S&S; Review: The Unfinished Swan

Title: The Unfinished Swan
Format: PSN
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Giant Sparrow
Price: $15
ESRB Rating: E

The Unfinished Swan is the quintessential PSN title, its unrepeatable gameplay and style makes it one of the most special downloadable titles ever to be released on the Playstation Network.
Story, Presentation, and Core Gameplay:
The heartfelt storybook narrative of The Unfinished Swan is one to get lost in. The story begins as you find Monroe, and orphaned boy whose mother was painter.  She had a strange habit though, she never finished any of her paintings.  When his mother passed, she left him with all of her unfinished work, but the orphanage would only allow Monroe to only keep one of them, so he chose the Unfinished Swan.  One night, the swan in the painting suddenly disappears, so Monroe's decides to leap into the blank canvas, setting up the perfect entry into the game.  The narrative is wonderfully narrated by a woman, who I  believe is Monroe's mother, but thats just me.  Its just a beautiful tale from beginning to end, you've grown accustomed to seeing this kinds of games on the PSN, so I wasn't surprised to see another terrific storyline.  Throughout out the game you'll see other storybook style anecdotes about a King, that gives little details about his life and his passions.  The visual style is second to none, the game is mostly told through black and white environments, but as the chapters progress, the use of color also increases.  This is one of those games that will spark up the old argument, "Are games art?"  I do believe that games are art, and especially this particular title.,  The music is a masterpiece as well, its ever enchanting tunes keep you mystified about the world you're experiencing.  This is definitely one of the most distinctive soundtracks around, and I hope you can purchase it separately down the road.  Besides the music, the sound design is great as well.  Lots of distinct sound effects, and some sparse voice work by the boy really make the child's tale come to life.  The gameplay is rather simplistic, you're thrown into this all white world, and you have to throw black balls of paint to make out a way threw this blank world.  It may be simple in concept, but as you progress through the games chapters, your tools will change.  Instead of black paint, you'll be switching to balls of water, that grows vines that you can scale.  These vines also help manipulate the world, further directing you toward the illusive swan.  Each area also has a number of balloons to set free, its an optional objective that only slightly adds to the game.  The game isn't long at all, its about two hours long.  Which is right around the same length as Journey, its the perfect length for this game.  
Final Thoughts:
The Unfinished Swan is one of the best experiences I've played through this year.  Its a nothing more than a tale searching for his mother's favorite piece of art, its all he has left of her.  For $15 bucks, its worth the two hour experience alone, and it should definitely not be missed.
S&S Rating: 9/10 @whatsPlay