The Swapper

About

The Swapper is a narrative-driven puzzle game taking place in a desolate sci-fi world. Players use a device to clone themselves and swap consciousnesses, solving puzzles in fiendishly clever ways. Its unique claymation-style visuals and thoughtful story, told through the environment, create an unforgettable experience in English, French, German, and Spanish.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,018 reviews

story1.2k positive mentions

replayability23 negative mentions

The game features a haunting atmosphere and beautiful visuals, created using clay models.
Puzzles are well-designed, challenging, and provide a satisfying sense of achievement when solved.
The story explores deep philosophical questions about consciousness and identity, making it thought-provoking.

The game has significant technical issues, particularly with mouse controls, making it unplayable for some users.
Achievements are hidden and difficult to find, requiring a guide to complete them all.
The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content.

story
2,533 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
50%
3%
The story of "The Swapper" is often described as intriguing and thought-provoking, exploring themes of consciousness, identity, and morality through a sci-fi lens. While some players found the narrative compelling and well-integrated with the gameplay mechanics, others noted that it could be vague or confusing, requiring careful attention to logs and environmental storytelling to fully grasp the plot. Overall, the game is praised for its atmospheric presentation and the depth of its story, making it a notable experience for fans of narrative-driven puzzle games.
- “The swapper brilliantly explores mortality and identity through its tense story, refined puzzles, and awe-inspiring atmosphere.”
- “The story is engaging and definitely keeps you wanting to know what happens as you progress.”
- “The story is intriguing, the soundtrack is immersive, the artstyle is amazing and the morals behind the gameplay are deep.”
- “The story is a bit convoluted and honestly I still have no idea what happened, but it was fun nonetheless.”
- “The story was a big let down for me; it barely scratches the surface of clone horror.”
- “The story is kept fairly ambiguous, but centers around an equally ambiguous character aboard a deep space research station, and briefly in its planet-based sister station and excavation site around which it orbits.”
gameplay
1,609 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
58%
1%
The gameplay of "The Swapper" is centered around a unique cloning and swapping mechanic that allows players to create clones of themselves and control them to solve intricate puzzles. The mechanics are simple yet cleverly designed, providing a satisfying challenge that escalates in difficulty throughout the game. While the puzzles are engaging and thought-provoking, some players noted a lack of variety in mechanics as the game progresses, leading to a feeling of repetition by the end. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fluidity, innovative design, and the seamless integration of narrative and mechanics, making it a compelling experience.
- “It's nice that the game doesn't overstay its welcome - the mechanics are simple, but they generate a lot of depth in the puzzles without falling prey to repetition.”
- “The game's primary mechanic is also creative and fun to play with.”
- “Just on the gameplay alone, The Swapper justifies itself as a fun and engaging puzzle game with a really impressive difficulty curve that always felt on-point through my entire experience, with every set of puzzles gradually growing more complex while teaching you how to better use the tools you always had available to solve new problems.”
- “The only adversary in 'the swapper' is the environment itself, which can make the gameplay feel a bit slow at times.”
- “It's a shame, because the mechanics are clever, but from the very beginning of the game it's evident the designers have chosen to rely on frustrating, repetitive puzzle design.”
- “The mechanic does get a little redundant toward the end, and I would have loved to see an upgrade or something that modified the mechanic a bit to keep the gameplay fresh throughout.”
atmosphere
1,457 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of "The Swapper" is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, effectively creating a sense of isolation and intrigue within a desolate space station setting. Reviewers highlight the game's unique claymation art style and atmospheric soundtrack, which together enhance the eerie and contemplative experience. Many consider the atmosphere to be the game's standout feature, complementing its challenging puzzles and thought-provoking narrative.
- “The atmosphere is incredible and massively enhances the experience.”
- “The atmosphere is phenomenal, the soundtrack is excellent, and the puzzles are reasonably complex.”
- “The atmosphere is haunting and the ambient sounds add to the lost in space feel.”
- “The atmosphere is eerie but not scary, which fits the being alone in a space station and discovering as to why the ship is abandoned.”
- “The atmosphere tries its hardest to creep you out, but with no apparent threat to the player it has a hard time... maybe some rudimentary enemies that you have to distract with a clone would have gone a long way!”
- “The atmosphere built up combined with the gripping story makes this one of the best games I've played in a long time.”
graphics
1,008 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
38%
The graphics of "The Swapper" are widely praised for their unique claymation art style, which creates a haunting and immersive atmosphere that enhances the game's narrative and puzzle mechanics. Many reviewers highlight the stunning visuals, intricate lighting effects, and the overall aesthetic that evokes feelings of isolation and mystery, making it a standout in the indie game scene. While some players noted that the graphics may take some getting used to, the consensus is that they significantly contribute to the game's charm and emotional depth.
- “Gorgeous clay art style with lighting that is still stunning by today's standards, clever puzzles that slowly ramp up in difficulty without ever being frustrating, a unique atmosphere with some well-presented story and lore.”
- “The graphics are absolutely brilliant, seriously, they are nothing short of amazing, second to none, and so on.”
- “The visuals and sounds totally fit the game and its settings excellently.”
- “The clay aesthetics do not work for this type of science fiction, as the player character's movement looks wrong.”
- “The biggest problem, though, is that the dark aesthetic and imprecise movement don't fit well with gameplay that demands split-second reactions and accurately estimating distances.”
- “The graphics are abysmal.”
music
680 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
41%
The music in "The Swapper" is widely praised for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, effectively enhancing the game's eerie and contemplative tone. Many reviewers highlight the ambient soundtrack as a key element that complements the visuals and gameplay, creating a sense of isolation and depth. While some find the music memorable and beautiful, others note that it can be minimal or understated, serving more as a backdrop to the experience rather than a standout feature. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant contributor to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- “The music and environment art are fantastic, creating a very tense atmosphere.”
