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The Unfinished Swan |OT| Paint your own Journey !

Anyway, getting back on topic :p

Anyone else bought The Unfinished Swan since it went available to all?
I've just been playing it. Found it terribly slow, nothingy. Don't like the children's book tone at all. It's just quite boring, I felt. Nevermind.
 

depward

Member
Finished this last night and thought I'd throw some quick impressions, as this thread hasn't seen much action post PS+ release.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. I'd peg it below Journey but above Flower as my "artsy" PSN favorites.

What I liked:
+ the overall look of the game. Very pleasant on the eyes.
+ the middle & end of the game. Some really cool segments (don't wish to spoil).
+ the soundtrack. Had some really great moments.
+ the ending.

What I did not like:
- the beginning. Thought it was unnecessarily slow.
- too many vines. While a neat concept, I didn't like the reliance on this in gameplay as much as it was.

I would definitely recommend The Unfinished Swan to fans of Journey & Flower.
 

Toppot

Member
It really is. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting much interest, at least here.

Its getting more than the Datura thread did.

Bar anything thatgamecompany makes, artsy console games (Or downloadable console games infact) just don't get the same level of interest, understandably so, as retail games.

I'd say The Unfinished Swan is doing well.
 
It really is. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting much interest, at least here.
I like this game more than Journey and it will most likely make my GOTY list. It's just not one of those titles that require a lot of discussion about strategy or finding the optimal builds.
 

wouwie

Member
I'm currently going through this game and i have mixed feelings about it. I'm in the middle of chapter 3 at the moment. I somehow expected more from it. I have a feeling that ThatGameCompany has set a standard for this type of games that will be very difficult to achieve by other companies.

My favourite chapter so far was the very first one. I felt genuinely excited about how the world came alive by throwing paint at it. It looked fantastic, had great music and a lot of atmosphere. However, by the end of chapter 1 and through 2 and 3, i never felt that excitement again. I'm going through the world without any real pleasure or drive to go on.

I tend to agree with the review that stated this this is a bunch of (very simple) game mechanics which never made it into a real game. It certainly isn't one the same level as Flower and Journey (two of my favourite games) gameplay wise.

I have no regrets buying the game because i want to support these games "with a difference" but it isn't as good as i expected. I guess TGC has spoiled me.
 

nny

Member
Is that one trophy that requires you to reach a certain point with only 3 balls difficult?

It's a bit challenging, but I found it a fun problem-solving activity: Trying to maximize your use of the landmarks available (yellow steps, golden parts of statues) and finding the best places for your 3 shots.
 
Mate of mine got it and said it was a waste of a tenner and two hours of his life. This is the same guy who said Journey was one the best things he's ever played. Can't wait! I'll just gameshare it off him.
 
Is that one trophy that requires you to reach a certain point with only 3 balls difficult?

What I did was fire off a ball of paint right at the start, then face that splash while walking backwards. You won't be able to see it quickly enough, but if you just keep walking in near enough the same direction you'll soon be able to tell you're out of the initial area by hearing the grass crunch under your feet. At that point it gets easier, as there are landmarks dotted around, like the swan's footprints and the king's crown, which you can use to traverse.
 
What I did was fire off a ball of paint right at the start, then face that splash while walking backwards. You won't be able to see it quickly enough, but if you just keep walking in near enough the same direction you'll soon be able to tell you're out of the initial area by hearing the grass crunch under your feet. At that point it gets easier, as there are landmarks dotted around, like the swan's footprints and the king's crown, which you can use to traverse.

It's a bit challenging, but I found it a fun problem-solving activity: Trying to maximize your use of the landmarks available (yellow steps, golden parts of statues) and finding the best places for your 3 shots.

A little bit. I had a quick stab at it and just went "NAAAAAH".

EDIT: Surprised how many people are a bit down on this game. I absolutely loved it.


I hope there are good guides for that trophy. :p
 

StuBurns

Banned
You don't need any balls. Once you've got to the water, it's pretty easy, and getting there you just have to listen hard to the change in footsteps, hitting walls, etc.
 

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
I hope there are good guides for that trophy. :p

Sure. Here is my guide in animated GIF format.

2MFzr.jpg

:p
 

Goldrusher

Member
What an amazing game.

And yeah, "Minimalist" has got to be the most insane trophy ever.

