Swarmcade

About

Swarmcade is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Giggles Games and was released on August 8, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Swarmcade is a retro-style Bullet Heaven/Survivors-like action roguelite, where you battle an endless horde of enemies in fast-paced, auto-shooting combat. With 10+ heroes, 30+ weapons, and 16 perma-upgrades, each run offers new challenges and opportunities to build and power up your character. The goal? Survive the swarm and defeat the final wave boss in 30-minute runs, with hero unlocks and gold carrying over between playthroughs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 41 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game has a charming retro aesthetic and arcade vibe, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
The developer is very active in updating the game and is open to feedback, showing promise for future improvements.
Gameplay is addictive with a good variety of characters, skills, and upgrades, providing a fun experience overall.

There is a lack of build diversity and unique skills among characters, leading to repetitive gameplay.
The stage balance is poorly designed, forcing skilled players to play through easier stages to unlock harder ones.
The absence of a turbo mode makes lengthy stages feel like a grind, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features charming retro graphics that effectively evoke the feel of an arcade cabinet, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience. While some players noted a boxy gameplay feel due to the grid, the visuals are generally well-received and complement the game's theme nicely. Overall, the graphics are simple yet appealing, contributing positively to the enjoyment of the game.
- “This game caught my attention with its retro graphics and I have to say I enjoyed my time so far.”
- “The aesthetic is a real treat for the eyes here, with a few options to really lean into the whole idea of 'looking into an arcade cabinet.'”
- “The graphics are simple, but nice and fit the theme.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized for its punishing nature, requiring players to replay lengthy stages with the same weapons and forcing them to complete easier difficulties to unlock harder ones. While some players find the grind enjoyable due to the abundance of unlocks and secrets, many feel that the gameplay choices are overly limiting and detract from the overall experience.
- “No turbo mode, 30+ min stages that are designed to be played over and over again with the exact same weapons and being forced to play each stage on easy just to unlock hard... that is beyond a punishing grind even for one of these very grindy style games.”
- “But I personally do not understand many of the gameplay choices being made and find them incredibly limiting, punishing, and grindy even for this genre.”
- “Grindy but fairly fun survivor game with loads of unlocks and secrets.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The gameplay is generally praised for its fluidity and fun factor, though some players find it somewhat boxy and grid-like, which can detract from the experience. Despite this, the charming visuals and competent gameplay loop contribute positively to the overall enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is very fluid and fun.”
- “The gameplay is very fluid and fun.”
- “The gameplay loop is competent and the visuals are charming.”
- “The gameplay feels a little more boxy than I like; I am very aware of the grid as I play.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is highly praised for its appealing style, with many players noting that it is catchy and memorable, often lingering in their minds long after playing.
- “The music is on loop in my head!”
- “Nice music/style.”