Swordship Review (Xbox Series S)

by Jim Smale · Published December 5, 2022 · Updated December 5, 2022

For this Swordship Review, we go to a world that is submerged and the remaining lands are barren and inhospitable. Humanity has taken refuge in three gigantic underwater cities on the ocean floor. Those expelled from the cities struggle to survive in the sun-scorched wasteland. Below their feet, the megacities survive on trade, through a constant flow of containers loaded with good s.s.r.

Swordship Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
950.5MB download size.
1000 Gamerscore.
Dodge ’em up gameplay.
Roguelike element.
Three game settings – screen shake, a dynamic camera, and Swordship acceleration.
In between levels you can choose to donate or keep cargo for extra lives.
When you do the extra lives option you get to open the cargo and choose one to use in the run.
Permanent unlocks are earned from your final score so if it’s a 1000 score then you need to score at least 1000 points in one run.
Extra lives have you you start the level again.
Collect cargo and make it wither to the end of the level or use the drop-off pod.
Get enemies to shoot each other.
Once unlocked, you can choose your equipped items on the ship.
You have free roam of the area on the screen.
Simple controls.
The basic move is the ability to dive underwater for a short time to avoid Gunfire.
Collect pellets for a score or powering up ability.
Levels randomize every run.
Score bonuses pop up on the screen.

Swordship Review Cons:

Cannot rebind controls.
The loop is a long tedious one.
Doesn’t offer any starting options for difficulty or game speed.
Cannot customize your ship.
Can be hard to see enemy attacks at times.
Takes a while to get used to.
No online leaderboards.
Feels like a big grind.

Swordship:

Official website.

Developer: Digital Kingdom

Publisher: Thunderful Games

Store Links –

Xbox

7/10

Graphics - 7/10
7/10

Sound - 7/10
7/10

Accessibility - 7/10
7/10

Length - 7/10
6/10

Fun Factor - 6/10

6.8/10

Summary

Swordship is a dodge ’em up, go flying down a water stream and pick up containers and drop them off to get upgrades whilst avoiding a lot of enemies. It’s a simple game idea and one that is fun to play but it does have a huge grind to it. Unlocks are temporary when in a run and permanent unlocks are tied to your score, the shitter being you need to get at least that score in one run otherwise it is all for nothing. As you work your way down the progression tree you will notice the score gets bigger and bigger which is fine but early on it’s a huge grind and to be honest the grind feel never truly leaves. The core gameplay is fine but even that is either a bit tame or a bit too hectic, it never felt like the balance was quite right. I could boot the game up and have a blast but then I could do it again the next day and have nothing but frustration. As a dodge em up it’s fine but as a game, it is very long and it is only after you get a healthy suite of upgrades that the game opens up but again that takes a ton of time.