipate sharing this experience with friends in multiplayer mode.
- “It makes me feel like games made me feel as a kid.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a captivating dark atmosphere that immerses players in the world of Camelot, enhanced by fast-paced gameplay and impressive level design, as they strive to liberate the land from a corrupted King Arthur and his knights.
- “The dark atmosphere and fast-paced gameplay pull you right into the world of Camelot, where you must free the land from a corrupted King Arthur and his knights.”
- “Great atmosphere and level design.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game heavily relies on advertisements, particularly during boss encounters, which may detract from the overall gameplay experience for some users.
- “The game heavily relies on ads, especially during boss fights.”
- “Monetization feels intrusive, making it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
- “I feel pressured to spend money to progress, which ruins the experience.”