Whisper of the Swallows

About

Whisper of the Swallows is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with horror and fantasy themes. It was developed by Blown Leaves and was released on January 29, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

The gods have abandoned this world, leaving it at the mercy of endless storms and the howls of the Black Wailers hunting in the dark. In this vast, procedurally generated wilderness, every night is a fight to survive, and every dawn is a hard-earned victory. Playable solo or with up to 6 players in online co-op, Whisper of the Swallows is a brutal survival experience where your goal is not just to…

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 83 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

Deeply immersive survival mechanics with a strong focus on weather, temperature, and environmental awareness that creates a tense and rewarding experience.
Impressive achievement for a single developer with responsive support and regular updates, fostering a good relationship with the community.
Engaging and atmospheric world blending Japanese folklore with survival gameplay, featuring varied biomes, crafting, base building, and co-op play that enhances exploration and tension.

Combat system is often described as clunky, stiff, and in need of improvement, with issues like awkward hit detection and enemy stun-locking causing frustration.
Early game difficulty is very harsh with demanding survival meters (hunger, rest, weather) and permanent debuffs on death, which some players find overwhelming and tedious.
Limited content at present with only two biomes and relatively low enemy variety, leading to repetitiveness and lack of long-term engagement for some players.

gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The gameplay offers a deeply immersive and satisfying survival experience with smooth, deliberate mechanics encompassing combat, crafting, and resource management. While some find elements like hunger management and permanent death debuffs challenging or overwhelming, the intuitive progression and unique world mechanics provide a solid, engaging loop reminiscent of but improving upon similar survival games. Repetitiveness and some taxing survival demands may deter players, but overall, the gameplay is praised for its quality and depth.
- “But learning about the world, combat, survival and crafting mechanics is on top level.”
- “The mechanics are smooth, deliberate, and deeply immersive.”
- “I have played many survival games to date and I can honestly say that the mechanics of crafting and progression are intuitive and well explained through early quests/tutorial system even better than many that have been out longer.”
- “The gameplay is repetitive but satisfying.”
- “The hunger mechanic is a little too taxing.”
- “Eating six steaks six times a day leans towards spending more time searching for food and detracts from the rest of the gameplay and exploration.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
46%
The game excels in creating a rich, immersive atmosphere that balances moments of serene calm with underlying tension, enhanced by detailed sound design and environmental cues. Its meticulously crafted, intimate setting—both in solo and seamless co-op play—draws players in without overwhelming, fostering a deeply emotional and engaging experience. The atmosphere is praised for being both soothing and dynamic, making exploration and even base-building captivating.
- “It’s the kind of experience that doesn’t shout for your attention; it pulls you in with atmosphere so thick you can practically breathe it.”
- “The progression is quite satisfying and although there is danger close by, it has moments of atmospheric peace and calm.”
- “The atmosphere in the game cycles between intensely listening to your environment while you are field dressing a goat, looking to the sky to watch the weather, being hunted by cats in a blizzard, to relaxing back in a cave and cooking a meal by a warm fire.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
34%
8%
The graphics are not technically outstanding but feature a distinct and appealing art style blending elven and Japanese spiritual themes, effectively creating a unique atmosphere. Despite modest graphical quality, the game utilizes its resources well, delivering pleasant visuals and immersive weather effects that enhance the experience. Overall, the art style is praised for its vision and ability to grow on players, even if it doesn't match the visual impact of higher-budget titles.
- “For an early access game, I am extremely impressed with the graphics and gameplay.”
- “Graphics are pretty lovely, there is an obvious vision in the art style.”
- “The graphical quality isn't high, but the game uses its limited resources and art design very well to make a game that looks nicer than the graphics budget.”
story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The story combines unique Asian folklore with environmental storytelling and multiple perspectives, creating a haunting and immersive narrative. It features a natural quest progression with well-developed lore, NPC interactions, and a compelling boss fight, blending survival mechanics with engaging storytelling. The narrative is enhanced by atmospheric tension and subtle humor, setting it apart within its early access stage.
- “From the moment you step into its mist-drenched world, you feel it — that subtle tension, that haunting beauty, that sense that every shadow has a story and every breeze carries a memory.”
- “There is an Asian folklore approach to the story of this game that I admire for its uniqueness.”
- “It is truly impressive how well this game runs, how well thought out the lore & quests are, and just the overall attention to detail amongst everything so far on this early access title release.”
- “The game is a story-based hardcore survival with a random map seed.”
- “The game has a natural and intuitive progression for those familiar with survival games with collecting, crafting weapons and armour from the environment and a simple questline that creates a background story and leads to a boss fight to test your skills.”
- “"Permanent" death penalties might be fine if the combat felt better (I assume they can be resolved later after doing story stuff).”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is well-suited to the game's spiritual and afterlife themes, featuring a beautiful, relaxing soundtrack with fitting background sounds that enhance the experience without being intrusive or disruptive.
- “The background music isn't annoying and fits the game well.”
- “It has a beautiful background soundtrack which lends itself well with the spiritual/afterlife vibes the game gives.”
- “The music is relaxing, the sounds are on point, and I haven't encountered a single bug interrupting the gameplay.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game features sharp and efficient optimization that outperforms many small to medium studios, delivering good performance without relying heavily on RTX or advanced upscaling technologies. Users appreciate the smooth experience and visually appealing art style.
- “Instead of another TAA DLSS slop, a sharp optimized game.”
- “Putting to shame all small to medium studios that "can't afford better optimization" and require RTX for medium quality with nothing on screen.”
- “Performance is pretty good too and the art style grows on you quickly.”
- “Putting to shame all small to medium studios that 'can't afford better optimization' and require RTX for medium quality with nothing on screen.”
- “Instead of another TAA DLSS slop, sharp optimized game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally stable and runs smoothly, with minimal bugs reported despite being in early access. Custom difficulty settings enhance the overall experience.
- “Fun game runs great; love that it has custom difficulty settings.”
- “Pretty stable, almost bug-free early access.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect is praised for its strong atmosphere and meticulous craftsmanship, creating a deeply immersive and moving experience.
- “It’s atmospheric, emotional, and meticulously crafted.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is challenging yet engaging, enhanced by ample exploration that keeps players interested without feeling tedious.
- “Challenging but not tedious with lots of exploration that draws you in right away!”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is well-crafted, with witty descriptions and amusing lore that provide enjoyable moments of lighthearted relief throughout the experience.
- “The devs have a funny bone; reading the descriptions and bits of lore that pop up is an enjoyable relief.”

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Whisper of the Swallows
€19.50
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11h Median play time

9h Average play time

5-13h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Whisper of the Swallows is a open world role playing game with horror and fantasy themes.

Whisper of the Swallows is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing Whisper of the Swallows.

Whisper of the Swallows was released on January 29, 2026.

Whisper of the Swallows was developed by Blown Leaves.

Whisper of the Swallows has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Whisper of the Swallows for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Whisper of the Swallows is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Len's Island, Nightingale, Dawn of Defiance, Voyagers of Nera, The Last Plague: Blight and others.

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