Interactive Dreams is carving out a niche as a developer that likes to create short, philosophical interactive stories. I enjoyed A Dream About Parking Lots, although the messages got a little messy in its walking simulator turned therapy session premise. Swann’s Song tackles bigger topics but in a much simpler setting. It has one screen, two characters, and a thoughtful story told from a fairly unique viewpoint.
Swann’s Song takes place like a play. The player is the director, and throughout the game, you’ll be choosing from three options to steer the conversation or stage directions. The premise is that an old man is sitting by a lake, watching a swan that is apparently about to die. He wants to see if the swan song they sing when approaching death is real. He is interrupted by a young boy who starts off asking all kinds of questions, before the two realise they can offer each other some wisdom of life. This game is all about philosophical thoughts on life, death, and the passage of time. The young boy wants time to go faster so he can be an independent adult. The old man is approaching the sunset of his life and wishes time would reverse back to days when things felt happier or less complicated.
As the two characters talk, the player, as the playwright, gets to steer the conversation. This won’t change the overarching story, as it is a linear 45 – 60 minute experience. However, you will get to make micro topics feel all the more personable. By selecting what motivates a character, or what they love, hate, fear, or regret, it makes them feel like rounded human beings. You can also choose not to say anything at all, and use a stage direction to focus on the swan, or the lake, or the sunset. Sometimes the silence is louder. At the end of each chapter in the game, which is chopped up into conversation topics across a day at the lake, the old man will take out his notepad to write down how the chat has made him feel. It’s a nice way to mentally unload some meaty topics from different perspectives, and as the old man is a writer, it fits into the narrative of the game very well. Swann’s Song doesn’t lament or dredge itself in huge revelations or trauma because the game is so brief. Instead, it chooses to focus on how two people at the bookends of life could benefit from each other’s wisdom and perspective. It’s a gentle, thoughtful game. Like an exhale on a stressful day.
There is one element of the game that did annoy me, and it is the music. The music in the background is stuck on a loop, and this is addressed in-game itself as part of the narrative as a metaphor for both characters feeling stuck in life. It doesn’t make listening to the same couple of minutes of a single classical piano piece any less grating, though. Turn down the volume if it annoys you, too.
Short and bittersweet, Swann’s Song is perhaps a little too quiet and reflective for its own good. I suspect many narrative gamers may have missed this, but with its cheap price point and thoughtful structure, I think it is well worth a look. I can see myself returning to the game in a few years to see if the notes and thoughts I jot down as the old man change as I get older. Not many games make you the playwright, and I’d like to see this explored again in future.
Higher Plain Games is part of the Higher Plain Network. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month. There are additional perks for supporting me, such as behind-the-scenes content and downloads. You can also share the website or use the affiliate buy now links on reviews. Buying credit from CD Keys using my affiliate link means I get a couple of pence per sale. All your support will enable me to produce better content, more often. Thank you.