We love all sorts of games. Sometimes it is hard to cover a game in our traditional review style, which is why we have tidbit-style reviews. These shorter reviews cover games that deserve attention too, but don’t fit our good, mixed, and bad template.
- Swan Song | 68%
- Developer | Business Goose Studios
- Publisher | Business Goose Studios
Swan Song is a puzzle game where you must get a swan from its starting point to safety to progress to the next level. It also incorporates reflections of a family as they deal with loss and grief, which are shown as you make your way through the nine chapters. The puzzles in Swan Song require you to use a music box with the correct placement of varying notes so the internal mechanisms move and alter at the correct times. Any puzzle failure will reset your swan but leave your notes in place, making it easy to change your placements.
Although I found the early levels quite relaxing and pleasant to solve, the increasing complexity made my time with Swan Song feel more like a headache, requiring copious amounts of trial and error to drag myself through the levels. With special notes and complex tiles becoming harder to understand, Swan Song becomes less about the story and more about the frustrating puzzles. A hint or help option would have been appreciated to take the edge off a little.
The visuals are simple but effective, with accessibility options that make the notes easier to see, combined with a deeply emotional soundtrack, making Swan Song a delightful game for your senses. The incredible soundtrack drives home the story and creates a powerful connection that can’t be ignored. Sound effects were potent, enhancing the experience of the composition playing out, but I thought the voice acting wasn’t up to standard as it lacked emotional depth, which let down the audio and storytelling element.
With regards to the story, as someone who appreciates a tearjerker, I don’t believe this created the impact it should have. It failed to convey just how devastating and impactful the loss of a loved one could feel, with a disappointing ratio of puzzle to narrative in my opinion. Also, for anyone playing Swan Song, I highly advise letting the end credits play out purely for the song if nothing else. There are also hidden secrets to be found, which can unlock hidden levels if you really feel up to the challenge. As for performance on the Steam Deck, Swan Song played pretty well (after I realised I could use the right trigger to click). There were no issues with frame rate, the in-game movements were smooth, and everything worked as intended.
I would definitely say Swan Song is a puzzle game aimed at young adults and older, due to its theme and complex puzzles, but it could still be played by anyone. It’s a fantastic concept that worked and interested me from beginning to end, with lovely visuals and audio throughout. However, I just found it to become a little too difficult in places.
Hello, I’m Victoria. I’m from the UK and have been playing video games for as long as I can remember; back on DreamCast. I’ve pretty much fallen for Xbox since I was around eight years old and remember BioShock being my first game on the Xbox360. Although I find it thoroughly enjoyable to not only experience gameplay, I also find comfort in getting lost and engrossed in the online worlds that sometimes differ greatly from what we know. Another side of my Xbox passion would be achievement hunting and gamerscore. I thrive when I hear the little sound of one popping up on the screen and I’m always finding ways to work on my backlog when possible. Horror is my favourite genre so if you have any recommendations, don’t be afraid to send them my way!
