Quick Look: Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

Nice artwork and sound.

However, the gameplay seems very 'meh.'

I went from optimistic while playing this game to hating it.

It looks fantastic, the music is great, playing it fucking sucks. It consolidates the things I hate the most about games, vague poorly explained concepts, lots of nonsense words serving to further complicate things, slow movement speed and plenty of getting-stuck action.

I was somewhat enjoying my time with it until the third part, liking it a little less each time I got stuck along the way. When they first said "take a break" I thought "Okay, I'll play later", the next time I was looking forward to having a break and now I've closed the game after a few minutes of playing.

Solving the "puzzles" isn't fun. Even if I knew exactly what to do it would be tedious as hell walking around the environment to solve them. No cool music's playing in the puzzle part I'm on either, so there's zero enjoyment to be had. The combat's just sort of there too, and not nearly as common or rhythmic as I'd hoped. And why is it deemed appropriate to not include a start button? Clicking on the dude a few times to start the game is dumber than it is cute, It must make more sense on an iOS device where that's all you can do.

I think I'll have more fun playing the soundtrack while looking at screenshots of the game.

cards on the table- i thought this game was brilliant. from the audio design, to the visuals, to the twitter integration (coming from an individual who LOATHES twitter)- i find it all compelling and inspirational. that said, if you really aren't into whimsy, slower pacing, and simplified graphical adventures- then this isn't your game. machinarium probably isn't your game either (but holy shit did i love that game- gorgeous handcrafted visuals and aburdly good audio).

please don't bring that pejorative hipster bullshit up in here though. it's reductive and dismissive.

i think one really needs to evaluate on it's own terms. this isn't a game concerned with fidelity. it's originally an ios game, designed to be limited in all scopes. it's highly stylized- visually, sonically, and the dialogue (which is almost lyrical- obscured and perhaps obtuse at times) speaks for itself. the humor will click with you, or it won't. but personally i found the sheep commentary hilarious, and dogfella had some downright touching observations (specifically when he mentions martyrdom).

coming right off mass effect 3, saints row 3, and skyrim (which all have their own bits of genius), this is the most exciting thing i've played in a very long time. they took some chances in favor of form over function, and it's inevitable that this will rub some people the wrong way. but sign me up for more.

Those steam popups broke my mind.

I did enjoy the experience of playing this through on an iPad, but the fact that it was made partially by people that don't really design games comes through and not necessarily in a good way. It's a bit too pleased with itself, the pacing feels odd for such a short title. The dialogue style clashes with the overall tone and, as Patrick put it, often came across as trying too hard to be clever and "off" for me.

That said it's very engrossing, the underlying themes are interesting, the sights and sounds of the game are top notch and there's some surprisingly tense and emotional gameplay moments. I don't think this QL sold me on the PC being the superior platform for S&S, if anything I feel like some of the enjoyment is lost by not having a touch based control interface. Nice for people that don't have the option and are interested, though.

so patrick have you played DOTA2?

Every time I hear "lone star" playing in game, it just sends shivers up my spine. Great game.

looks like, what, 6 colors for the background pixel art? Anyone than can make awesome looking pixel art in 8 colors or less has my respect. Very hard to do and takes some real craftsmanship and training.

I really don't like these "artistic" indie games.

The fact that you have to click the shield or sword to do something is rather poopy. Maybe Patrick is missing something, but that could have been handled better, especially for the PC.

Also, Robert Ashley, Sounds-High-As-Fuck-All-Day-Every-Day Robert Ashley? Makes sense.

I don't like the art style and the writing also pushes me away. So this is a big fat pass.

I've yet to find one of this indie art darlings that I find interesting. They all are just total wet blankets for me. Not a huge fan of vague storytelling.

@Quarters said:

I've yet to find one of this indie art darlings that I find interesting. They all are just total wet blankets for me. Not a huge fan of vague storytelling.

I liked Journey a lot, but that game isn't really indie. It did vague/minimal storytelling pretty well, though.

