You know a game is about to be all kinds of good when original compositions are in play. And that was exactly the case with Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP, which was first released in 2011. With Jim Guthrie composing the music for the game, the scenes were an immediate hit. So popular was the game that it was later made available across different platforms despite being originally available only on iOS. But was it just the music that sold it?
Now, the first thing I will tell you about this game is that it is quite diverse. On one side, you have the allure of mythical stories. On the other hand, you have amazing original compositions. And on the other, you have pixel art designs. It’s just a whole mix of amazing elements which work together alone, but even better when combined into a single game. And the minute I started playing it, I got why so many people were excited when they finally got their hands on it.
The game follows a warrior monk who is known as The Scythian, which is the character you adopt. In playing the protagonist, you go through four chapters, which are known as sessions, and they play out as follows:
As the game starts, you arrive in Mingi Taw, a mythical mountain. Your goal is to find the Megatome, which is a mystical book. You also need to find the Trigon Trifecta because with these three ancient artefacts, you will finally have what it takes to defeat evil in this world.
This part is where things start getting interesting. I mean, the beginning is still quite fun, but nothing beats unlocking mythical powers. When I got them, I was able to explore the dream world where I could literally walk into dreams to solve puzzles and find lost items. I was also able to engage in moon phase puzzles. And here is the surprising thing - some of the moon phases were actually aligned with the real world. But to get past the need to wait until the moons aligned, I would just change my date and time settings and access the puzzles earlier. Call it a cheat code.
Even with mythical powers, you still get to face a ton of challenges. So, the ending is pretty much a culmination of all those battles, and it can be very emotional to get to that end. I was split into two at this point. I wanted to see what was in store for me, but was feeling a tad nostalgic about saying goodbye to all the quests.
Many games drag on, and you find that you keep playing and exploring new missions. But in this case, you get closure in this final bonus. So, I can say that I actually completed the game!
I like how the developers arranged the game because the clear structure makes it easy to gauge where you are. And as much as the game is quite standard, it feels uniquely personal to you when you are playing - speaking from my experience.
My role in this game was to control The Scythian. And I spent most of my time doing the following:
The mythical land was full of pixel art settings, from forests to ruins and temples. Exploring was as easy as tapping or clicking on the screen to move through the landscapes. And they were hand-painted, so I have to give the developers props for that!
I have to say that if you are used to full-on combat, the duels in this game might not live up to your expectations. They are simple sword and shield fights, which you engage in by clicking on the screen. But as much as they are simple, the developers worked to make them engaging and realistic.
With magic comes spells and secrets. But the journey to uncovering these secrets is not always easy. In this game, you must solve puzzles to figure out what you can use to get ahead. Like with the duels, the developers did not go out of their way to make the puzzles harder than they needed to be. In many instances, I just had to tap objects in a given order, and voila, I was in. It was much like saying abracadabra and pulling a rabbit out of a hat - actually, this would have been harder than the game’s puzzles.
I loved the dialogues. They were witty and mystical, and they made me feel like I was part of a much larger show than fighting the cosmic evil.
Here’s something else I loved. The music would change based on my actions, which felt surreal. And the best part was when I met Guthrie playing in a forest concert - that felt like a dream come true, and it was my highlight. So, would I recommend this easy-going album-like game to anyone? 100% yes!