- “An eerie yet enjoyable puzzle platformer with great atmospheric sound and a strong piano soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere is phenomenal, the soundtrack is excellent, and the puzzles are reasonably complex.”
- “The soundtrack is really relaxing and very charming; there are times when you step into another room or when an 'event' starts where the music kicks in and it just gave me chills by witnessing such amazing landscapes with the music in the background.”
- “The soundtrack could have been the defining feature in a game like this, but instead it was sadly forgettable - a non-factor.”
- “The music is scarce, minimal, and very brooding.”
replayability
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
66%
30%
Overall, the game exhibits low replayability, a common trait among puzzle games, as most players find little incentive to replay after completing the puzzles. While some users mention the potential for alternate endings and hidden achievements, the general consensus is that the game is best experienced once or twice, with minimal value in revisiting it. Despite its short length and limited replay options, many still consider it worth playing for its engaging story and puzzles.
- “Either way, The Swapper is replayable just for the experience (and revisiting the puzzles).”
- “The Swapper is relatively short (I was done in under 6 hours), although there is some replayability, in the form of hidden room achievements and alternate endings; I'd much rather that than have it drag out over 20 hours, as a massive puzzle fest.”
- “I personally found it replayable, since the game has 2 endings.”
- “The only problem for me is what happens with every puzzle game; after you beat the puzzle, the replayability is really low.”
- “The only downside is there isn’t much replay value, to me at least, despite there being an alternate ending, which you need to start a new playthrough if you want to see it.”
- “Unfortunately, the game lacks any real replayability, so going back to find the secrets is an exercise in tedium.”
emotional
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
5%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its profound storytelling and atmospheric design, which evoke a deep connection and introspection in players. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to blend challenging puzzles with a touching narrative that explores themes of morality, existence, and the human experience, often leaving them emotionally shaken or in tears. The combination of a haunting soundtrack and visually stunning graphics further enhances the emotional impact, making it a standout experience in the realm of indie games.
- “However, the biggest pull of this game is the profoundly deep and emotional story found within the sci-fi puzzle game.”
- “An absolutely stunning experience; I don't think I've ever been so emotionally affected by a computer game.”
- “The emotional, spiritual, and existential dilemma that the game delves you into left me in a state of wonder.”
- “The story is boring and the unskippable cutscenes are long, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The emotional impact is diminished by the frequent interruptions of lengthy cutscenes that can't be skipped.”
- “I found the narrative lacking depth, and the unskippable cutscenes only added to my frustration.”
grinding
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" highlight a mixed experience; while some players appreciate the metroidvania elements that alleviate tedium, others find the puzzles and backtracking to be frustratingly repetitive and disruptive to the story flow. Many agree that while the puzzles are interesting initially, they can become tedious and require excessive precision, leading to a grinding experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a balance of engaging challenges and moments of frustration, with opinions varying on the extent of the grinding involved.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, the puzzles are the main issue... they are interesting at first, but quickly become a grinding element.”
- “Its really beautiful game but after a point it contains lots of grinding with boring puzzles.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of irony and dark comedy, with some players finding it enjoyable and others feeling it lacks the lightheartedness of similar titles like Portal. While many appreciate the funny mechanics and clever puzzles, some critiques highlight that the humor can feel sparse or overshadowed by gameplay frustrations. Overall, the game elicits chuckles through its quirky design and witty dialogue, though opinions on its comedic effectiveness vary.
- “If you disagree with me then don't play the game or you will contradict me in the end, hilariously ironic, just like this game.”
- “A great game with typical puzzles, but with funny mechanics.”
- “The puzzles are so funny and enjoyable.”
optimization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The game's optimization varies significantly across platforms, with some users reporting smooth performance on Linux and older hardware, while others experience notable issues like frame drops and stuttering. Overall, many players commend the game's graphics and performance, particularly on high-end systems, but there are concerns about optimization on specific setups.
- “Though this won't be relevant for most users, I do appreciate that the game runs smoothly on my mid-2013 MacBook Pro 13", since my gaming is limited to whatever can play on that at the time of this review.”
- “No performance issues, maintained 60fps.”
- “Everything looks slick, physics are fine, controls and menus are very convenient, no bugs, amazing performance, even on Linux.”
- “Played on Linux; no obvious technical problems other than massive performance issues (framedrops, stuttering, etc.) on one screen, and it's a screen you traverse fairly quickly.”
- “Performance note: doesn't seem to take too much to run the game, but I've only run it on my main gaming computer (high-end everything).”
- “Exellent graphics, style and game optimization.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
7%
64%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs, crashes, and mouse glitches, particularly during interactions with in-game objects. However, others report a smooth experience with no issues, especially on Linux, indicating that stability may vary widely depending on the user's system and troubleshooting efforts. Overall, while some players face frustrating technical problems, others enjoy a bug-free experience.
- “I didn't come across any bugs when I played, so I'm going to say 'bug free'.”
- “No glitches or bugs encountered.”
- “Runs great on Linux.”
- “But on opening, the cursor was snapping across the screen. I fixed that, but the game consistently freezes when interacting with certain in-game objects.”
- “The story is intriguing, but there's too much work involved in getting the game to work, including crashes and mouse glitches.”
- “The game is very buggy, and the mouse never works.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is notably lacking, with many reviewers indicating that the story does not offer original or engaging arcs for the characters, resulting in unsatisfying endings. Overall, the focus seems to be elsewhere, as character growth is not a priority in the narrative.
- “To be frank, you won't find much in the way of character development, but that isn't the point.”
- “The story is not that original or surprising, nor are the endings very satisfying since there was little in the way of character development.”