The feeling of mystery and exploration is fantastic and the environments pop with stunning beauty as they are stricken with scattered explosions of black. I felt immediately amazed by the concept of a blank world revealed by the user throwing paint. It is with that first splash of paint, revealing part of the space, that this game grabs you. Dropping you into a completely blank world you are told nothing, the stunning sound design builds an environment around the empty space you inhabit.

While some games struggle to keep momentum leading up to a crescendo ending, Giant Sparrows debut suffers from the opposite with the very opening being by far the most compelling. While entirely devoid of people the kingdom is rich with environments and mechanics to help Monroe find the secrets of this unfinished world, the world that ultimately stays strong as the only compelling part in the game. Monroe is thrust into the world of the painting leading him into an adventure across a kingdom uncompleted by a king at odds with his subjects. Grown from a 2008 tech demo The Unfinished swan places the player in control of a young boy named Monroe who is on a quest to find an unfinished image of a swan as it mysteriously vanishes from a painting.

Developed by indie team and Sony protégés’ Giant Sparrow, The Unfinished swan is a surreal, often beautiful but ultimately flat journey into the mind of a studio bound for greatness. Developed by indie team and Sony protégés’ Giant Sparrow, The Unfinished swan is a surreal, often The Backlog 2: The Unfinished Swan.

Download the unfinished swan ps3