FRIST_008 Sword of the Sea Review

I tried Journey 3*, so to speak: Sword of the Sea. It came with my subscription. And... Compared to Journey 2, namely Children of the Light, Sword of the Sea is not Journey at all. What I expected from the game: - a faster journey, since we're on a skateboard (sword), one that brings calm - a mysterious world - once again lots of sand and other biomes - beautiful views What did I get? I'll start with the +- of what actually matched: - there are no beautiful views, the levels are more cramped, but somewhere near the end of a level they look like an underwater fairy tale. - a mysterious world - after 2 levels I see only 2 biomes, sand, which we turn into water. And that wouldn't be a big problem, but! - real gameplay showed up here, and it breaks the expectation of "calm", namely: - timed skate tricks for points - small puzzles - lots of hidden rooms with simple puzzles - special spots for parkour (a double-and-a-half jump included) - upgrades (tricks, jump) - currency and farming it - half of the farming is smashing GoW-style jars with your voice. Yes... With your voice, which means you have to stop, and that breaks the pace. - very little variety between levels, after 2 hours you get a feeling that you're doing the same thing over and over. - everything is packed more densely than in a typical Journey, which is why enjoying the views and the speed just doesn't work. A couple of seconds here, a couple of seconds there, and it's already time to jump around or smash pots. In the end, because the game makes you do things and there's real gameplay here, it didn't meet my expectations. I've stopped for now, I need to catch the right mood to continue. It wasn't quite what I expected. For now, by my rating system, I can give it an 8. But if the sameness on the 3rd level keeps wearing me down, and right now that's what I expect, the score will drop. I can't immediately tell who the game is for. Platinum only through NG+ and a speedrun. Update: Finished the game. And there's even a boss battle at the end... well, this is definitely not Journey, it doesn't let you relax, but the game, with its views, is kind of about that... so who is it for? They even dragged in the level system from Sky. I think the author should go back to the roots of the first game, not build a new core based on Sky. After all, Sky was about communication and people, and this is COMPLEEEETELY single-player...