Insect Swarm
- September 11, 2024
- Parallel Portal
- 6h median play time
Get on SteamInsect Swarm is a top-down shooting game where you battle huge swarms of insects in a barren desert world. Upgrade your airframe and weapons, and switch to Mecha mode to wield a melee weapon and heavy Gatling gun. With no level cap on upgrades, collect resources and continue leveling up as you fight to survive.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay loop, perfect for mindless shooting and upgrading.
- Graphics and sound design are well-crafted, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the experience.
- Players can enjoy a chill gaming session, making it a great option for casual play or to unwind.
- The game suffers from optimization issues, leading to performance drops and crashes, especially on lower-end devices.
- Content is currently limited, with repetitive gameplay and a lack of variety in weapons and enemies.
- The upgrade system feels shallow, with minimal meaningful progression and no real customization options.
- gameplay84 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Insect Swarm" is characterized by a solid and addictive core loop that offers a satisfying experience, particularly through its upgrade mechanics and engaging challenges. However, many players find the gameplay to be repetitive and lacking in variety, with limited content and meta-progression options. While the controls are generally well-tuned and the game can be enjoyed casually, it could benefit from additional content and improved mechanics to enhance long-term engagement.
“Very satisfying and has a solid gameplay loop.”
“The gameplay loop is very addictive and rewarding.”
“Fluid gameplay: the controls and gameplay are generally well-tuned, providing a smooth and intuitive experience.”
“Gameplay is pretty bland and becomes tiresome, repetitive quickly.”
“No meta-progression, no meaningful difficulty or gameplay variety.”
“I know some people love a fancy mech, but it kind of threw me out and in fact the gameplay with it (its attacks, movement and such) felt badly done and wonky.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and attention to detail, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances gameplay. While the visuals are well-crafted and optimized, some users noted a lack of graphical options and a somewhat bland aesthetic in certain environments. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, contributing positively to the gaming experience despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth and AI.
“The graphics and attention to detail are great.”
“The aesthetics of the insects and environments are detailed and contribute to immersion in the game world.”
“Creative graphics and design: the visual design of the game is one of its strong points.”
“No real graphics options other than swarm size.”
“The desert world aesthetic gets dry on the eyes rather quick... even with the occasional little oasis, it's bland.”
“Gets a minus for no graphical options, my poor 1050ti hasn't worked this hard since it tried KCD on ultra.”
- music52 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received for its energetic and engaging qualities, enhancing the gameplay experience, especially during boss fights. However, many players find the soundtrack repetitive and lacking in variety, often preferring to mute it and play their own music instead. While the sound effects are praised for their integration into the game, there is a consensus that a broader selection of tracks would significantly improve the overall auditory experience.
“The music really keeps the heart racing, bosses are fun to fight and the weapons just keep ramping up.”
“The soundtrack and sound effects are well-integrated into the game environment, helping to build a richer and more engaging experience.”
“Great soundtrack, cool gameplay.”
“Sounds get old after a while, as does the singular repeating song in the soundtrack, combined with the one for boss fights.”
“However, the soundtrack needs much more variation.”
“I wish the music was a little less generic rock and was something more unique.”
- grinding42 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while many players find it enjoyable and relaxing, providing a satisfying loop of upgrading and defeating hordes of enemies, others criticize it for being overly repetitive and lacking depth in meta progression. The necessity to grind for upgrades and crystals can lead to boredom, especially during lengthy boss fights, but those who appreciate mindless grinding may still find value in the experience. Overall, the game is seen as fun and worth the price, though improvements to the grinding mechanics and variety in gameplay are desired.
“The meta progression is quite dull and is purely a matter of grinding bigger numbers, with no option for builds and customizing play style.”
“The whole fetch quest mechanic of it, solely for the purposes of grinding these basic upgrades is weak.”
“However, things got pretty grindy pretty quick.”
- optimization24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players find it surprisingly well-optimized for most scenarios, many report significant performance issues, particularly during intense moments with numerous on-screen elements, leading to frustrating frame drops. Despite the appealing graphics and solid gameplay foundation, the optimization problems detract from the experience, with several users recommending improvements before fully endorsing the game.
“Graphics are pretty, and most of the game is surprisingly well-optimized, leading to pretty satisfying bug swarm destruction.”
“Performance has been fine for me, but maximum swarm size is configurable if needed.”
“Minus some optimization issues, it's perfect.”
“I had some fun grinding for a few hours, but I did so with the game running at 20 fps or less as performance tanks heavily, even with a low alien count (RTX 2080 / Ryzen 2700X / 16GB RAM installed on SSD).”
“The foundation is good, a solid brainless top-down shooter, but I wouldn't recommend it in its current state, since it has clear optimization issues (getting 40 fps on a 2080 Ti / i7 8086K).”
“Horrendous optimization!”
- story14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely absent, with players noting that there is no deep narrative or compelling reason for the gameplay, which primarily revolves around killing bugs. While the gameplay can be enjoyable and simple, many reviewers feel that the addition of a story or campaign could enhance the experience, as the current fetch quest mechanics feel weak and lack depth. Overall, the game is seen as fun but lacking in narrative substance.
“There is no story or real reason you are flying around; you just go forth and slaughter bugs or they slaughter you.”
“Could benefit from some sort of story/campaign.”
“The whole fetch quest mechanic of it, solely for the purposes of grinding these basic upgrades is weak.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many players noting that once all bosses are defeated and weapons unlocked, there isn't much incentive to replay. While some users mention enjoying the experience, the consensus is that it is best appreciated in a single playthrough rather than multiple runs.
“I am not sure how much replayability there is at the moment, or how many hours it takes to get to the end, but for now I am having loads of fun!”
“Replayability: 'Insect Swarm' offers good replayability.”
“Replay value is admittedly very limited.”
“Not much replayability after defeating all the bosses and unlocking all weapons.”
“Worth for a short experience as there isn't much replayability, so take your time the first time around.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its great graphics, cohesive art style, and immersive qualities that engage players. However, this strong visual appeal is often contrasted with criticisms of bland gameplay and poor AI, suggesting that while the atmosphere is compelling, it is not enough to elevate the overall experience.
“The art style is cohesive and creates an immersive and unique atmosphere.”
“Immersive atmosphere: the game manages to create an immersive atmosphere that keeps the player engaged.”
“Controls really well and visuals are atmospheric.”
“4/10: Great graphics and atmosphere, but paired with bland gameplay and terrible AI.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly noticeable through frequent "snap lags" that cause temporary freezes, disorienting players and often leading to instant deaths. While some users find the buggy mechanics tolerable, they express a desire for improvements before fully committing to the game.
“The game has bad snap lags, where something overwhelms the game engine and everything freezes for a moment before snapping back to the present. You are totally disoriented and often die instantly.”
“The 'mech is a bit buggy, but that's okay as it's an option. After playing with it a few times, I'll come back when it's ready.”
