The Body Changer

About

The Body Changer is a single player role playing game. It was developed by TheShortAndTheTall and was released on October 15, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

A single player metroidvania 3D game with cooperative gameplay. Find out what's going on by taking control of distinct characters and change between them whenever you want. An unique mix of 3rd person shooter and challenging puzzles!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+22

Skip User Reviews

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews

graphics10 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The Body Changer features a unique body-switching mechanic that adds depth to puzzle-solving and gameplay.
The puzzles are well-crafted and challenging, providing a satisfying experience for players who enjoy strategic thinking.
The game has a distinct art style that, while minimalist, creates an atmospheric and immersive environment.

The graphics are often criticized as being poor and unappealing, leading to a lack of visual engagement.
Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, particularly during combat, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
The game suffers from slow movement speed and excessive backtracking, making navigation tedious and frustrating.

graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
48%
12%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique cel-shaded art style and vibrant colors that contribute to a distinct atmosphere, while others criticize the visuals as bland and lacking variety. Despite the polarized opinions, many agree that the graphics are easy to run on various systems and complement the gameplay well, though they may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the aesthetic is seen as a defining feature that can enhance the gaming experience, even if it doesn't meet traditional standards of graphical fidelity.
- “I actually adored the graphic style, which has been a reason for a lot of criticism; I believe it's necessary to play the game a bit to understand it.”
- “The cel-shaded look gives the game a very stylized aesthetic, and it'll also make its appearance stand the test of time, unlike those of other games that try to look as realistic as possible.”
- “The art-style choice creates a nice atmosphere and is still detailed.”
- “The graphics are rather poor and you get tired/bored with this look pretty quickly.”
- “Graphically, the game does not offer anything special; the enemy models are color swaps of the same 4, so there's no variety in this aspect, and the scenario textures are almost nonexistent.”
- “Controls and movements are sluggish, graphics are very bland and sterile (the washed-out cell shading effect doesn't do it for me), and in my case, the game wouldn't even start without completely deactivating audio.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
14%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of classic and modern mechanics, featuring challenging combat, a unique body-switching mechanic, and metroidvania elements that encourage exploration and puzzle-solving. While some players appreciate the strategic approach and variety of puzzles, others find the combat mechanics slightly clunky and the pacing more relaxed compared to typical action games. Overall, the game offers a refreshing experience with its original mechanics and engaging gameplay, though it may not appeal to those seeking fast-paced action.
- “Combat mechanics are very classic (and hard in my opinion :D), but also introduce some more modern features, like the barrel roll, the ability to attack from behind, stun, and trip enemies; the game also offers a scripted melee attack, the v-blade attack, which is a very powerful weapon as well.”
- “Let's summarize: it's a third-person shooter with an original body-switching mechanic, a lot of puzzles, and its own speed and rhythm, sure not frenetic but more calm like old classics.”
- “And that's before we get onto the fantastic 'body-switching' mechanic - which adds that extra bit of ingenuity to make it a really fun game.”
- “That was where I started to sour on the gameplay, actually.”
- “The gameplay isn't much better.”
- “- slightly clunky combat mechanics.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The game's story revolves around a mission to restore a tampered water facility in space, with a backdrop involving synthetic beings and themes of purity versus infection. While some players find the narrative simplistic and lacking depth, they appreciate the atmospheric art style and acknowledge that the gameplay compensates for the story's shortcomings. Overall, the narrative is considered minimal and somewhat clunky, but it does not detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “A short movie explains how this facility was recently tampered with by unknown forces, and our mission will be to restore it.”
- “Also worth mentioning is the backdrop story and notably the art style, which help provide an authentic, otherworldly (and eerie) atmosphere.”
- “The story is really simple (from what I've seen so far) but does not weaken the whole game in any way.”
- “You're going to have to pick bits of the story out of the utilitarian opening and extremely concise terminals everywhere, but you seem to be stationed on some water facility out in space.”
- “Story-wise, the game does not offer anything special. Sure, it's still in alpha stage, but I expected something more than 'you are there to fix the mess, bye.' After all, this is an adventure game, and the story, at least in my opinion, is really important.”
- “The story is simple, almost non-existent, but I didn't really miss it.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag, with some players praising its immersive and detailed sci-fi setting reminiscent of films like "Moon," while others find it dull and lacking charm. The blend of atmospheric tension and survival horror elements adds depth, though opinions vary on its overall effectiveness. Overall, the art style contributes positively to the experience, creating a compelling environment on a distant space base.
- “Nice atmosphere, the action plays better than expected, using the blade is fun and the puzzles are very well done.”
- “Immersive atmosphere if you like mystery sci-fi (the movie Moon comes to my mind).”
- “The atmosphere felt dull, and I got no real entertainment factor.”
- “The game's atmosphere feels sterile, void of any charm or interest.”
- “The atmosphere feels like a space base on a distant planet, where your character has to take control of the base and try to maintain it stable before it becomes damaged from an unstable contaminated atmosphere.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its quirky mechanic of swapping between human-like mannequins to solve puzzles, which adds a lighthearted touch to the action-adventure experience. While the humor is enjoyable, some players feel it lacks innovation.
- “This game is an action-adventure full of puzzles, featuring a funny mechanic where you can swap your body between human-like mannequins to solve puzzles and progress in your adventure.”
- “The humor in this game is cleverly woven into the gameplay, making even the most challenging puzzles enjoyable and lighthearted.”
- “I found myself laughing out loud at the quirky dialogue and absurd situations, which added a delightful layer to the overall experience.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game's optimization is generally praised, with good graphics and performance that don't require high-end hardware. While there are hopes for further enhancements and additional content, the developers are actively addressing feedback to improve controls and overall performance.
- “Right now it's a very good game with good graphics and great performance.”
- “Developers are also listening to all the feedback and improving the control scheme and the already good performance of this game (you don't need a monster PC to play this game, and that's really a feat!)”
- “The game has potential, but it desperately needs optimization. With only two developers, I'm not sure if it will ever reach its full potential.”
- “While the game is enjoyable, the lack of optimization really hinders the experience. It feels like it could be so much more with some improvements.”
- “There is a lot of content, but the optimization is lacking. It needs better performance to truly shine and deliver a more polished experience.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is limited, with only a few tracks that are easily forgettable, except for the repetitive 10-second battle theme that plays continuously during fights. Overall, the soundtrack lacks variety and fails to leave a lasting impression.
- “The music tracks are few, and you are probably going to easily forget there's any music at all, aside from the 'battle theme,' which is a 10-second theme repeated until the battle ends.”