@MrKlorox said:

I don't like the art style and the writing also pushes me away. So this is a big fat pass.

There was barely any "writing" shown in this Quick Look. All he did was go with a traveller and run away from monsters.

Bought this on iPhone within an hour of it coming out because I heard so much hype. It really just an adventure game based on music. The tracks are FANTASTIC and the atmosphere is really unique and weird. The art style isn't the most original, but it looks good. Gameplay-wise, all you're doing is tapping and moving, and then you need some decent timing for the combat.

There were a couple good backgrounds there but for the most part, I don't see the appeal of the visuals. Dug the music when it kicked in, though.

Glad some people like it, but I would need to be paid $10 + an hour to play a game like this.

Seems pretty interesting.

If I don't have a Twitter and would be playing it on iPhone, is it still worth getting?

@MrKlorox said:

I don't like the art style and the writing also pushes me away. So this is a big fat pass.

There was barely any "writing" shown in this Quick Look. All he did was go with a traveller and run away from monsters.

I played about an hour and a half into this on my iPad a few months back. I really liked the music and the look, but the unfunny, self referential text always took me way out of it. The text always made me want to quit.

After being reminded that Doom 3's touchscreen interfaces say "Click", I'm pleased that this game didn't change its use of "Tap". Still, I'd probably suggest it to my friends with Windows tablets.

@Fjordson: i don't have twitter and have thus far only played it on iphone, and i really enjoyed it!

music is pretty awesome

@MrKlorox said:

@AssInAss said:

@MrKlorox said:

I don't like the art style and the writing also pushes me away. So this is a big fat pass.

There was barely any "writing" shown in this Quick Look. All he did was go with a traveller and run away from monsters.

I think you mean "dialog". Even games where not a single word is uttered are written.

So you don't like the sequence of events that happened in the quick look? I'm not sure I'm getting what you're objecting to in these 20 minutes we've seen of the game with Patrick and Klepek talking over it.

Elaborate.

@Quarters said:

I've yet to find one of this indie art darlings that I find interesting. They all are just total wet blankets for me. Not a huge fan of vague storytelling.

Not even But That Was [Yesterday]?

Its almost insulting to say that fez is even close to this in terms of artistry.

The soundtrack by Jim Guthrie is incredible...

@Quarters said:

I've yet to find one of this indie art darlings that I find interesting. They all are just total wet blankets for me. Not a huge fan of vague storytelling.

Same here, except for Limbo and Braid. The thing about those two games is that, on a purely mechanical level, they succeed at being good puzzle games. So even if you don't care about the story (or what little there is grasp at in Limbo), or even the art, they're still fun to play. A lot of art games aren't particularly good at being video games if you strip out all the "art" pretense. This game seems to fall into that category.

@AssInAss said:

@Quarters said:

I've yet to find one of this indie art darlings that I find interesting. They all are just total wet blankets for me. Not a huge fan of vague storytelling.

Not even But That Was [Yesterday]?

omg that game was amazing thanks for linking it dude!

@Krakn3Dfx: it was purposefully trying too look like this. It wasn't trying to blow you're mind with great graphics. I personally love the 8-bit art style. Find it beautiful.

@Ethan_Raiden said:

Those steam popups broke my mind.

Yeah, that was weiiiiiird. Though, they're on a new PC, so they probably forgot to turn off the notification stuff.

This was sublime as shit. Buying now.

I would love to paint an accent wall in one of my rooms with one of the forest scenes. It would be super hard to get square 'pixel' edges though. But its a lovely idea.

Hey, it's that game that isn't really a game.

Tangibility......Physicality........uhhhh..hit the uhhh....right mouse click

This goes out to video game journalists in general. Big words are good. Big words aren't good when they are forced. Every video game blogger these days seem to write and talk like they are a first year film student reviewing Citizen Kane or something.

Not naming names....but some people make fun quick looks. Others make not so fun quick looks.

