SWARMRIDERS

About

SWARMRIDERS is a single player action game. It was developed by Walter Machado and was released on June 15, 2016. It received positive reviews from players.

"SWARMRIDERS" is a free, fast-paced "endless runner" and "twin stick shooter" mashup, described as a "machine gun swarm surfing minigame." The game features arcade-style action, where players control a mercenary gunner on a bike, with responsive controls and a heart-pumping original soundtrack. Set 400 years before the events of UBERMOSH:BLACK, players can enjoy a few minutes of elegant gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 328 reviews

music38 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Fast-paced and addictive gameplay that keeps players engaged.
Great soundtrack that enhances the gaming experience.
Free to play, making it accessible for everyone.

Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth after a short time.
Visual effects, particularly explosions, can obscure gameplay and lead to frustration.
Limited options and settings, which may detract from the overall experience.

music
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
48%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many users praising its energetic and adrenaline-pumping heavy rock and industrial metal tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. While some noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive during extended play, it remains enjoyable enough to listen to outside the game, and its availability as DLC adds to its appeal. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere.
- “Adrenaline pumping action with a killer soundtrack that keeps the tension high, and it's free!”
- “The soundtrack is composed of five heavy rock songs that have a hint of futuristic synthwave to them.”
- “As I'm writing this review, I just can't stop thinking of its fantastic soundtrack which just seems like a remixed version of some of the tunes and music tracks from Ubermosh as it is in the same universe, so it does make sense, but it still is so fantastically badass and it makes the gameplay so much more fun.”
- “Unfortunately, the songs become background noise as the intensity of the game increases, but they are great to listen to even outside of the game.”
- “The options don't seem to exist, so soundtrack and sound effects cannot be turned off, so after a while it becomes very tiring to listen to the same riff and drums hammering away.”
- “That lack of audio feedback really hurts it and makes it feel devoid of a certain amount of pep and life that I think it would greatly benefit from, especially as I wasn't particularly into the music that it relies upon so heavily and I ended up muting the game after 10 or 15 minutes.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and responsiveness, offering a frenetic experience with satisfying controls and a stylish aesthetic. However, many players find it lacks depth and becomes repetitive quickly, with some noting issues like unbalanced enemy mechanics and low-quality graphics. While it can be enjoyable for short bursts, it may not hold long-term engagement for those seeking more complex gameplay.
- “Great controls and very satisfying, simple gameplay.”
- “Absolutely frenetic gameplay, simple but stylish cyberpunk visuals, and a heavy techno-industrial soundtrack.”
- “The gameplay is easy to learn but hard to master.”
- “The gameplay is extremely basic, doesn't have any depth, and becomes numbingly repetitive after only a few minutes.”
- “Despite being free, the deplorably low quality/lazy pixel art and game-template shallow gameplay makes this unworthy of a dedicated PC gamer's time.”
- “What you see in the trailer is the extent of the gameplay.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
49%
13%
The graphics of "swarmriders" feature appealing pixel art that complements its cyberpunk biker aesthetic, with some reviewers praising the unique neo-retro style. However, the large explosion effects can obscure important gameplay elements, making it difficult to see details during intense action, which may frustrate players. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, they can detract from the gameplay experience due to their cluttered nature.
- “The graphics use nice-looking assets (which I believe are hand-drawn) but it's hard to see the details while the game is in motion, especially among the enemy explosions which are so enormous that they obscure other enemies beneath them and even yourself, which can lead you to taking damage out of seemingly nowhere.”
- “Absolutely frenetic gameplay, simple but stylish cyberpunk visuals, and a heavy techno-industrial soundtrack.”
- “The art style is really good, especially for a free-to-play game.”
- “Gameplay consists of being annoyed by console peasant children's toy gamepad prompts and pointing at baddies to kill them with the autofire from your 'gun' or whatever it is you have (hard to tell, the graphics are that bad).”
- “They chose to use obsolete retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's only one enemy type, no form of upgrades or real progression, a pretty basic art style, and a handful of music tracks.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The game features a virtually non-existent story, with minimal connections to the broader ubermosh universe, primarily noted in its store description. Players emphasize that the gameplay focuses on survival and reflexes rather than narrative, leaving much of the lore to player interpretation and imagination. Overall, the lack of a substantial storyline is a defining characteristic of the experience.
- “The only story is that this takes place 4 centuries before this dev's other game, Ubermosh: Black... that's literally it.”
- “This way the dev doesn't have to sweat an elaborate backstory, but through pixels and gameplay gives us enough dirt on this series to plant the seeds of our own crazy headcanon.”
- “The story is non-existent and the game has no text whatsoever.”
- “The only inkling of a story can be found in the description on the store page which links it to its sequel, Ubermosh: Black, but even then it barely seems to add anything of substance to the overall lore and world-building of the series.”
- “There's no story whatsoever, just an endless runner with a bunch of the same enemy chasing you for no reason.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it fun and easy to revisit, many express that it suffers from repetition and lacks meaningful incentives for repeated play, such as online leaderboards or a vibrant community. Consequently, most players feel that the game has limited replay value, with many experiencing all it has to offer within a short time.
- “This game is pretty fun and replayable, though many may get bored fast with its repetition.”
- “Simple, fun, replayable, free.”
- “This results in the game having absolutely no replay value unless you like competing for a high score, but there are no online leaderboards, nor an active community on the Steam discussion forums that tracks high scores, so you'd have to start one yourself, compete amongst your friends, or find an online community.”
- “The replay value is non-existent since you will experience all that the game has to offer within the first 10 seconds of playing it.”
- “Fun little game, easy achievements for you hunters, but not much replay value though.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a thrilling and intense experience, evoking feelings of adrenaline and power amidst a chaotic, almost void-like environment. Players appreciate the frantic energy and engaging gameplay, which contribute to a memorable and immersive indie gaming experience.
- “While moving your cursor, you remember everything that happened - the atmosphere, the adrenaline, and the feeling of power. You left-click on the play option, and before you can think about it, you’re back, back in the black, almost textureless void and the unending battle that comes with it.”
- “Fits the frantic fun atmosphere of the fiendishness of the Ubermosh universe!”
- “But I enjoyed the atmosphere, the hectic gameplay, and the price tag from a really cool indie dev.”
- “While moving your cursor, you remember everything that happened - the atmosphere, the adrenaline, and the feeling of power. You left-click on the play option and before you can think about it, you’re back, back in the black, almost textureless void and the unending battle that comes with it.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game has notable optimization issues, with users rating this aspect a low 5 out of 10, indicating that performance could be significantly improved.
- “The game runs smoothly after the latest optimization updates.”
- “I appreciate the developers' efforts in optimizing the gameplay experience.”
- “The optimization features really enhance performance and reduce lag.”
- “The game has some optimization issues.”
- “Optimization is lacking significantly.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally considered amusing for brief moments, though some users express frustration with the reliance on negative or repetitive comedic elements. Overall, while it can elicit laughs, its effectiveness may vary among players.
- “Overall funny for 5 minutes from time to time.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game exhibits excellent stability, with no glitches and smooth performance, contributing to an overall positive gameplay experience.
- “No glitches.”
- “It feels great, it runs great, it plays great.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model of the game is entirely free, which contrasts with the common criticism of games made with Gamemaker Studio being perceived as low-effort cash grabs.
- “Very often, game maker studios are used to create shovelware and lazy cash grabs, although in this case, the game is completely free.”