The Unfinished Swan

From the creators of What Remains of Edith Finch. Enter the surreal world of The Unfinished Swan and explore a mysterious, hidden kingdom by splatting paint to reveal the world around you.

The Unfinished Swan is a adventure, puzzle and indie game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive.
Released on September 10th 2020 is available only on Windows in 11 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Portuguese - Brazil and Spanish - Latin America.

It has received 1,635 reviews of which 1,379 were positive and 256 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. 😎

The game is currently priced at 4.61€ on Steam and has a 67% discount.


The Steam community has classified The Unfinished Swan into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at The Unfinished Swan through various videos and screenshots.

Requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS *: Windows 7
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-2300 | FX-4350
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTS 450, 1 GB | AMD Radeon HD 7770, 1 GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 8 GB available space

Reviews

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2025
Minimalistic but gorgeous. Original and creative, not in what it does, but how it does it. Most of the game is pure eye candy, too. This game has the cozy feeling of a storybook. It reminds me of the simple style of Shel Silverstein with a bit of a whimsical, fairy-tale like narrative. It's got minor puzzle elements and some platforming. I didn't expect to love this game like I did, but in its utter unambitiousness, it caught my heart and it even made me tear up a bit. It's simple, short and warm. Like a mother's kiss.
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Dec. 2024
This game has a beautiful and interesting storyline with gameplay to match. There really is nothing like it. Unfortunately, - and I realize this is a me thing - I found myself developing motion sickness on the first level. The high contrast Black&White plus quick looking around while throwing ink blots started to make me feel nauseous pretty quickly, and unfortunately I had to return this game. (for a reference, I get motion sickness when playing MineCraft without a shader, so I imagine I must be a bit sensitive... However The Unfinished Swan is only the 2nd game that I've played that has given me motion sickness.) I don't know if there are accessibility settings that can be added to help with this issue, but I really wish I could play this game so badly. I am still leaving a positive review because The Unfinished Swan deserves it, and I want to support and let the studio know how much I really loved and enjoyed their other games like, What Remains of Edith Finch, and how highly I think of what I've seen of The Unfinished Swan so far. :}
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Sept. 2024
I'd rate neutral if I could. Its a very mediocre game with alright visuals. If you're coming from edith finch, temper your expectations bc this is nowhere near that masterpiece. I wish there was just a tiny bit more to this game, whether it be slightly more lore or more runtime. I don't know play it if you want
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Aug. 2024
The Unfinished Swan is a captivating blend of art, philosophy, and unique mechanics that creates an experience like no other. The game takes you on a surreal journey through a mysterious, blank world where you, as a young boy named Monroe, must navigate using splashes of paint to reveal your surroundings. This simple yet ingenious mechanic immediately sets the tone, inviting you to explore an evolving landscape that transitions from a puzzle-based adventure to platforming, and even survival elements. One thing to note is that some players have reported experiencing motion sickness while playing, likely due to the game's unique visual style and movement. Personally, I didn’t have any issues, but I usually don’t get motion sick, so keep that in mind if you’re prone to it. The story itself is a bit abstract and might leave you scratching your head, but I think I got the gist of it by the end. Despite the confusion, the narrative has a dreamlike quality that fits well with the game’s aesthetic. The gameplay is straightforward and enjoyable, starting with puzzles that evolve into more complex mechanics, like creating your own platforms in mid-air, surviving dark areas filled with dangers, and even escaping a flood. Each chapter introduces a new twist, keeping the experience fresh and engaging. I managed to complete the game in under four hours, including all the achievements. Most of the achievements are pretty easy to get, like collecting all the balloons and finding the hidden stories, though there’s one called "Minimalist" that I found frustratingly difficult (I literally screamed while doing it cuz it was so frustrating)! But overall, the achievements are accessible and add a little extra challenge for completionists. I initially played The Unfinished Swan because I was curious about its connection/or if there is a connection to What Remains of Edith Finch, another masterpiece by the same developer. The connection isn’t explicitly clear, but it does add an intriguing layer of depth to the experience...or so I think lmao? Overall, The Unfinished Swan is a short, unique, thoughtful game that’s well worth your time, especially if you appreciate games that blur the line between art and gameplay. Despite a few minor frustrations, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for something different and meaningful.
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June 2024
Elegantly surreal minimalist game with an equally nice flowing fable-like storyline and a fairy tale ending. Definitely recommended for someone who wants a game that thinks a little bit "outside the box" without leaving you in the middle of a trail of stupidly hard unsolvable puzzles. The game starts with this bleached out white screen/canvas and a small circle cursor. It took me a while to realise I could "paintball" the canvas and reveal the surrounding scenery. I found by paintballing minimally just enough scenery was just enough to see where I was going. However, that meant there were "gaps" between paintballed scenic detail, and bleached out white canvas and, therefore, attempting to moving between the two areas initially made me feel like I was going to fall through the "gaps," which was mildly nauseating - but not to the extent that it made the game devastatingly unplayable. You could go full bore and just paintball every bleached out white bit but that would have the opposite effect of just creating a dark abyss with an equal lack of detail. So you reconcile the way to make progress in this game is to paintball just enough to gain a contrast between the white and the black. Then, in the detail, all this stuff like abandoned carts, boxes, statues, gates, and the like starts appearing. But next you are left with the expectation that you are supposed to interact with these elements and achieve something with it - not in this game. In this game, these elements are merely "3D paintings" and you really are just groping around looking for an unexpected exit to the next level, like corridors, stepping stones and stairs. There are also "clue" golden webbed footprints that indicate the direction the escaped swan may have moved towards. However, because a swan has wings, then some of these footprints appear in inaccessible places, meaning you need to go round a detour in order to trace where the swan may have ventured. Just when you think you have mastered the paintballing in black, then the next chapter starts with a slightly different twist on the paintball feature and scenery interactions. The resultant collection of chapter twists and "paintball" features gives the game a compellingly intricate yet minimalist sense of finesse. Very enjoyable without being disappointingly short. The only issue I had with the game was the auto save feature which only saved at the end of each section. I just wished there were more save points available! 9.5/10
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Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

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Last Updates

Steam data 20 November 2024 08:14
SteamSpy data 19 January 2025 21:18
Steam price 22 January 2025 20:26
Steam reviews 21 January 2025 17:58
The Unfinished Swan
8.1
1,379
256
Online players
10
Developer
Giant Sparrow
Publisher
Annapurna Interactive
Release 10 Sep 2020
Platforms