With a lot of uncertainty surrounding just what it’s wise to spend on these days, games that can be had for free are all the more precious. That in mind, add Capy Games’ hit 2011 adventure title Superbrothers Sword and Sworcery EP to the list. In a tweet, Capy announced that the game’s original iOS and Android editions are now free to download for everyone.
Maybe you need to stay indoors for the next little while, but you can still go for a magical walk in the woods: Superbrothers: Sword & #Sworcery EP is now free on iOS. A little bit of relief in these weird times, from @jampants @superbrothersHQ & CAPYhttps://t.co/VyUpJoNXOI pic.twitter.com/exIlbbt4Qr
— CAPY (@CAPYGAMES) March 20, 2020
After winning the Mobile Achievement in Art award at Independent Games Festival in 2010, Superbrothers Sword and Sworcery EP released in 2011 for the iPad and iPhone. It was one of a wave of highly stylized indie games during the early smartphone and touch-device era and garnered acclaim for its pixel art style and music by by co-creator Jim Guthrie. It also featured early integrations of smartphone features and social media in its mechanics, such as turning the device sideways to draw a character’s sword. Players could also use Twitter to tweet short poems from the game as a way of broadcasting their progress.
Superbrothers Sword and Sworcery EP eventually made it to Android devices and the PC, and in 2018 joined the Nintendo Switch as a “Nindie.” Capy games went on to publish and develop other titles, including Grindstone, Super Time Force Ultra, and Below. Check out an old trailer for the game from 2011. It’s worth pointing out that touch-enabled smartphones and tablets were considerably rarer and more novel at the time, as were mobile games that strove to be more than Angry Birds-like time-wasters.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is available on iOS and Android devices for free. PC and Switch versions are also available.