The Unfinished Swan – VGBlogger.com

Journey, Tearaway and The Unfinished Swan Glide, Unfold and Waddle onto PS4

Matt Litten — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 19:06:01 +0000

While actual brand new original games have been few and far between since launch last holiday season, the PlayStation 4’s library of enhanced re-releases continues to grow seemingly by the day. Three such titles have been announced today from Gamescom, including PS3 indie darlings Journey and The Unfinished Swan, as well as a reworked adaptation of arguably the Vita’s best game, Tearaway.

(On a side note, it’s quite hilarious seeing the fickle internet mob rage out over the Vita “losing” Tearaway as an exclusive while reacting the same way as the next Tomb Raider becomes exclusive to Xbox. All in the same day. How does that make any sense?)

All three games have been updated to 1080p visuals and are targeting 60 frames per second. Journey and The Unfinished Swan will support cross-buy, so if you already bought them on PS3 you’ll be able to download them on PS4 at no additional charge. Tearaway, or Tearaway Unfolded as it has been christened on PS4, is “an expanded retelling of the original game, adapted for PS4, and rebuilt from the ground up to use all the unique features of the Dualshock 4.” While the DualShock 4’s touch pad will still allow for an element of touch-based gameplay, new mechanics are being introduced to take advantage of the controller’s other features like the light bar and built-in speaker.

Release dates have not been announced, but from what I gather the trio is projected to launch later this year. Regardless of when they come out, you’re going to want to play them–or replay them again if you already own the original versions. We gave all three games glowing reviews. Here are the links if you missed them before: Tearaway review, Journey review, The Unfinished Swan review.

Review: The Unfinished Swan

Tim Mack — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:12:48 +0000

In an era of gaming where most games feel like iterative copies of the hottest blockbuster production from the previous year, finding a unique title that takes a new concept and fleshes it out beyond the aspirations of a tech demo is refreshing. Giant Sparrow has done just that with The Unfinished Swan. Based on the concept of splashing black paint drops around an all-white game space to reveal objects and depth to the environment, The Unfinished Swan weaves a tale of self discovery through a world filled with wonder and terror.

When I first learned of The Unfinished Swan I was told that the game would melt my mind. That statement wasn’t too far off. The game builds on the idea of simply flinging black paint around an all-white space to reveal a world built by a King who desired absolute perfection. As the game unfolds, the King realizes that such perfection is hard to come by. Constantly building and discarding mazes or castles, or ordering his subjects to do something which often ended in subtle or outright rebellion, the King seemed to never find happiness.

The Unfinished Swan explores emotions of joy, fear, loneliness and wonder in a way that I can honestly say I have never encountered before in a video game. There is something satisfying about tossing black paint and watching it splatter on a wall to reveal what’s behind the blank white curtain. Of course, splattering too much causes the world to become just as impossible to walk through as it is without any paint. A delicate balance of paint to help discover where to go next while not completely covering up the world is a direct correlation to what the King in the story seemingly was never able to achieve.

While visual cues are important to the game, sound plays an equally vital role. Early on in the game a pond is discovered. Frogs and crickets chirp and when paint is tossed to the water an occasional fish will leap up to get the splash. All is nice and calm in this white landscape slowly revealing itself as a lovely natural relaxing spot, until a low guttural roar echoes out from the unknown. Immediately I realized that this game was not quite right. Something in this land of make believe was not the same as the one Mister Rogers helped me create in my own imagination as a kid. I wanted to see what could create that noise. What events led the King to allow something so scary into his kingdom.

Progressing through the world, following yellow webbed tracks of a swan, the game leads players through a once-beautiful kingdom. Shifts in perspective and reality are handled with great effect as more is learned about the King. Not satisfied with simply splattering black paint to help reveal a path, later on the game switches out that mechanic with flinging water. While that may not seem like much of a change, water is used quite differently than paint, such as to grow vines which are used to climb up to new areas of the castle to further explore and continue the story.

