S.W.A.N.
- April 26, 2021
- Volframe
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamS.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored is a science fiction FPS puzzle horror game set in the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant disaster's aftermath. Join a research expedition and explore the secret S.W.A.N. Institute, encountering horrors beyond human imagination and uncovering the twisted secrets of its founder, professor Kaydanovskiy. Features psychological horror, science fiction elements, and challenging puzzles.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Engaging and atmospheric storyline that blends fact and fiction surrounding the Chernobyl disaster.
- Good voice acting and sound design that enhances the horror experience.
- Variety of puzzles and unique horror elements that keep players engaged.
- Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks polish, with some mechanics being unintuitive.
- The game does not pause for reading notes, which can lead to frustrating situations.
- Some players found the story convoluted and difficult to follow, with a lack of clarity in certain mechanics.
- story35 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mix of intriguing concepts and convoluted execution, often relying on extensive notes and diary entries for context, which can feel overwhelming. While it features a blend of fact and fiction, particularly around the Chernobyl disaster, many players found the narrative cliché and poorly delivered at times, with some plot elements feeling ham-fisted or derivative. Despite these criticisms, the atmosphere and unique horror elements keep players engaged, making it a compelling experience for those who appreciate story-rich horror games.
“A fantastic horror game - a very original story and heavy atmosphere are doing the job to both intrigue and scare you.”
“Capitalizing on the Chernobyl event is nothing original, but continuously integrating factual information such as notes about famous Soviet scientists and then switching to the plot of government cover-ups of experiments, differing dimensions, and ghostly beings really kept me interested.”
“Although some of the action scenes leave more to be desired, the story is well constructed and finds its own niche place, merging fact and fiction.”
“The story gets convoluted and hard to keep track of.”
“The story notes and dialogue are overwritten at times, and delivered on a number of occasions in a ham-fisted way; the ending twist is not very original, and that's just the problems with the writing.”
“It's unfortunate when paired up with the at times unbelievable and unnecessarily convoluted story.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, with some players finding the mechanics clunky and unintuitive, leading to a repetitive experience. While the game features engaging horror elements and intriguing puzzles, it struggles with optimization and can feel tedious at times, especially with its reliance on resource management and backtracking. Overall, it offers a unique atmosphere and some enjoyable moments, but the execution leaves much to be desired.
“This game does a lot of plot dumping with the entity called the 'phenomenon' and some of the mechanics aren't quite explained very well, but overall I had a ton of fun with this game.”
“Interestingly, gameplay is broken up into different sections and does not solely rely on exploration and note reading but does incorporate action scenes to remind players that there are imminent threats which can result in death, if not careful.”
“I'm just 50 minutes in and already love the atmosphere and gameplay, cool logic puzzle stages and scary jumps.”
“After 80 minutes of gameplay, I have yet to see anything in the videos or pictures on the game's store page except the intro.”
“- Shooting mechanics are pretty clunky.”
“Gameplay-wise, it does get a bit repetitive at times, and sometimes that lightning ball collection gets a bit onerous as you have to keep spending the lightning you collect to fend off enemies, leading to at times feeling like you're making no progress (not to mention death setting you back to before the section altogether!).”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, with exceptional sound design and music that enhance the eerie experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a heavy, intriguing ambiance, particularly in its horror elements and story-rich environments, making it a standout choice for fans of atmospheric horror. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a key strength, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“A fantastic horror game - a very original story and heavy atmosphere are doing the job to both intrigue and scare you.”
“Developed by Polish studio Volframe, I was pleasantly surprised at not only how well constructed the game is, but how haunting and atmospheric it can be.”
“Majority of the game is spent wandering around the facility, picking up notes and absorbing the excellent, eerie atmosphere.”
“Scu has got you covered with a grating atmosphere and lingering threats.”
“I play a lot of horror games on my YouTube channel and this is one of the better games I've played recently. I love the atmosphere; some really creepy 'enemies' definitely give me Outlast and The Suffering vibes!”
“This game is kind of similar (disappearing hallways, moving walls, some scary moments) but the atmosphere is different.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are highly praised for their atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing emotional engagement and tension throughout the experience. The soundtrack is noted as a key element that elevates the overall impact of the game, complementing the fully voiced characters.
“The atmospheric sound design and music are very good.”
“The soundtrack is an unspoken hero because it really evokes strong emotions.”
“Characters are fully voiced, and the soundtrack adds a great deal of tension.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics have been criticized for being grainy and subpar, contributing to an overall lackluster visual experience in what is primarily a slow-moving walking simulator.
“It's just a slow-moving walking simulator, with grainy subpar graphics.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, particularly at 4K resolution, leading to clunky controls and a lackluster gameplay experience despite some effective horror elements.
“It is not optimized well for 4K.”
“As for a horror game, it had some good scares, but the gameplay is pretty bland. The controls feel very clunky and not optimized.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for being plagued by bugs that can disrupt gameplay, forcing players to restart lengthy sequences. While the horror ambience is well-executed, the overall experience is marred by these technical issues, leading to frustration.
“The horror element of the game was well executed in the ambience, but the overall experience was marred by frequent bugs that forced me to restart a tedious 20-minute sequence multiple times.”
“The game is plagued by stability issues that disrupt the flow and immersion, making it frustrating to progress.”
“I encountered numerous crashes and glitches that made it difficult to enjoy the game, leading to a lot of wasted time.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be monotonous and tedious, often feeling that it serves as unnecessary padding rather than meaningful gameplay.
“But having you repeat the same monotonous, tedious hunting of thought particles and balls of lightning to advance just screams 'padding'!”
“The grinding feels endless and uninspired, making progress feel more like a chore than an achievement.”
“I found myself stuck in a loop of repetitive tasks that drained the fun out of the game.”
