The Unfinished Swan Review - Playstation Network (PS3)

The Unfinished Swan is a unique and creative game released on the Playstation Network (PSN).  The game begins with a short story about a young boy named Monroe.  His mother loved to paint but never finishing her paintings.  One of these paintings is of a swan.

The game begins in a completely white space.  You play as Monroe setting out into a fantasy world chasing after the swan which has escaped from it's painting.  As you set out, you can see nothing.  Everything is white.  You begin to move around, hearing your footsteps and peaceful music in the background.  You soon find that you can lob paintballs out into this white space.  As they explode, black ink splatters over your environment.  As you throw more paint balls, your surroundings begin to be revealed.

I really enjoyed this concept.  It gave me a unique experience of exploration and visuals unlike I have seen in any video game prior.  As you continue to explore your way through this world, you begin to learn more about the story through pages written on the walls explaining how a king designed this world and how it will change.

I expected this to be the entire game and while it is unique and creative, it would likely become boring and tedious rather quickly.  Shortly into the game, The Unfinished Swan surprised me by changing up the style of the game.  Each level showed a new variety in level design, graphical style, and emotional feel you got while playing.  One stage actually had me sitting forward in my seat, heart racing as I struggled to reach safety.  Other levels challenged you with environmental puzzles keeping you on the lookout for clues and hints as to where to go next.

I also felt some similarities to games like Journey and Flower.  While this game is not quite as good, it will give you that same sense of artistic creativity and exploration.  The Unfinished Swan has a unique charm that I would highly recommend taking the time to experience.

Overall, The Unfinished Swan is a pretty remarkable game.  While it only takes 2-3 hours to complete, it's a unique experience you will not find in any other video games.  At $15, I found the game to be rather enjoyable and I did not mind the price even though it's so short.  I'd highly recommend you all to download this game on PSN and let me know your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter!