Pendula Swing - The Complete Journey Review

Pendula Swing - The Complete Journey is probably the most obscure game I have ever had the pleasure of playing. I came across it when, a few months back, my wife bought a bundle to help those struggling due to the war in Ukraine, and I couldn't be more grateful to have crossed paths with this title.

The game looks simple at first glance, and — perhaps in some aspects — it can be. But it's hard to miss the amount of love poured into everything, not just because of the beautiful areas and in-depth story but also the detail behind everything you can find and read. The amount of care put into the title is exactly what charmed me the most. 

Before we move on, let me explain a bit about what the story is all about. In Pendula Swing, you play a retired heroine — named Brialynne — who saved the world many years ago and retreated to her island to spend her life with her wife. Then, years after she becomes a widow, someone breaks into her home and steals her most prized possession: the axe she used to save the world, which was gifted to her by her late wife. That is where the journey begins. 

Despite the fact that very few videogames (or media in general) explore the after story of what happens when a hero completes their mission, it was not the most outstanding or unique aspect of Pendula Swing, and the fact that there were so many more unique aspects is what caught my attention about it. The game is set in the 1920s (which I think is a criminally under-explored time), the hero is a woman, the hero is a lesbian, the cast is wide with different species (like goblins and orcs), and they try to represent and tackle many important subjects in the story. Although I'm usually sceptical of games with these themes in them — due to the games sometimes exploiting these subjects for brownie points or going about it wrong — I never felt like they were being shoved down my throat or paraded disingenuously. In fact, because Pendula Swing took its time with the story and characters, I naturally grew to love the world and people, therefore becoming passionate about the in-game causes.

I am more of an action genre type of player; my favourite games are Sekiro and God of War. So, although I had a feeling I was going to like Pendula Swing, I never quite fathomed just how much. The game has a bit of a slow start as you get used to how it works — such as the movement, the quests, and overall the feeling of the game — but once you get the hang of it and you travel to the city of Duberdon, it's quickly snowballs from there onwards. I soon became enthralled with talking to all the NPCs I could find and going off to try and help them out — although talking to everyone can sometimes feel a bit weird and unnatural, as going into people's homes and chatting them up felt a bit boundary-breaking; one particular instance that felt awkward was when I walked in on a husband waiting for his wife half-naked. However, once I got past that initial social awkwardness, I devoured all the missions I could find. In fact, I got sucked into a rabbit hole for about five or six hours of just side missions because I was having too much fun to advance the main storyline. 

That's when I realised just how much I loved Pendula Swing. Time would melt away as I tried to raise funds to help a family of struggling goblins, or go settle a feud, or — my absolute personal favourite — call a caring mother's children to dinner, as they were all out and about their business in the city. Every quest, side quest, character, and situation felt real and full of loving charm. Several times throughout my playthrough, I expected a very typical and overused outcome and instead was pleasantly surprised by what happened at the end. It made it easy to seep through dialogue and continue asking questions. This is coming from someone who gets bored and distracted crazily easily (as proven by one of my earliest articles about my inability to play games for over 30 hours). 

The game also has other charming aspects, such as being able to befriend animals and have them follow you around or decorate your home and character. Unfortunately, those aspects felt somewhat lacking — fortunately, I didn't particularly care. Although I am a sucker for customisation, I felt like they placed their efforts in the right places; having so many good dialogue options more than made up for anything I couldn't tailor. The customisation is also in the dialogue anyway because you can make Brialynne quite a jerk if you so please! The developers never force it on you to be the hero she is, as you can lie and double-cross NPCs throughout the story. I did not play her that way, however, so I do not know what would happen if I made her less heroic. And although I do have plans to return and make her more bitter, I am happy that my first playthrough stayed true to who she is and honoured her as a hero. 

The graphics are very beautiful, especially in some areas like the club. Additionally, I was very charmed by the audio design, as the 1920s atmosphere was very obvious because of it. My only quarrel with it is how often the same song repeats; I wanted much more because it was such a great tune! 

With all of the praise given, I do want to warn you of the few downsides the game has, lest you come in with a high expectation and end up disappointed. Two of the things that feel a bit clunky at times are the movement, which feels a little glitchy when traversing certain areas, and the animations, which were basically non-existent. Additionally, the romance and decorating aspects didn’t feel very fleshed out, but I didn’t mind any of these downsides because the game really centres around the stories and world of Pendula and how it all works after the world was saved.

Pendula Swing offers a wonderful journey through the fantastic world Brialynne lives in. Players will find that there is a lot to unpack and explore (as there's even romance options!), particularly if they do not mind going through a lot of dialogue. But I can promise that the game is definitely worth a try, as it has been one of the most charming and unique stories I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.