A very cute game with very cute ideas.

This is a such a cute game. Very chill. Not too long. Changes up the gimmicks often.

It was pretty when it came out and still pretty now. Very stylized and sets the vibe well.

It controls well. No realy complaints there. The vine gimmick is a bit tedious. The worst part of the game. But still fun enough.

The story is just cute and heartfelt. Cheerful with a tone of saddness. The vibes change in ways that are surprising. It does it all well.

I've played this game twice. Both times a were fun. Nothing special, but still fun.

more indie developers should play this game so they get off their ass and finish their games instead of constantly making new shit lmao

not as emotionally sound as edith finch but the story is still really phenomenal. giant sparrow is batting two for two for me and i feel like they're one of the only developers out there right now that are capable of making these kinds of games while simultaneously blending good level design with good narrative. cool seeing names that went on to do greater things like ben esposito in the credits. also terry gilliam is in this wtf?

Sometimes you can't tell with artsy indie games if it's going to be a fun time or something you can only appreciate from a conceptual perspective. The Unfinished Swan is not only unlike anything I've played before but also a genuinely fun little adventure that I've returned to quite a few times over the years.

At first you're staring at a white screen, but soon realize it's up to you to lob balls of paint to fill in the world around you. This in itself is really rewarding and unique exploration, but the game turns into something different entirely by the time you reach the next level. Giant Sparrow just constantly throws fun new mechanics and ideas your way which lead to a great little journey.

The storytelling is all metaphorical and went a little bit above my head but you definitely shouldn't miss The Unfinished Swan, a charming short game with a surprise around every corner.

The Unfinished Swan is a creative walking sim that has something oddly nostalgic about it, kinda like reading a picture book as a child and imagining yourself into the hero's shoes, seeing strange and enchanting things happening around you while barely taking action yourself. It has a great art style and the story is both sad and uplifting, which i think makes this game special, but i can't say that it would keep me invested for longer than 20 mins at a time. Definitely give it a try if you're into this type of gameplay, I might didn't exactly love it but it's an adorable game with a bitter sweet story to tell.

In 2024, this game does not have the same impact that it might have during 2012, when there was really nothing quite like on the PS3. Over the last decade, it's no longer a novelty to play with the conventions of video games, color, 3D geometry, etc... and yet this game still feels unique with much of its approach. I finished this game with mixed feelings, because while it is very imaginative and had a lot of clever ideas (including a particularly strong ending), it doesn't feel cohesive. The pacing spends too long with some ideas and fails to really explore some others.

The game opens in a white maze, and as you toss ink you eventually start creating the outlines of a world, which can look striking at different angles. Your sense of place is a mystery so you want to solve that mystery. However, there is not a mystery to be solved. The story is literal and straightforward and the area you walk around in does not really contain much of interest. The collectable balloons are nice but are contextually weird. The areas don't encourage exploration, in fact I think the idea of the first area is to be a bit aimless.

The next area is the longest of the game, and you can see everything laid out in front of you. The puzzles are not really there to challenge you, and after a while it started feeling tedious to me to follow the prescribed path around the zone. There are flashes of things being interesting, such as when you first get access to the weeds, but the third area is where things really fell off for me. They went in another new direction by having a dark area and turned into a survival game. It was not really what I expected or wanted out of this particular game. Then in the final part of the level unlock the new mechanic, to create platforms. It felt exciting until you discover that you're basically just building the same staircases everywhere and it's all over soon.

The final chapter surprised me with how suddenly everything ended, but I do think they made some good creative choices in telling the story from the King's perspective. It's just a shame that I was not invested in the story at all by that point. It's written as a children's story, and so there's not a lot to grasp onto there.

I want to make a pun about this game feeling unfinished or sloppy/messy like the ink blots of this game, but I do respect it more than that. Overall, I'm glad I played this, and maybe I'll enjoy it more on a future playthrough but the execution left a bit to be desired.

I didn't play this game in 2012, and in 2020 it definitely feels like a 2012 game.

