Swarm is the brand-new and unique action platform from Hothead Games. Players will take control of 50 Swarmites and by using them to get points and killing them to get multipliers. Players aim to rack up as many points as they can. Will the swarmites deaths be in vain or have they insured that Swarm is a fun and entertaining game?
Let’s find out and kick off the HOTs and NOTs.
Hots
Unique gameplay
Swarm’s gameplay is not only fun but it is highly addictive! The objective is simple, get the amount of points the levels target is set at, the fun bit is how you get the points. Players will have Swarmites running through minefields, traps and even lava pits in an attempt to get a high multiplier. Of course players can’t let all of the Swarmites die, if they do they lose all their points and have to start again at the checkpoint or even start the level.
The gameplay makes players ask a very old question, just how many of them can I kill and still survive? Only after time will players get the slightest idea of just how many they can afford to lose and this is what keeps the gameplay not only unique but entertaining.
Presentation
While the graphics aren’t going to exactly win a grand prize it is pleasant on the eye; this is due to the cartoony style presentation. The splatter of blue blood across the screen and the floor help immediately set the scene for Swarm. The created tone is furthered by the slick mix of the graphics with the game sounds. From explosions to squelches all of the sounds extend the overall feel of the game. The cartoony style really does lend itself to the type of game, it’s not trying to be overly violent but there are deaths of thousands of Swarmites.
Replayability
The game is designed superbly. It has points and leaderboards so players can try to get the highest scores and beat their friends; but it’s also been developed with a fun factor in mind. These factors are really do help the game to have massive replay value. Firstly the most obvious, with a game that is so addictive and fun, it’s hard to see how people wouldn’t want to replay the game. Then with the points system players can go back and try and improve scores, the game it is truly set up for multiple plays. There are even collectables in the form of DNA, for players to attempt to collect.
Ease of Play
Swarm has been created with all players in mind. Whether you want to know all the aims and controls first or just jump straight into the action the game allows you. Players are eased into the mix at their own rate. There isn’t a tutorial as such; instead there is both an in game step by step guide and a gradual learning process throughout the first few levels.
Casual players can take time to learn the controls and get to grips with the point scoring system: but it’s just as fun to find out as you play along. The controls and the concepts are all easy enough to understand allowing for players just to pick up and play straight away.
The early levels will help players learn the basics as well as going on to combine them to form the more advanced controls. The more advanced controls, which by any means aren’t hard, allow players to gain even more points. The option to just skip the early guide as well as the option to read it at any time, truly means anyone can play and understand the aim of Swarm.
Small features
There are a few nice features that help cement the Swarm experience. When at the game menu there is an up-to-date Swarmite death count, which players will here to observe rocketing up. This shows the fun side of Swarm: while it’s a worrying statistic players will still congratulate themselves for helping the figure to rise.
The second feature isn’t as much a hidden feature, as one that apparently should never actually be used. Of course I’m talking about the “Do Not Press” button. By accidentally pressing triangle players will kill the Swarmite that appears next to the menu. I first noticed this feature I anticipated there being only the one or a handful of animations but to my surprise, there are about 15 unique animations. They including a Swarmite being shot by arrows and another even exploding. They aren’t game making features, but they really do help to show the nature and the playful side of Swarm. And most importantly are rather fun.
Nots
A Little More Content
While the levels give replay value to the game, it would have been nice to see a few more levels or bonus challenges. Some of the later levels will take players a few attempts, while the will quite comfortably manage to complete the first few levels up to the first boss. The first few levels act sort of as a tutorial, despite the fact that none of them are exactly a tutorial. They gradually teach players the basics, from controls to the general objective. This cuts down the amount of levels of the game that simply focus on giving the player a challenge. This is why a few extra levels would have been nice or an extreme difficulty mode which makes traps even more deadly and points harder to come by.
Minor Problems
There are a few times while playing Swarm that I found the game worked against me. This was usually when some Swarmites had managed to get stuck. When they got stuck they fell behind the rest of the group, this occasionally resulted in half of my Swarmites being on one side of a drop and the rest on the other. In turn unintentionally I ended up killing a large proportion of the Swarm. Whilst I got a good multiplier the next portion of the level was a lot harder than it should of been. This didn’t happen much and it only actually this only happened once or twice but it’s enough to mention just because it was a small irritation. Luckily it was one of the only irritations of Swarm.
Verdict
Swarm is certainly not only great fun to play but also it can become addictive. I never thought trying to kill off as many blue creatures as I could afford to, could be quite this entertaining but strangely it is. While the content provided down so we have a lot of replay value it would be nice to have a tiny bit more. Swarm certainly stands out from the crowd and anyone can enjoy the title, let’s just hope the RSPCA don’t find out about.
[Editor’s Note: Swarm was reviewed on the Playstation 3. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
