S.W.A.N.

About

S.W.A.N. is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Volframe and was released on April 26, 2021. It received neutral reviews from players.

S.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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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60%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

story5 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

The game has a fantastic atmosphere and unique horror elements that keep players engaged.
It features interesting story concepts and a variety of puzzles that enhance the gameplay experience.
The game is ambitious for a small team, offering a decent runtime with a mix of horror and action elements.

The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks polish, with clunky controls and some mechanics that are underutilized.
The story can be convoluted and hard to follow, often relying on overwritten dialogue and exposition.
Some players find the graphics subpar and the pacing slow, leading to a feeling of boredom during gameplay.

story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The game's story features interesting concepts and a heavy atmosphere that intrigue players, but it often becomes convoluted and difficult to follow. While some appreciate the unique horror elements and the depth of the narrative, others criticize the execution, noting that it can feel cliché and ham-fisted, with an overreliance on written notes and dialogue. Overall, the story is a mixed bag, appealing to fans of atmospheric horror but leaving some players wanting more clarity and originality.
- “A fantastic horror game - a very original story and heavy atmosphere are doing the job to both intrigue and scare you.”
- “The story is long and thought out and has a really neat concept.”
- “The game is obviously not for everyone, but if you like story-rich atmospheric horror games, supernatural themes, and are fascinated by the Chernobyl disaster, this should be right up your alley.”
- “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.”
- “The story is mostly dictated to you and shown in letters/diary entries.”
- “The whole backstory sounds like something thrown together by a 10-year-old.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it clunky and repetitive, particularly criticizing the shooting mechanics and the need to constantly spend collected resources. While the horror elements and atmosphere are appreciated, many feel that the controls are not optimized and that certain mechanics are underutilized. However, some players enjoy the logic puzzles and suggestive gameplay, indicating that it may appeal to fans of horror walking simulators.
- “Gameplay is similar to Layer of Mirror, where you turn around and the room looks different.”
- “I would recommend this for anyone who likes these types of horror walking simulators (but this one has actual mechanics).”
- “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.”
- “The 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 a feeling of making no progress (not to mention death setting you back to before the section altogether!).”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
11%
22%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting its heavy, immersive qualities that effectively blend horror and intrigue. Many appreciate the original story, detailed map design, and supernatural themes, noting that it evokes a sense of dread reminiscent of classic horror titles. Overall, the game is recommended for fans of atmospheric horror, particularly those interested in story-rich experiences.
- “A fantastic horror game - a very original story and heavy atmosphere are doing the job to both intrigue and scare you.”
- “Very good atmosphere and map design.”
- “I play a lot of horror games on my YouTube channel and this is one of the better games I've played recently, love the atmosphere, some really creepy 'enemies' definitely gives me Outlast and The Suffering vibes!”
- “This game is kind of similar (disappearing hallways, moving walls, some scary moments) but the atmosphere is different.”
- “I play a lot of horror games on my YouTube channel and this is one of the better games I've played recently. Love the atmosphere; some really creepy 'enemies' definitely give me Outlast and The Suffering vibes!”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics in the game are 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.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's stability is 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 captured in the ambience, but the gameplay is plagued by annoying bugs that can force you to restart a tedious 20-minute sequence multiple times.”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing significant time.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted the experience, leaving me frustrated and unable to enjoy the story.”