Sword of the Sea
By Giant Squid
“Feel the spiritual magic of surfing as you connect with nature and restore life – but beware, there is also darkness lurking under the waves.”
Sword of the Sea is a short fantasy game that follows the Wraith, a playable character who surfs on their sword through crumbling ruins, serene mountains, floating islands, and glistening deserts in order to reconnect with nature. Throughout the story, the Wraith brings harmony to the environment, meets a friend, and ultimately discovers themself on this journey as the player lives and learns vicariously through the Wraith’s eyes. This game acts as a gateway to meditation, with no dialogue or combat, replaced by insightful, choral music with clear Indigenous and Tibetan influences and the fun of surfing through beautiful worlds.
Despite the complete lack of dialogue, Sword of the Sea manages to tell a heartfelt story about a desolate world that the Wraith has the power to fix. As you surf through a series of vast levels, the Wraith literally brings water and life to places like desolate deserts and deadly volcanoes. When you reach an objective, the Wraith stabs their sword/vehicle in the ground and unveils a ball of water that grows and surrounds the environment, unleashing fish and other aquatic creatures, such as turtles, into this newly adapted ecosystem. It’s truly a beautiful sight. Once this happens, the Wraith can then go back through the level and explore, riding on whales, swimming to hard-to-reach places easily, and playing with the newly spawned fish. Not only does the player influence the world around them, but they can then go back and explore the area of the world they made better.
Throughout the story, the Wraith encounters a nameless NPC whom they end up helping, reflecting another way that life and consciousness are considered and respected in the game. Ultimately, this NPC ends up saving the Wraith’s life, illustrating that caring for your community and environment will end up helping the player in the long run. Through this plot device, Sword and the Sea also hints that all life is interconnected and the fates of all living things are intertwined.
See More (Soundtrack, Gameplay):
©2026 ClimateLit (Jack Kuyper)
Publisher: Giant Squid LLC, 2025
ISBN: N/A
Pages: 3-5 hours
Format: Games and Other
Topics: Animals, Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Fantasy, Fish, Interconnectedness, Nature, Oceans, Water, Wildlife