I got a real John Carpenter vibe off some of that soundtrack

I don't have an Apple device or computer. Hopefully, when I save up enough for a new laptop, I'll remember to check this out.

@ManiacMaysin: I was thinking of the fight with Ganondorf but thanks for reminding me of that fint and that fits the description perfectly. There are quite a few Zelda reference in the game which I like. Pointing the sword Skyword ( i laughed when saw that and thought that that was awesome), that's a reforence to Skyword Sword. The Tryad thing (I forget what it's called) is a reference to the Tryforce.

but have you played DOTA 2?

Aw, he didn't sit with the woodchopper guy and talk about bloodsports! (Patrick is wrong when he says "That is the extent of dialogue in this game") That was the moment I decided I loved this game.

But then, i clicked on everything to see all the cool writing, which Patrick isn't doing here, probably to keep the ql moving.

If playing this on PC I recommend using as much bass as possible. The sound of the demon guy bashing his shield sounds epic!

I keep looking at that statue head and all I see is Vinny with his mouth open...

@FoxMulder said:

I keep looking at that statue head and all I see is Vinny with his mouth open...

Phew, I thought I was the only one...

Holy damn, bought this game on Steam and didn't realize I had the soundtrack. Thanks Brad!

This looks much cooler than I had imagined. Great music too.

Did you play DOTA 2?

just bought this on my ipad, this game looks really nice.

@mellotronrules said:

cards on the table- i thought this game was brilliant. from the audio design, to the visuals, to the twitter integration (coming from an individual who LOATHES twitter)- i find it all compelling and inspirational. that said, if you really aren't into whimsy, slower pacing, and simplified graphical adventures- then this isn't your game. machinarium probably isn't your game either (but holy shit did i love that game- gorgeous handcrafted visuals and aburdly good audio).

please don't bring that pejorative hipster bullshit up in here though. it's reductive and dismissive.

I played Machinarium and enjoyed it thoroughly, while Sword & Sworcery didn't grab me in the same way. S&S's writing really brings the whole experience down; it needs to decide whether it wants to be beautiful and serene, or whether it wants to bash you over the head constantly with sarcastic narration and backhanded compliments.

Playing S&S is like going to the opera, and once you get there, there's a giant, blinking neon sign just above the pit that says "So I guess we're pretty fucking good at these instruments, aren't we?", and above the stage there's another giant, blinking neon sign that says "You don't even know the language they'll be singing in, but trust me, it's pretty well written." The sarcasm in S&S's writing feels like a crutch, in the same way that sarcam in real life is often a crutch. I know there are games that set out to be meta and break the fourth wall from the start, but this one does it badly, and in a way that makes you think they're doing it defensively so you can't accuse it of having a story of little meaning or originality. You can argue all day long that it enhances the game, but it did nothing but detract from it when I played it.

Also, I don't think the hipster label is reductive. People don't go around referring to just any intellectual game as a "hipster" game. Calling any other indie game a "hipster" game would be unfair to that game, but not so with S&S EP. Let's run down the checklist:

• considers itself an EP
• features a vinyl record as a prominent symbol of the game
• is constantly trying super hard to submit sarcastic and clever remarks about what is going on in front of them, instead of articulating anything sincere or genuine
• Twitter integration

If I had to pick one demographic that all of those things appeal to, it would be hipsters. And while I didn't include it in the checklist, it's arguable that you could consider the whole game "vintage", in the sense that for an iOS game, it is a pretty big throwback to old point-n-click adventure games and has some obvious nods to Link to the Past.

If there was a version of this game that almost wholly removed the writing, Machinarium-style, I would strongly recommend that version to people. Alas, there is not. I think the art and music in the game are impressive in the extreme, but the narration/dialogue writers should be ashamed of themselves if they thought what they produced was in any way good.

Ganon?

That was quite a fantastic game! And gorgeous! Looks what I'd imagine an Odyssey2 game looking with NextGen graphics :P (the shading, lights, etc.. but the character still remain pretty simple physically)

I didn't play it myself but I've seen my brother do so for the most part :P