Following the narrative path soon leads the game from flinging black paint and water in a white landscape to a truly scary pitch black night. Most people these days live in a city where light pollution at night keeps the sky from completely being pitch black. Spending any nights camping in the wild can truly screw with your sense of vision and force your other senses to work overtime. Sound in a pitch black environment can help calm nerves or exacerbate jitters. Any snap of a branch or chirp from a cricket, or hoot from an owl is magnified by our brains trying to place where that sound is coming from. Hearing most of those noises is expected while spending time in the woods at night. [Possible Spoiler Ahead] But what if a distant light source must be traveled to while piercing, glowing red eyes stare from the darkness as you near the light? Moving closer to the light, you can hear a slathering, chittering noise coming from an unseen mouth below those angry glowing red eyes. Get too close to those eyes without igniting the light source and suddenly a red claw streaks across your vision and you hear a yelp of pain coming from within. Hot damn the game delivers spooks and chills like no other game I’ve played! [End Spoiler]

The Unfinished Swan does a fantastic job of subtly building up that mental canvas by first allowing shapes to take form with a black splotch of paint tossed here and there. Oh look, a picket fence. A dinning room table and chairs. A stone bridge arching over a pond with–wait, what just made that horrible noise. The mind paints a graphic horror better than anything an artist could. Knowing that the world of The Unfinished Swan has such horrible unseen creatures while wondering about in the daylight magnifies whatever horrors your mind has created when confronted with them at night, in the dark, with no way to defend yourself other than finding a light source.

Eventually the game introduces another new mechanic which allows objects to be built by throwing a ball of sorts to begin one corner of the object. Move the viewpoint one way or the other to complete the other side of the object and then a beam is projected out which will complete and form the object once a third ball is thrown to complete how deep the object needs to be. Building platforms in this portion of the game was probably my least favorite part. The construction mechanic is solid, but the overall art style in this section feels out of place from the rest of the game. The narrative development from this section is important to the overall story, but the game feels like it switches from a magical mystery to a level building exercise from LittleBigPlanet, and at least to me diminishes the pace established up to that point in time.

Both PlayStation Move and traditional play with a DualShock 3 are supported, equally effective control options. Controlling movement with the Move alone is a bit weird, but once you pair the Move with a Navigation controller movement is as natural as playing with a DualShock. Using the Move, accuracy of throwing paint or water is a bit better than trying to accomplish the same task with the aiming cursor used in the DualShock scheme, but by no means will you feel at a disadvantage if you don’t own a Move or simply choose to play without motion control.

Throughout each level are floating balloons which, once collected, unlock fun little toys to play around with, such as a hose which fires paint or water in a large, fast stream. By collecting all balloons, you can also unlock the original tech demo that sparked the game’s creation. Playing through that and comparing it to the full game, I’m thrilled that Giant Sparrow got the opportunity to take the game above and beyond mere proof of concept, and you should be too. The Unfinished Swan, backed by a truly mind melting visual experience, sound that amplifies what is and isn’t seen, and a thought provoking narrative, defies modern convention for a change and takes a risk on a fresh, intriguing idea rather than retreading familiar gameplay mechanics. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Pros:
+ Fantastic use of sound
+ Wonderful visuals
+ Thought provoking narrative
+ Unlockable toys for a second playthrough
+ Supports the Move, Navigation controller and DualShock 3

Cons:
– Fairly short
– Block building mechanic doesn’t quite fit with the overall visual theme

Game Info:
Platform: PS3 via PSN
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Giant Sparrow
Release Date: 10/23/2012
Genre: Adventure
ESRB Rating: E10+
Players: 1
Source: Review code provided by publisher

[nggallery id=2751]

Sony Rocks Gamescom With New IP Galore

Matt Litten — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:56:57 +0000

If you ask me, Sony’s stable of global studios has become the best in the business at introducing bold and innovative original IP. Sure, they rely on major franchise sequels (Uncharted, God of War, Killzone, etc.) to pull in the big bucks like any other video game company, but as third-party exclusives have dwindled and the importance of first- and second-party development has increased, Sony has quietly done a remarkable job exploring new concepts and growing imaginative new games from within.

This commitment to original IP has been on full display at Gamescom this week, with the unveiling of four new PlayStation projects and the continued hype for a couple others we’ve already known about. We already showed you PlayStation Move horror game Until Dawn, but here’s a look at some of the other original content coming to PlayStation platforms.

Developed by PlayStation C.A.M.P., Rain is a PlayStation Network title about an invisible boy who can only be seen in the rain. It’s equal parts eerie and mysterious, and emotionally captivating at the same time. Breathtaking stuff.

