The Swapper (Xbox One) Review

 

Cloning has been a global intrigue and controversy for decades and we continue to see this topic pop up in popular forms of media. Whether we see it in TV shows with Orphan Black, in movies with Jurassic World or in everyday news, it’s around us. Many countries have banned human cloning but with all the popularity around the topic we can still watch our shows or movies and play games that revolve around cloning.

With the Swapper, Finnish game Developer, Facepalm Games uses cloning as the basis of their debut game. The Swapper is a one of a kind platformer that gives the user control of a cloning device to create clones of themselves and progress through the story.

As you begin in this futuristic game, you are trained on how to progress through the story. First you get your cloning device and once you use it you can see that each clone you make are incapable of independent movement and thought. Every clone you produce will copy your every move. Perfecting the movement can take some getting used to. You must be aware that once your clone is created and he touches your main character the close is killed off. This shows us that the clones are in the game to act as a tool and nothing more.

Facepalm Games then adds another device to our arsenal and this one is very interesting. Once you create your clone you will be able to swap places with a created clone as another key tool to solve the puzzles and progress in the story. Using this tool also temporarily slows down time while you aim it which removes the chances of constant deaths when your clones fall down off a surface.

The story being told in the Swapper is presented as something very special. We hear and read the story through terminal logs that are spread throughout the spaceship and there is a lot of reading and exploring in the game to get every bit of the story presented to us. The story is so detailed and enjoyable that you will want to look for every single terminal to piece everything together. As you progress through the spaceship to find more terminals you will need to also find orbs that are only obtained when you solve a difficult puzzle. The Swapper really makes us use our brains to succeed.

The Swapper rounds out its gameplay and story presentation with an amazing soundtrack from Composer Carlo Castellano which provides us with a perfect atmosphere throughout each level. The Swapper’s video is also impressive as you get a unique style seen throughout your journey and makes the exploration of the game even more enjoyable. Each asset in The Swapper was first modeled in clay before being digitally inserted into the game. With the amount of time spent on the story, the visuals and the sounds, it shows and presents itself as a great piece of work.

There are few games to fully invest and execute all of the ideas the developers originally have on the drawing board. The Swapper succeeds with the puzzles they present to the user to solve, the graphics, the sound and story and deliver it all for a great price of $14.99/£11.99 and you can add it to your download queue here.

The Swapper - 80% Story/Features --- 85% Visuals ------ 80% Sound--- 75% Achievement Variety --- 85% Playability --- Will it last on your play list for more than six months? No ---85% DP Overall Rating