Time flies when you’re having fun/redefining expectations and helping inspire an entire generation of video games.
We take games like this for granted today, but it’s tough to understate how important Sword & Sworcery was at the time of its release back in 2011, especially for mobile games. It was part of a generation of releases, alongside other kinda-forgotten greats like Canabalt, that helped prove that games on a phone could be so much more than the crap we’d grown accustomed to on flip-phones and the early days of the iPhone. From its soundtrack to its mysterious gameplay, this was something new, and different, and exciting.
And that art. Sword & Sworcery’s crisp, pencil-thin art style is instantly recognisable, and has inspired countless games in the decade since release.
Indeed, it was even nominated as one of the finalists for our Game Of The Year in 2011, something few (if any?) mobile releases have managed since.
It wouldn’t stay mobile forever, of course. A year after its iPhone and iPad release it turned up on PC, and was even ported to the Switch back in 2018, helping it find new audiences each time.
But the game was made for and left its mark on phones, where it’s still available to this day for just $4. If you’ve somehow never played it, that’s the best $4 you’ll ever spend on a video game.
Happy 10th birthday!