It's not thát hard though, only the last 2 areas are frustrating.
I fell off that ladder/bridge at least twenty times, then in the final area kept falling off the staircase too.
 
Just finished this. It was just alright. The story was kind of weak. I liked the world and the discovery aspect, there were some interesting mechanics but it needed a stronger narrative structure to hold it all together. It felt very reminiscent of a tgc game, just not as good. At the end I felt that was all very arty and unique but what the hell was it all about? One of those games like Papo and Yo that are worth a play through did not realise their potential.
 

gadwn

Member
One of the most beautiful games I have ever seen. It's so clean! <3

The story was kinda pointless though, and the game felt like a concoction of different ideas instead of painting a cohesive experience.

But I really do liked it, it was soothing to play and the atmosphere was amazing.
 
Finished chapter 3, man this was scary, especially where you had to move the glowing balloon and monsters biting you and stuff. Missed some balloons there.
 

Siaynoqq

Member
Game was... just wow. Really interesting concept and executed quite well.

Edit: Is there a thread for plot analysis? I'd be curious to read what other people thought, as well as contribute my own perspective.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I found the
Journey
reference in chapter 3! That was cute. This game is pretty neat. I really like games like this.
 
I had the game with the Journey promotion (Actually made sense). I wasn't expecting much becuse I only saw a video of the first level, but actually the game goes on being much and much better ! Loved the ending ! Only one thing : At the last page, after the credits, I have two "???" levels... What is this ?

Thanks a lot !
 
I wish the guy moved faster in the game. I got to the maze and i had splattered over the answer so I quit it.

made me feel ill - its rare a FPSesy type game does that but I felt dizzy playing this.
 
I played this some time ago and really liked it, even put it on my GOTY-list. The only thing that struck me as odd was the lack of "melody" to the storybook parts, I was always expecting it to rhyme.
 

Number45

Member
So I finally came back to this over the last couple of days. I have to say I'm not a fan overall - I love the premise of painting the world around you to reveal your path but it's abandoned almost immediately. For me the game gets worse as it goes on, bringing more videogame conventions into it as you transition from level to level.

I expect more from my arty games. :(

I really need to pick up Journey.
 

kitsuneyo

Member
I just played through it this weekend. My first PS3 game. And what a weird little game it is.

I didn't really like the way the story was written or narrated. I got bored
growing vines.
. There was no other part of the game that could match the brilliance of the opening, where you're met with nothing but a white screen. But I did love the
block building
part. That was really cool and I don't remember seeing any gameplay like that anywhere else.

Overall I appreciated all the ideas that were put into this game, and the different graphical styles it kind of lumps together. Definitely A+ for effort and originality, B- for execution.
 

vulva

Member
bump but I didn't want to make a thread over this.

I'm in Chapter 2 and haven't felt like I did anything, the game is feeling awful in general to me. I left for a bit to grab some dinner and when I came back, my controller wasn't responding in game (ps3 could detect and navigate fine though). I was hoping for a neat little puzzle game but so far it just seems like a bad story masked in a boring game. I obviously wanted to like it since I spent money on it, but I was wondering if it actually gets good or should I just spend my time on a different title?
 

Number45

Member
bump but I didn't want to make a thread over this.

I'm in Chapter 2 and haven't felt like I did anything, the game is feeling awful in general to me. I left for a bit to grab some dinner and when I came back, my controller wasn't responding in game (ps3 could detect and navigate fine though). I was hoping for a neat little puzzle game but so far it just seems like a bad story masked in a boring game. I obviously wanted to like it since I spent money on it, but I was wondering if it actually gets good or should I just spend my time on a different title?
Some people might feel different, but personally I disliked the game more and more as it went on. The promise of the first couple of chapters isn't really fulfilled for me.

With that said, the game does change quite significantly as you progress - it definitely starts to conform more with normal gaming conventions. So it's possible you might have the opposite experience to me. :)

It's also not too long if you just want to blast through it.
 
Played and finished this today. It was ok. The vines sections were pretty awful while the view of the maze was the highlight. Fun, but forgettable. 6.5/10.
 

Afrikan

Member
ok Finally another game on the backlog finished leading into Next Gen.

I finally put time into finishing this game with my little girl cousins visiting from Sweden. Ages 12, 14,and 16. They only play Nintendo DS games back in Sweden, but picked up PS3 and Move controls pretty quick over here.

