The Swapper

The Swapper is a clever, engaging, and focused puzzle game, one that will test your wits and leave you questioning your actions. With a unique gameplay premise that is explored to its logical ends, both in terms of the problems you’ll be solving and the narrative wrapped around them, and a stunningly atmospheric backdrop, The Swapper proves to be a satisfying and thought-provoking adventure that all puzzle fans will enjoy.

The final act of the game taunts us with philosophical questions, and since it is appropriate, we will remind you of it before you start playing this extravagant, uncanny experience. "What is dying? A disconnection? The absence of knowledge? What is it for? To avoid something worse? For a short time, at least." The only thing that holds this game back from a perfect score is its relatively short length, which oddly reflects the lifespan of The Swapper's clones.

The Swapper doesn't outstay its welcome, ending before its gameplay starts to grow tiresome. At the same time, this ending is bittersweet, as it's easy to wish for more clever puzzles using these mechanics. If you can manage to cruise through without getting stuck too long on many of the puzzles, The Swapper can easily be completed in a four-hour sitting.

The Swapper is a slow and thoughtful game unnervingly fixated on its gratuitous death toll. It's a puzzle game that asks you to consider your actions, both literally and mentally — what they did and what they cost. It is the space marine shooter inverted. Its antagonists are immobile, talkative rocks; its environment is static and action-free; its sole weapon only kills you. And The Swapper is a fantastic puzzle game because its best riddles are the ones that can't be solved.

There are certain moments in this game that are sure to take your breath away. There is a strong emphasis on the sense of scale at just the right times to create memorable impressions and feelings of insignificance in the great void of space. Players may find themselves occasionally thinking more about the great emptiness of their surroundings instead of the next puzzle.

To simply describe the experience as a challenging puzzle game would sell short its fascinating environments and carefully constructed narrative. There’s a lot more to it than you can convey with a box quote or one minute trailer. This is a game that demands more from its players, and treats them as capable thinkers. Don’t make the mistake of dismissing The Swapper.

Some of my favorite gaming experiences are those that come out of left field and completely blindside me. I love it when a big-budget, triple-A title meets high expectations, but I’m sometimes even more happy when a title I’ve never heard of blows me away. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with The Swapper; it continuously surprised and impressed me from its intriguing first moments to its fantastic ending.

The Swapper is a wonderfully clever game that’s as smart as it is atmospheric. The swapper gun is a simple device that allows some fantastically tricky puzzle solving, and the pace of the difficulty increase is perfectly balanced so you’re never looking at a room as a giant pile of work rather than a fascinating task. The dark reaches of space are a horrible, deadly place, but if they’re filled with excellent gaming like The Swapper, it’s probably worth the trip.

The Swapper tempted me with ingenious puzzles, transported me to a fully realized science-fiction world, and made me ask questions about mortality and morality that few video games have ever dared to explore. Very few puzzle games have ever managed to marry impeccable challenges with a mature storytelling quite like this – there's no fluff or extraneous content here, only a prime example of how to create a tight, unforgettable gaming experience.

It's a routine concept but one implemented with a delicious amount of competence. The puzzles, which start easily enough, ramp up speedily in terms of difficulty. Though they progress at an expected incline, they can still be absolutely rage-inducing, as there is no way you can get around solving any of these buggers.

The intrinsic bone-chill of The Swapper ultimately comes from the things it does in your own mind - the way it encourages you to see yourself as a disposable resource, the way it pushes you towards a thousand casual betrayals where individual vessels are sacrificed.

Tenemos un juego destacable tanto en concepto como en ejecución, con una mecánica pulida que funciona a la perfección y que estimula nuestro cerebro, una presentación audiovisual magnífica que hace lo propio con nuestros sentidos y una historia que no nos dejará indiferente. Es algo corto y no hubiera estado de más algo de contenido adicional, con algunos puzles más antes de llegar a la conclusión, o quizás más contenido secundario o alternativo para acentuar la exploración.

Llega prácticamente desde las sombras y sin hacer demasiado ruido, pero The Swapper se ha ganado un puesto de honor entre las aventuras de puzles más destacadas de la década. El impecable diseño de sus rompecabezas, la importancia y encanto que destila a nivel argumental, y su poderosa ambientación son aspectos que están muy por encima de la media. Así que no os lo penséis dos veces. Es un auténtico imprescindible.

La douce mélancolie qui émane du titre sert avec justesse une narration délicate qui nous parvient par bribes au fil des terminaux et pierres croisés, et les puzzles à résoudre grâce à l'outil de clonage savent nous résister sans jamais être frustrants. On regrettera donc que le jeu soit si court et qu'il se prête mal à un second parcours, les solutions étant basées sur la précision d'exécution et laissant peu de marge à notre créativité.

The Swapper est une excellente expérience pour peu que l'on ne soit pas totalement hermétique aux puzzle-games. L'ambiance est délicieuse, la direction artistique est aussi ingénieuse qu'atypique, et l'on est tout de suite happé dans l'univers du titre. Bien que le jeu dispose de beaucoup d'atouts et d'excellentes énigmes bénéficiant des multiples variables introduites par le game design, on pourra tout de même déplorer un manque évident de rejouabilité.

È bizzarro, ma i cloni di The Swapper racchiudono alla perfezione il concetto di vite e morti banali, per nulla importanti, cui il videogioco ci abitua da decenni, riuscendo nel contempo a dare loro un valore forte, subdolo, stordente. Mica male, per un semplice puzzle game.