It was certainly an interesting experience and it does make serious efforts in conveying its themes using gameplay and art — with mixed to positive results. I'm just not sure the experience this game brings isn't superceded by newer and more well-realized games, even ones such as Giant Sparrow's own "What Remains of Edith Finch".

It's a curio from a different indie era. As such, it might be fascinating and enchanting to some, while just smelling of dust and mold to others.

I approached Giant Sparrow's debut game with knowledge of their next and more famous project and complete unknown regarding this project. And I was amazed.

The Unfinished Swan will amaze from the very first minute. The game begins... with a white room. There is absolutely nothing in it, and only by the cursor in the center you can understand that the game has even begun. The first intuitive action of the player will be pressing the left mouse button - and the first throw of a clot of black paint. At that moment, you understand everything and immediately raise your eyebrows in surprise. I didn't read the description or look at the screenshots (at least not long enough to remember) so this really came as a surprise to me. The mechanics of coloring the location and gradually orienting in the area in this way is really original and immediately immerses the player in this unusual world. Gradually, different uses are found for it, and even better, it evolves and changes. In each chapter, the player uses different methods of interacting with the environment, the design of locations and goals also change with this. I won't go into detail on these mechanics (because you should see them for yourself), but I'll just say that one of the most amazing things about the game is that towards the end, and even in the epilogue itself, new mechanics appear or new uses are found for them. In such a small story, such changes do not let you get bored and keep you constantly in a state of a little surprise. It's great that the developers did not get hung up on one mechanic and endowed each chapter with their own features.

Another striking aspect of the game is the story. It begins quite simply, but towards the end it develops into an extremely pleasant parable about the path of life, the process and meaning of creativity, and the inevitability of death. I am always moved by stories that can, in such a compact and easy to understand form, provide food for thought about the most monumental aspects and mysteries of our existence, and here is such a story. It also blends perfectly with the gameplay, creating a varied and memorable experience.

Everything else also works on the level. Sound and music, visual style, controls and interface do their job, and the lack of bugs is also nice. The game also has collectible items in the form of balloons, collecting them can open various additional items, such as a set of early game sketches and the ability to use mechanics previously available only at certain points everywhere.

Perhaps my long hiatus from going through story-oriented projects is taking its toll, but I can't help but love The Unfinished Swan. This is an extremely enjoyable little game that both perfectly showcases the talent and ideas of a small Californian studio (which will be even more evident in their next project) and gives a touching story with a galaxy of thoughts on various topics and, in the end, a warm moral. Projects like this are probably what I want to see more in the industry, and that's why The Unfinished Swan really excites me. If you fell in love with What Remains of Edith Finch, then this game will not yield at all in emotions, and if this is the first Giant Sparrow project for you, do not hesitate and boldly plunge into the world of colors and shadows, whiteness and night, creativity and the eternal mystery of our being in this world.

This is a game that made quite the impression on me back in my PS3 days, where these artsy "experience" type indie games were less common. Painting your environment into existence is still a great concept, as are the later-introduced concepts of spraying water to create climbable vines and making blueprint blocks to climb. These gameplay elements, however, are not expanded upon too much; they're a novelty, but a really cool novelty, just interesting enough to propel you through the game's narrative. Said narrative is presented like a fairytale, and hovers somewhere between absurdist, charming, and provocative, though I personally wish it committed more to only one of these elements. Like other games of its ilk, what it all means is mostly left up to your interpretation, but it resolves in a satisfactory enough way regardless. There are minor collectibles, unlockables, and a brisk pace that makes finding everything not feel tedious. The visuals are very simple, but tactfully so, as your ink and vines are what make the mostly monochromatic world look distinct. The music is subtle and ethereal, appropriate for this type of game, but perhaps lacking in character.

I see massive potential to expand on both the game's story and gameplay mechanics, but as is, the Unfinished Swan is fairly straightforward, pleasant journey.

SPOILER:

...I just realized you never actually finish the swan, and I don't know how to feel about that.