I took over after the 12 and 16 year old finally got too scared to watch anymore and ran out. The 14 year old (who plays soccer) toughen it out. It got pretty intense late in the game and I don't think the either of the girls could've finished it though....especially with the Move controls.

Anyway, I LOVED the game.....Great Graphics...reminded me of Mirror's Edge alittle bit..and to be honest, looked that engine could be used to recreate the Witness next gen game. Very Clean game...I was trying to find jaggies. Also it seemed like the game was running at 60fps...or maybe it was unlocked like GOW3.

Very excited to see what their next game is.

edit- Waat, they used the Gamebryo Engine for this game. o_O
 
I can't believe The Unfinished Swan hasn't gotten more love!

Finished it last night, what a special little game. Admittedly, I played through the first chapter and actually stopped playing for a YEAR.

YEP, kept it in my "Playing" folder, but never went back to it.

But decided on a whim to pick it back up since I was in the mood for something relaxed.

It immediately clicked. I think a part of the issue is that it took FOREVER to get through the first chapter. And after the initial "Oh, this is how it's going to work..." revelation hit me, I felt like I had the whole game figured out.

Not so! Not so at all! The game gets more:

- Charming as it goes on.
- Visually interesting as it goes on.
- Varied in its gameplay as it goes on.

If you still have this game on your back-burner, pick it back up (or wait for PS4 version that has been rumored to come out). It's a very unique experience.
 

Melchiah

Member
I can't believe The Unfinished Swan hasn't gotten more love!

It's my favorite indie game on PS3, after Journey. I'm eagerly waiting for Giant Sparrow's next project.


I made a post about it on the PS4 games of 2014 thread a while ago.
I'd really like to see some info about Giant Sparrow's (The Unfinished Swan) next game, hopefully it's coming to the PS4.

They have this on their website.
Our next game is still kind of a secret.

The working title is "Unannounced Giant Sparrow Project" and there's no release date yet or platforms announced.

It's not a sequel to The Unfinished Swan but it's not a million miles away either. If you like surreal experiences and games that aren't much like anything you've ever played before then you'll probably like it.

For more information about "Unannounced Giant Sparrow Project" please checkout our blog.

They had a three-game deal with Sony, but things have apparently changed since then.
RWW8W2W.jpg


EDIT: Just spotted this post from last year on their Twitter feed.
We're #10 on IGN's Top 25 PS3 games of all time! Super cool!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/03/igns-top-25-playstation-3-games?page=4
If anyone else ever argues that games can’t be art, The Unfinished Swan is a fantastic counterpoint. Giant Sparrow’s debut tells the story of a young boy named Monroe journeying through a storybook to find a swan that has escaped from his mother’s painting, and its unique style makes it so much more than the average game. The Unfinished Swan begins with a stark-white world that the player navigates by throwing black paintballs, and later evolves into mechanics involving water, light and even platform creation. Every new area and every new turn is surprising and completely reinvents the game, all while maintaining the touching story of Monroe and presenting a consistent and unique art style.

Sony has cultivated many unique studios and developers, not the least of which is thatgamecompany of FlOw, Flower and Journey fame. With Giant Sparrow signed to the same contract as thatgamecompany, it’s hard not to ask: if this is their FlOw, what will their Journey be? The unbelievable potential shown in The Unfinished Swan makes that an exciting future to look forward to. - Andrew Goldfarb
Well-deserved.
 

rawd

Member
While I wait for the Vita Slim release date, I'm going through backlog and noticed I bought this and never even completed the first level....

Just finished a few levels and really loving it so far. Can't wait to see how it all ends.
 

rawd

Member
Loved this from beginning to end.. Didn't realize it was Gilliams voice as the king until the credits ... The minimalist trophy was a great challenge. Perfectly executed game from concept to completion !
 

JP

Member
Gone back to this on the PS4 after completing the PS3 version at launch. Loving it again and it's surprised me but playing it in 1080/60 makes such a difference, it's hardly twitch gaming but everything just feels so much more natural like this. Really enjoyable game and can see myself playing through it a few times when I'm looking for something relaxing.

This has made me want the PS4 version of Journey even more. :)
 

Denur

Member
Just played and finished this game on the PS4. So very nice and original. It is one of the few games that I actually played till the end.
 
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