Swirl W@tch

About

Swirl W@tch is a single player shooter game. It was developed by sleeper_games and was released on April 17, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

In "Swirl W@tch," players step into the role of a magical hero tasked with saving the world from a mysterious threat. Utilize a variety of spells and abilities to battle enemies, solve puzzles, and explore a vibrant, hand-drawn world. With a unique art style and immersive story, Swirl W@tch offers a fresh take on the action-adventure genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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100%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Swirl W@tch offers a unique blend of stealth mechanics and customization, allowing for diverse gameplay styles and strategies.
The game's art style and soundtrack create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
It provides a challenging yet rewarding gameplay loop, where players can experiment with various tools and tactics to complete missions.

The controls can be unintuitive and may take time to get used to, which can hinder the initial experience.
There is a lack of mid-mission save options, making longer runs potentially frustrating for players with limited time.
Some players may find the game's difficulty level to be excessively punishing, leading to a grind for progression.

gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
8%
The gameplay is a unique blend of stealth mechanics and strategic planning, drawing inspiration from submarine warfare and titles like Metal Gear Solid V, resulting in a methodical yet engaging experience. While the controls may take time to master and the tutorial can feel lengthy, the rich variety of gameplay elements, including sound-based mechanics and loadout customization, offers significant depth and replayability. Players appreciate the tension and immersion created by the game's atmosphere and mechanics, making it a standout title in the stealth genre.
- “The gameplay manages to blend together so many things that on paper shouldn't work together at all - submarine sonar, an equipment wheel, asteroids-like controls - but in practice result in a very unique, streamlined experience packed with oodles of brilliant game design.”
- “The core gameplay loop is simple: you load up on equipment and weapons at your base that you use in missions of varying length and difficulty, where you have to sneak around company property, complete specific objectives usually relating to sabotaging corporate infrastructure and blowing up particularly nasty hired goons.”
- “The gameplay is an unholy mix of Newtonian flight mechanics (in thick gas though, so you won't have much trouble braking), tense but at the same time strangely relaxing stealth (likewise mostly enabled by the thick gas), and sheer terror at realizing you've been spotted and your dinky little ship is being pursued by an armada.”
- “The core gameplay loop is simple: you load up on equipment and weapons at your base that you use in missions of varying length and difficulty, where you have to sneak around company property, complete specific objectives usually relating to sabotaging corporate infrastructure, and blowing up particularly nasty hired goons.”
- “You'd think an unholy merger of MGSV: The Phantom Pain and Silent Hunter painted on the backdrop of squid people labor unions firebombing refineries and spacing corporate death squads inside of a gas giant would end up a disjointed mess, but Swirl W@tch not only managed to make the above work, it went beyond just a gimmicky aesthetic and interesting premise, creating an absolutely top-shelf stealth game with varied content and potentially tens if not hundreds of hours of gameplay.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The story of *swirl w@tch* revolves around players taking on the role of an anonymous eco-terrorist, engaging in increasingly challenging and procedurally generated missions that involve stealth and sabotage against corporate targets. While the narrative unfolds through mission objectives and player actions, it lacks depth and clarity, leaving players to piece together the story from fragmented experiences. The game emphasizes a roguelite structure, where success and progression are tied to completing missions, but the lack of a comprehensive tutorial and narrative guidance may hinder player immersion.
- “Short version: this is a game about being an anonymous eco-terrorist tasked with a series of increasingly suicidal missions, using stealth and satisfying pew-pew to complete random goals.”
- “Almost every stealth game I play teaches me something new about the whole stealth genre, tells me a unique story about its creation and aims of its developers.”
- “You don't really get it explained much, just get thrown right in through a bunch of sims and into missions.”
- “There is a story, and you'll get bits and pieces of it via roguelite-esque missions.”
- “If you ever want to see the end credits, you will have to do several high difficulty missions.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful, distinctive, and psychedelic art style, which enhances immersion and readability. Players appreciate the color-coded visuals and atmospheric design that contribute to the overall aesthetic, making it a standout feature of the game. The combination of unique graphics and engaging gameplay mechanics creates a captivating experience that resonates with the community.
- “The art style is beautiful, almost psychedelic in nature.”
- “The art style is incredible, and I love how everything looks so distinctive while still being very readable.”
