Swirl W@tch

About

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 Play through the game's story or campaign solo

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of stealth mechanics and customization options, allowing players to approach missions in various ways and create personalized loadouts.
The atmosphere is immersive, with a captivating art style and sound design that enhances the tension and urgency of gameplay.
Replayability is high due to procedural generation of missions and a variety of enemies, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.

Progression can feel slow, with many unlockables that may take a long time to obtain, which can be frustrating for players seeking immediate rewards.
The lack of mid-game saves or checkpoints can lead to lengthy sessions that may be challenging for players, especially on higher difficulties.
Some players may find the game's difficulty level to be punishing, with a steep learning curve that could deter newcomers to the stealth genre.

gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
75%
9%
The gameplay is a unique blend of newtonian flight mechanics and stealth elements, reminiscent of titles like Metal Gear Solid V, offering a mix of tension and relaxation as players navigate through challenging environments. It features a variety of mechanics, including advanced detection systems and loadout customization, which enhance the strategic depth and replayability. Overall, the game is praised for its immersive stealth gameplay, solid pacing, and rewarding mechanics, making it a standout in the genre.
- “This is an excellent stealth game with good mechanics, a challenging difficulty level, and good replay value, rewarding if you actually know what you are doing, but very unforgiving.”
- “Swirl w@tch is a creative take on a top-down sci-fi game with an emphasis on stealth gameplay mechanics in all the right ways that brings you back wanting more.”
- “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.”
- “It feels like it offers similar options as other stealth games, but in some aspects it's much more diverse, and the one mechanic that separates it from literally anything else is the fact that you are as blind as your enemies.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
73%
14%
The game's story revolves around a tactical stealth experience set in the clouds of an alien gas giant, where players assume the role of a rebel fighting against a militarized corporation through a series of procedurally generated missions. While the narrative unfolds gradually through mission objectives and interactions, it emphasizes themes of eco-terrorism and rebellion, with players engaging in various tasks such as theft, assassination, and sabotage. The storytelling is integrated into the gameplay, offering bits and pieces of the plot as players progress, though some reviewers noted a lack of detailed exposition and guidance on mission objectives.
- “Well, it's a tactical stealth game taking place in the clouds of an alien gas giant which is getting heavily exploited by a militarized corporation, and you - just one member of a rebellion wanting to take this corporation down - sneak around in your small ships doing all kinds of missions such as theft, assassination, kidnappings, rescue, sabotage, intercepting intel etc. The game borrows elements from immersive sims, Metal Gear Solid V, and submarine simulators like the Silent Hunter series - and it makes all of it work really well.”
- “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.”
- “There is a story, and you'll get bits and pieces of it via roguelite-esque missions.”
- “The game doesn't really explain much; you just get thrown right in through a bunch of simulations and into missions.”
- “There is a story, but you'll only get bits and pieces of it through the roguelite-style missions.”
- “If you ever want to see the end credits, you will have to complete several high-difficulty missions.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their distinctive and immersive art style, characterized by bright, trippy visuals that remain easy to read and recognize. Reviewers highlight the effective use of color-coding and atmospheric design, which enhances the overall experience without overwhelming the player. The unique aesthetic, combined with a compelling soundtrack and lore, contributes to a captivating gaming environment that stands out in the genre.
- “The art style is incredible, and I love how everything looks so distinctive while still being very readable.”
- “The visuals are bright and trippy but without making elements of the game hard to recognize - in fact, despite the psychedelic visuals, everything is pretty easy to 'read' and not disorienting.”
- “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
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to create a tranquil yet immersive atmosphere, with ambient sounds that change based on the environment, enhancing the overall experience. The soundtrack features a mix of serene melodies and tense compositions that effectively heighten the urgency during gameplay, particularly in stealth and combat scenarios. Overall, the music is described as charming, original, and perfectly suited to the game's aesthetic and lore, contributing significantly to player immersion.
- “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.”
- “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 game also features a mildly haunting soundtrack and ambience that really fits the atmosphere of sneaking through the clouds of an alien world in your yellow ship 'submarine' and gets quite anxiety-inducing when the guards get alerted or you get caught and start getting hunted by enemies firing bullets and missiles at you from multiple directions.”
- “The music is inspired by modular soundtracks like FTL's.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised as its strongest feature, characterized by a unique art style and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the experience of navigating an alien world. Players find the ambiance both immersive and anxiety-inducing, especially during stealth sequences where they must evade alert guards and enemy fire. Overall, the atmospheric graphics and sound design effectively create a tense and engaging environment reminiscent of classic stealth games.
- “Overall, I think the strongest suit of this game is the atmosphere.”
- “And I really want to point out the game's art style, audio, and atmosphere - it really is something else.”
- “The game also features a mildly haunting soundtrack and ambience that really fits the atmosphere of sneaking through the clouds of an alien world in your yellow ship 'submarine' and gets quite anxiety-inducing when the guards get alerted or you get caught and start getting hunted by enemies firing bullets and missiles at you from multiple directions.”
- “I guess I'd compare it to Delta V's piloting plus 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.'”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers significant replayability due to its variety of enemies, procedurally generated environments, and a design that encourages mastery of its mechanics. Players find the challenging difficulty rewarding, contributing to a sense of infinite replay value, especially for those who invest time in understanding the game.
- “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 good replay value, 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 feels more like a chore than a choice.”
- “While the design aimed for replayability, it quickly becomes repetitive and lacks depth.”
- “Despite the intention for infinite replay value, the gameplay becomes stale after just a few runs.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, featuring a mix of funny moments alongside inspiring and wise elements. However, some players noted that the vibrant color palette can occasionally overwhelm the visuals, leading to a distracting experience.
- “Most are funny, but some are inspiring and truly wise.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding in the game to be a mixed experience; while it involves repetitive tasks like rescuing prisoners and stealing supplies for upgrades, it does not lead to significant power increases like in other roguelite games. The metaprogression system offers new gear and playstyles, but the cumbersome controls and tedious mechanics, such as hiding bodies, can make the grinding feel more frustrating than rewarding.
- “You do the same when rescuing prisoners or stealing crates of supplies for your cause; however, unlike in MGSV when you could just kidnap people with Fulton balloons and add them to your faction, here the people you kidnap simply get exchanged for upgrades to several stats that unlock new gear, fueling the game's roguelite metaprogression. Note that doesn't mean that you can succeed via grinding like in games such as Rogue Legacy - the unlocks simply provide more ways to play and more 'toys' to use in missions.”
- “The infamous tank control takes 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. The difficulty in maneuvering can detract from immersion, making emotional moments feel more tedious than engaging.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have reported issues with stuttering in the game, suggesting that reinstalling may help resolve these optimization problems.
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “Despite having a high-end PC, I still experience lag and performance problems that ruin the gameplay.”
- “The optimization is so poor that even simple tasks can cause the game to freeze or crash.”