Think of it as an interactive soundtrack.
Sword & Sworcery is a truly stunning game. The graphics are done in a pseudo eight-bit style that is both more detailed and more abstract than an actual eight-bit games. It is designed such that it has a blocky retro look but then also contains many light and scaling effects that were not even close to possible those many years ago. It is a purposeful and stylized use of both the new and the old that is quite effective.
The soundtrack, too, continues in the modern/retro vein. The obvious choice here would seem to be eight-bit style music but instead composer Jim Guthrie opts for a whole different kind of retro: big, lush synths and an expansive progressive rock sound that recalls fantasy movies of the seventies and eighties. Still, like the graphics there are many careful touches of modernity like big, sampled-sounding drum beats when the music really needs to kick in gear. Pretty much every aspect of the game is modeled around the music and sound design. As you wonder through the settings of the Caucusus mountains, new scenes are set by the music as much as the setting. Sound effects meld seamlessly w/ the soundtrack and the overall effect is both original and immersive.
And if I were reviewing this as an art installation, that would be all that needs to be said. However, developers Capybara Games have released and promoted as a video game and this is a gaming website so it is very hard to overlook the fact that the gameplay here is simply not very compelling taken on it's own. It is essentially semi-purposeful wandering and puzzles that are solved by trial-and-error alone. Simply put: the gameplay is not a highlight of this game. The interesting thing is it's not supposed to be.
Sword & Sworcery is a game that exists for the sole purpose of presenting itself. This is not a completely novel concept and overall to me feels like something of a tech demo in a way. Only it's not a tech demo, it's an art and music demo. The concept and the presentation are there--and it's great--but the gameplay is not fully fleshed out yet. I can see how this game ruffles feathers and it has lead to some very strong opinions both negative and positive. For what it is, it is exceedingly well done but it is not necessarily trying to be a game for gamers and those gamers who are thinking of playing this need to bear that in mind. Enjoy Sword & Sworcery for what it is and hope Capybara releases a spiritual successor that has gameplay that delivers on the same level as the presentation.