Media Molecule’s next project is the unique and perfectly loveable Tearaway, a PlayStation Vita game that’s a cross between construction paper crafting and a virtual pop-up book. It’s bound to draw exclamations of “Sony’s just ripping off Paper Mario!” from the Nintendo fanboys, but trust me, this game is a whole lot more than that. Every one of the Vita’s touch/motion inputs is being utilized to bring gamers an experience unlike anything they’ve played before. MM’s got something special on its hands, I say.

From SCE Japan Studios comes Puppeteer for PlayStation 3. Forced to give a quick description, I guess I’d call Puppeteer “LittleBigPlanet with scissors.” But of course that doesn’t do the game proper justice. You see, Puppeteer takes place within a magical puppet theatre that is constantly moving and shifting scenes around the player rather than the player moving the world. It is a 2D, old-school-style platformer, but it’s other twist involves using a pair of scissors to cut through the environment and attack monsters. Through the roof imagination, folks.

Another gem from Japan Studios and Keiji Inafune’s Comcept is the PlayStation Vita exclusive fantasy action game Soul Sacrifice. It’s not new in terms of being unveiled for the first time like the other three titles, but it did get a new trailer at Gamescom. Oh, and it looks awesome!

And don’t forget about The Unfinished Swan! This PSN first-person painting adventure is probably the most original game of the lot. You’ve seen it before too, I know, but it just keeps looking better and better with each passing trailer.

E3 2012 Screenshot Compendium Part 2: The Games of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita

Matt Litten — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 13:50:51 +0000

The second stop on our E3 2012 screenshot tour takes us into the wonderful world of PlayStation, where games like The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, God of War: Ascension and The Unfinished Swan promise to astonish and old Oddworld adventures are reborn in HD. Sony may have missed an opportunity to really push the Vita during its press conference, but Sound Shapes, New Little King’s Story, Street Fighter X Tekken, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation and others also show that the powerhouse portable has even more quality software on the way.

My only question: where the hell is The Last Guardian? I understand the game not being ready for a stage demo, but a few new screenshots would have been a nice gesture, just to quell any vaporware fears.

The Last of Us (PS3):
[nggallery id=2484]

Beyond: Two Souls (PS3):
[nggallery id=2485]

God of War: Ascension (PS3):
[nggallery id=2486]

The Unfinished Swan (PS3 – PlayStation Move):
[nggallery id=2359]

Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD (PS3):
[nggallery id=2487]

Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD (Vita):
[nggallery id=2488]

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD (Vita):
[nggallery id=2489]

LittleBigPlanet Vita (Vita):
[nggallery id=2490]

LittleBigPlanet Karting (PS3):
[nggallery id=2491]

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation (Vita):
[nggallery id=2492]

Sports Champions 2 (PS3 – PlayStation Move):
[nggallery id=2493]

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3):
[nggallery id=2494]

Papo & Yo (PS3):
[nggallery id=2495]

Street Fighter X Tekken (Vita):
[nggallery id=2496]

Wonderbook: Book of Spells (PS3 – PlayStation Move):
[nggallery id=2497]

DUST 514 (PS3):
[nggallery id=2498]

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Vita):
[nggallery id=2499]

New Little King’s Story (Vita):
[nggallery id=2500]

One Piece: Pirate Warriors (PS3):
[nggallery id=2501]

Silent Hill: Book of Memories (Vita):
[nggallery id=2502]

Smart As (Vita):
[nggallery id=2503]

Sound Shapes (PS3 and Vita):
[nggallery id=2504]

Spy Hunter (Vita):
[nggallery id=2505]

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (Vita):
[nggallery id=2506]

When Vikings Attack (PS3 and Vita):
[nggallery id=2507]

Screenshot Saturday: God of War: Ascension, Black Ops II & Dueling Mascot Racers Dishonored by an Unfinished Swan

Matt Litten — Sat, 05 May 2012 19:57:27 +0000

Multiplayer in God of War? I know, it still doesn’t sound quite right. But Sony Santa Monica has revealed its competitive ambitions for the next PlayStation 3 mythological adventure, and here you’ll find the first screenshots showing teams of Kratos wannabes fighting for the right to slay a giant cyclops.

