Business Goose Studios takes players on a musical journey of reflection and discovery in Swan Song, which has you guide a small swan figurine through an enchanted music box by solving puzzles and finding clues to the owner’s mysterious past. A free playable demo was released on Steam in December 2024, and the developer has promised a Nintendo Switch port at some point in the future.
The intro says that Swan Song is “based on a true story… a story familiar to far too many.” As the clues within the music box come together, the sad backstory of father Tristan, mother Amber, and daughter Edith starts to take shape, a tale of grief and how people come to terms with impending loss through shared interests like music – and how sometimes people lose track of what they still have while mourning the past.
Key Details
- Developer: Business Goose Studios
- Publisher: Business Goose Studios
- Platform: Steam
- Price: TBD
- Review Code Provided: Yes, For Steam
Solving The Mystery
When the player first starts the game, they have to select a stage and physically click and drag a key into the music box to open it. From there, they have to guide the swan to the goal by placing musical notes on sheet music to trigger moving platforms in time with the music, with each being coded to one of four colors on the sheet.
Once the player thinks they have the puzzle solved, they simply click on the key again to play the song and watch the swan move through the course. The solution to the course can be found by studying the sheet music, which has different notes to determine whether the swan or a platform will move next.
The Answer Lies In The Music
As players advance through Swan Song‘s story, the puzzles naturally grow more elaborate, with the player needing to use different types of notes that automatically trigger a platform again after a certain number of movements or freeze the swan for a turn. Platforms include ones that move multiple times, turntables that rotate the swan, clock hands that can swat the swan off the track, and more. The game also adds enemies that shoot at the swan when a certain color is triggered, requiring the player to avoid or remove them in order to advance.
Each chapter adds a new mechanic and eases the player into using it, so things don’t get too overwhelming. After solving enough puzzles, the music box will reward the player with a clue to the overall mystery, be it a letter or an object like a Father’s Day gift or a medicine bottle. Sometimes these contain audio messages from the family or a rotatable picture of an important room.
A Swan’s Bittersweet Tale
Swan Song goes for a minimalist approach to its graphics, with soft colors and a cartoon-like art style. The music is largely subdued and somber, fitting with the overall themes of the story. Occasionally, Amber or Edith will play or sing a song, and the limited voice acting in the letters and recordings is decent for the most part.
Final Score – 7/10
Swan Song isn’t necessarily the most elaborate puzzle game out there, but it contains some interesting brain-teasers wrapped in a cozy atmosphere and a surprisingly touching story of a family dealing with a tragedy that will feel all too real for many. It’s also quite short, so anyone looking for a good puzzler with an emotional punch might want to give Swan Song a look this summer.
**Bonus Action was provided with a Steam Code of Swan Song for the purpose of this review**
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