- “Exceptionally well written game as well as gorgeous visuals.”
- “The graphics are color-coded, generally pretty distinguishable, and intuitive.”
- “Atmospheric graphics that make use of cover.”
- “For a pizza-money price, you're getting what could amount to hundreds of hours of entertainment, wrapped in an aesthetic which has not been matched by any other game creator's titles.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The music in the game is highly praised for its unique and dynamic quality, perfectly complementing the gameplay and adapting to the player's actions and environment. Reviewers highlight the seamless transition between tranquil and urgent musical themes, enhancing immersion and tension during stealth and combat scenarios. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's charm and atmosphere.
- “The music is a stellar example of something that perfectly matches the game's energy, whilst being quite unique.”
- “Soundtrack is great with dynamic tracks similar to Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory that adapt to the awareness level of your opponents.”
- “The trailer doesn't convey this very well, but it really feels urgent when a tranquil moment (which often sounds like something you'd play to help you fall asleep, in a good way) suddenly gets replaced with an alarm noise, followed by gunfire - and despite this suddenness, the music and ambience flow into this agitated state really fluidly.”
- “The trailer doesn't convey this very well, but it really feels urgent when a tranquil moment (which often sounds like something you'd play to help you fall asleep, in a good way) suddenly gets replaced with an alarm noise, gosh forbid followed by gunfire - and despite this suddenness, the music and ambience flow into this agitated state really fluidly.”
- “The music is inspired by modular soundtracks like FTL: Faster Than Light.”
- “Ambient sounds and music vary based on where you are, and there's something really tranquil about flying in a 'forested' region and hearing the patter of rain on your ship's hull.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to its variety of enemies, procedurally generated environments, and challenging mechanics that reward skillful play. The design choices encourage multiple playthroughs, making each experience feel fresh and engaging.
- “There's also a good variety of enemies and a few procedurally generated playing fields with different environmental helps or hindrances, and all of that together gives you lots of replayability.”
- “This is an excellent stealth game with good mechanics, a challenging difficulty level, and great replay value. It's rewarding if you actually know what you are doing, but very unforgiving.”
- “That simple design choice can make for basically infinite replay value, in my humble opinion.”
- “The development focus was to make it replayable, but it ultimately falls short.”
- “That simple design choice can make for basically infinite replay value, but it feels repetitive after a few runs.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game's atmosphere is its standout feature, blending elements reminiscent of classic titles like Metal Gear with a unique setting in a gas giant's environment. Players appreciate the atmospheric graphics and immersive gameplay mechanics, which create a distinct experience that feels both nostalgic and innovative.
- “Overall, I think the strongest suit of this game is the atmosphere.”
- “I guess I'd compare it to Delta V's piloting and Metal Gear Solid V's stealth/interrogation mechanics, all set within the atmosphere of a gas giant.”
- “This game is like Genesis/SNES-era Metal Gear with spaceships in the atmosphere of a gas giant, and you have done drugs.”
- “I guess I'd compare it to Delta V's piloting + MGS V's stealth/interrogation mechanics (including some holdovers like the alert countdown), all inside the atmosphere of some gas giant.”
- “If you're checking this game out without having seen any other sleeper game titles: this game is 'Genesis/SNES-era Metal Gear with spaceships in the atmosphere of a gas giant, and you have done drugs.'”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported issues with stuttering in the game, with some suggesting that reinstalling may help resolve these optimization problems.
- “If you have a problem with stuttering like I did, try reinstalling.”
- “The game runs poorly on my system despite meeting the recommended requirements.”
- “I experienced frequent frame drops and long loading times, which really detracted from the gameplay experience.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many finding it funny and occasionally inspiring, though some users note that the vibrant color palette can be overwhelming at times, affecting the overall experience.
- “Most of the humor is funny, but some moments are inspiring and truly wise.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating, particularly due to the challenging tank controls that require significant adjustment. Additionally, the tediousness of hiding bodies is exacerbated by the noise generated from minor interactions with the environment.
- “The infamous tank controls take quite a lot of time to get used to, and hiding 'bodies' can become tedious because even slightly touching the wall makes a lot of noise.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional experience of the game impacted by the challenging tank controls, which can create frustration and tension, particularly when trying to manage stealth elements like hiding bodies. This difficulty adds to the overall atmosphere, enhancing the sense of urgency and anxiety in critical moments.