Not to be outdone, Activision came through with the completely expected news that Call of Duty: Black Ops II is exploding onto the gaming scene this fall. The near-future Cold War premise with horseback riding and unmanned drones turned into an army of robot invaders? Now that stuff wasn’t so predictable.

For mascot kart racing fans, new screenshots for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and LittleBigPlanet Karting crossed the finish line this week. Bethesda also dropped off a screen-grab six-pack for awesome-looking first-person action game Dishonored and, proving once again that games are art, Giant Sparrow presented its beautifully abstract first-person painting adventure game, The Unfinished Swan. Just one more artsy PlayStation Network exclusive to watch out for, folks.

Other new screenshot galleries to check out this week include: Persona 4 Golden, Orgarhythm, Ragnarok Odyssey, Mario Tennis Open, GT Academy 2012, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, The Last Story, Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles, Hitman: Absolution, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Vita, Ys Origin, Pokémon Conquest, Ms. Splosion Man, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Unchained Blades, Warlock: Master of the Arcane, Starvoid, Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition, Salem: The Crafting MMO, Enclave: Shadows of Twilight and Free Realms third birthday celebration.

God of War: Ascension (PS3):
[nggallery id=2357]

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
[nggallery id=2365]

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita):
[nggallery id=2374]

LittleBigPlanet Karting (PS3):
[nggallery id=2369]

Dishonored (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
[nggallery id=2370]

The Unfinished Swan (PS3/PSN/PS Move):
[nggallery id=2359]

Persona 4 Golden (PlayStation Vita):
[nggallery id=2360]

Orgarhythm (PlayStation Vita):
[nggallery id=2363]

Ragnarok Odyssey (PlayStation Vita):
[nggallery id=2364]

Mario Tennis Open (Nintendo 3DS):
[nggallery id=2358]

GT Academy 2012 (PSN/PS3):
[nggallery id=2366]

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (Nintendo 3DS):
[nggallery id=2367]

The Last Story (Nintendo Wii):
[nggallery id=2368]

Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles – The Avengers Table (XBLA, PSN for PS3 and Vita):
[nggallery id=2371]

Hitman: Absolution (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
[nggallery id=2372]

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PlayStation Vita):
[nggallery id=2373]

Ys Origin (PC):
[nggallery id=2375]

Pokémon Conquest (Nintendo DS):
[nggallery id=2383]

Ms. Splosion Man – Splokour Challenge Event (XBLA):
[nggallery id=2376]

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
[nggallery id=2378]

Unchained Blades (PSP, Nintendo 3DS):
[nggallery id=2379]

Warlock: Master of the Arcane (PC):
[nggallery id=2380]

Starvoid (PC):
[nggallery id=2377]

Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition (PC):
[nggallery id=2381]

Salem: The Crafting MMO (PC, Mac, Linux):
[nggallery id=2384]

Enclave: Shadows of Twilight (Nintendo Wii):
[nggallery id=2361]

Free Realms – Third Birthday Event (PC, Mac, PSN):
[nggallery id=2382]

First-Person Painting Adventure The Unfinished Swan Waddling Onto PSN

Matt Litten — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:32:55 +0000

The PlayStation Network has grown into a hotbed of artistic and experimental game design ideas over the years, games like Flower, Journey, Linger in Shadows and the many PixelJunk oddities offering bold, unique gameplay experiences you won’t find on other gaming consoles. The soon-to-be-released Datura is going to be joining that list, as will the newly announced PSN exclusive The Unfinished Swan.

Another gloriously arsty fartsy gaming experiment incubated at Sony’s Santa Monica Studio, The Unfinished Swan is coming our PS3 way as the prototype brainchild of indie studio Giant Sparrow. The game is a first-person painting adventure about a young boy named Monroe and the swan he chases after. This swan somehow waddled out of a painting, leading Monroe on a journey to an unfinished world he literally has to paint into existence.

In terms of gameplay, this premise will have players lobbing blobs of paint at the blank canvas of a world to reveal the environment ahead. The early imagery presents a black and white world, but according to the developers “things get really weird” after the first 15 minutes. Better still, the game will support multiple control options, including DualShock 3, PlayStation Move, and PlayStation Move with Navigation. From what’s been shown thus far, I’d say the Move is a perfect mate for this game’s abstract design style.

[nggallery id=2359]