5/5 ★ – pinksteady's review of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.

** An incredible blend of minimalist storytelling and musical landscaping ** This was my second playthrough, having played it first in 2011 on an iPad mini when I used to commute on the London Underground. Seeing the Superbrothers logo appear, along with a sound from the game, in Sony’s recent PS5 reveal video, made the whole experience rush back to me, so I had to play it again (this time on Nintendo Switch). It remains one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played. It isn’t the most advanced, the longest, the deepest or anything like that, but it captured a special place in my memory. This is one of those games where a description of its plot simply does not convey anything about what it is like to play this game. On the face of it, it tells the story of a hero on a journey to unlock the mysteries of a magical book (The Megatome), but in doing so she awakes a slumbering ghoul and spends the rest of the game putting things right, with the help of a few local villagers. In reality, the game is a perfect blend of music, humour, art and adventure, where the whole ends up greater than the sum of its parts. The game is unashamedly defined by its soundtrack. The music is put forefront from the beginning - the menu screen is made out of a vinyl record for example, which makes appearances throughout the game at important moments. The incredible soundtrack is used to convey the atmosphere and evoke emotion depending on what is going on. In fact, calling it a soundtrack is to do it an injustice; this game would not be possible without the music that was made for it, and vice versa. This isn’t music that is passively played alongside the game; this is music that is central to the experience and takes a prominent role in telling the story. The composer Jim Guthrie is even the first named entry in the final credits. It is a soundtrack unlike anything I’ve heard before, and it elevates the game to incredible heights. It could almost be argued that the game serves to compliment the journey the music takes you on, like an interactive album. There’s not much else to say. It is a wonderful game that I recommend to everyone. Everything blends together to create such a well-formed experience. Just be warned of slightly janky controls on Switch.