Swordship Reviews

Swordship is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Essential
Dec 5, 2022

Brisk, stylish and compulsive, this is everything an arcade game should be.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Dec 14, 2022

A fantastic mix of endless runner and racing game, which marries the aesthetics of WipEout with the challenge and difficulty of a hardcore roguelike.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2022

Swordship is a great example of contemporary arcade. It does one thing, it does it well, and it's incredibly fulfilling, challenging, and exhilarating. Smugglers of the post-climate change future against corporations, pirates at the service of the least, always ready to take risks and with a great sense of entertainment. Great management of the risk / benefit component, precise controls, audiovisual remarkable, with each game over generating more sense of revenge than frustration. A truly remarkable work in its compactness.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10
Dec 5, 2022

Swordship is a clever, original, and interesting concept. It looks good, sounds good, and plays well. There’s just that RNG irritant that means, while you can learn enemy behaviours, you sometimes get lost in the fray. Even the camera shifts and the slow down (which can be disabled) can occasionally disorientate you from your position, resulting in sudden death. At the same time, while imperfect, its evolving and increasingly intense nature has major appeal for score hunters. And, when you do grab that container, trip under a set of lasers, detonate three mines sequentially and blow the screen sky-high, it earns itself an action badge of honour.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 31, 2022

The platform and theme are simple, but Swordship is not easy. Its take on shmups is unique, its visuals are interesting and its story is just enough to inspire the whole "be the hero" ethos. If you like dodge-em games this one is a good addition to your game library.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 13, 2023

The upside-down scrolling arcade concept brings a different gameplay and racing that requires precision. You'll enjoy Swordship as a short-term pass, but it is overpriced.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2022

If you love arcade-styled games that challenge your skills and draw you in time and time again in order to set a new high-score, Swordship is very much worth playing. It’s a simple concept but one that’s been executed rather well. And it is somewhat fun outwitting your enemies and making them destroy each other as you vie to collect valuable cargo.

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8.9 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2022

Fan of arcade-like intensity and a tough-but-fair level of challenge should really dig this unique roguelike dodge-em-up

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Unscored
Jan 16, 2023

Sword Ship is one of those great ideas in gaming that even if it feels a little short. The Dodge'em Up works better than you think and the art direction is pretty interesting. That being said, the PS4 version running on PS5 definitely needs a patch to improve its performance.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

WellPlayed
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jan 9, 2023

Swapping out shooting for dodging, Swordship is a clever score-attack arcade indie title that's as mechanically solid as it is visually striking.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2022

Within what it sets out to offer, Swordship is an excellent action arcade option in the Switch library. In addition to being able to offer a no-compromise game that, without delay, is easy to pick up and put down, the adventure has qualities to spare in terms of intensity, style and personality. So, in command of the stylish ships, just accelerate over the water to guarantee moments of fun full of speed.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

5 / 10
Dec 10, 2022
Swordship Review video thumbnail
9 / 10
Dec 13, 2022

Digital Kingdom's dodge 'em up is a collection of good ideas and good decisions, an arcade so fluid and intelligent that it almost seems to float.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Dec 13, 2022

Digital Kingdoms have really set the bar high here and I look forward to what treasures they bring to us in the future.

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80 / 100
Dec 12, 2022

Swordship is a fun and interesting arcade title that flips the genre on its head. Its high intensity dodge ‘em and puzzle-style action creates a fun gameplay loop. The addition of upgrades and difficulty changes adds to the title’s replayability and while the game is somewhat difficult and lacking in accessibility features, the game still manages to be an exceptional example of arcade-like brilliance.

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Liked-a-lot
Dec 10, 2022

Swordship is fast-dodging fun on the Nintendo Switch. Speeding in at the last moment, this might just be one of the most original roguelikes I have played this year. With so many games in the genre focusing on platforming and action, the racing mechanics really deliver a fresh injection to the formula. The fast pace may be a bit much for gamers with slow or anxious reflexes. Unlocking content can be a bit of a drag in places. Regardless, this is an ideal pick for gamers with little time on their hands or who just want some fast arcade fun. Don’t let this speed you by.

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70 / 100
Dec 5, 2022

Swordship is quick and easy fun that takes away the shooting in a shmup and focuses on defense and dodging. It’s a good lesson to learn, so it’s fortunate to know that Swordship does this right albeit in a very quick but replayable structure. Don’t expect much more out of a game that’s purposely light on story, but more intricate with its scoring and dodging mechanic.

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Liked
Dec 5, 2022

Swordship is definitely a tough game to love at times and it doesn’t go easy on the player from the word go, but if you manage to get through its early challenges, start unlocking better ships and items, the game really opens up and the creativity and quality begins to shine. That, sadly, can be quite a big ask for a game with such hyper-sensitive controls, regular insta-deaths, and enemy frequency and brutality.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 5, 2022

Swordship is an adrenaline-pumping, creative arcade experience. Using a defenseless ship to evade obstacles and pilfer containers is exhilarating, mainly because of the sheer amount of dangers — inducing enemies to attack each other is quite rewarding. The difficulty is intense and it's very easy to crash, but the fun side is precisely being able to survive in the midst of chaos. The constant introduction of content and challenges forces the player to constantly review their strategies. However, in the long term, it is clear that the variety is not the best. Even so, to get the best scores, you need to experiment a lot and master the systems. Other than that, the setting stands out with colorful visuals and stylish scenes. In the end, Swordship stands out with its unique dodge 'em up concept and its neat execution, being recommended for anyone looking for something different and frantic.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review