Swordship (2022) [Steam] review

“The future. The polar ice caps have melted, covering the Earth with water. Those who survived have adapted to a new world.” –Waterworld

Everyone is familiar with shoot’em ups: quick combat while firing and an endless barrage of bullets. Offensive weaponry to counteract your opponent who also unleashes their own hail of firepower. But what happens when the developers take away your weapons? Swordship is a fast-paced top-down rogue-lite where your main goal is to rack up points while collecting cargo. Enemies have everything at their disposal, but your ship is fast! Are you ready to take on the challenge of a dodge’em up game?

Cargo Runners

The world as we know it is long gone. Increasing temperatures have forced humanity to build cities underwater. Large utopias underneath the waves house millions of people. Of course, with so many civilians, there comes the struggle to keep them fed. Shipping lanes once used by large manned tankers have been replaced with automated cargo carriers that skim the surface of the water. Now called “Shipping Lines,” these waterways carry supplies back and forth between cities. The shipping lines must be heavily guarded with turrets, mines, and all manner of weaponry.  The Outcasts prowl the rivers hoping to get their hands on the precious cargo containers. These people have been banished from the underwater cities and must fend for themselves on the surface. You have become an Outcast and must now steal containers to survive.

The Swordship

Sleek, fast, and maneuverable, the Swordship is the tool you’ll need to survive. It has no offensive weaponry but its size and speed make up for it. If the driver is in a pinch, they can also submerge underwater for a few moments. The main goal of Swordship is to dodge attacks from enemies while also lining them up to damage each other. Having an enemy destroy one of its allies will grant you bonus points for the level. The further you get into the game the more your skills will be tested. Piloting the Swordship is smooth whether you are using a controller or mouse and keyboard. Your ship is bright yellow which pops perfectly against the water colors and contrasts the grey enemy ships. This makes it difficult to lose track of yourself while speeding down the waterways. The ship is designed to hold one cargo container. To drop them off you’ll have to hover over a platform. It takes a few seconds to unload so watch out for enemy fire!

The Importance of Cargo

The containers that are collected will be shown at the end of each level. Yes, the “food” and “supplies” in these containers are very helpful to the fictional characters in the world, but how do they help YOU, the player? Cargo containers can be used as a bonus to your score for the level. These points tallied up at the end of a run are used to unlock new upgrades for your ship, concept art, and abilities. Since Swordship has rogue-lite qualities, each run through the game will be a bit different. The starting special ability, enemy configurations, and pick-up points will change. Each container collected has a bonus ability inside but you can only choose one per level. Cargo can also be used to give you extra lives. This will come in handy once you reach the boss!

A Clean Run

Swordship utilizes the time it has really well. It’s a game that you can pick up, do a few runs, and then move on. In short bursts, the game thrives, with its fast pace keeping you on your toes. The cartoon graphics are nice and prevent the visuals from becoming a chaotic blur. Even when playing on my Steam Deck the game ran perfectly and I could follow my ship with ease. I really like the concept of zipping between enemies to lure them into shooting their allies. Diving below the surface is a quick and reliable way to dodge attacks. Though Swordship is lacking a bit in content, as there is only one mode to choose from with multiple difficulties and the game is relatively short. To counteract the shortness of the game there are plenty of concept artwork to collect, modifiers to gameplay, and harder difficulties to tackle. I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of shoot’em ups or looking for a mix-up in the genre. Swordship not only delivers the cargo but also the thrills and fun!

Thank you to Digital Kingdom and Thunderful Publishing for giving us a review code for the game!

Pixel Perfect

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YemmytheFerret (Yemmy) is a podcast hos for the shows Ferret64, Film Freakz, and FerretNFL. He also is a variety streamer on Twitch who enjoys platformers, shooters, and action RPG’s. His favorite game is Banjo-Kazooie and currently lives in Ohio.