The Swine

About

The Swine is a single player casual simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by VincentLade and was released on June 18, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

"The Swine" is a horror experience set in a rural homestead in America, where you'll explore isolation, witchcraft, and unforeseen consequences. Explore your property, find corrupted Tarot cards, and encounter the occult group "The Swine" as you uncover clues and experience a new breed of esoteric magic. Stay alert for suspicious activity and fear the unknown as you discover the twisted beliefs of those who have invaded your life.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 192 reviews

story32 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

The Swine delivers a strikingly atmospheric horror experience, effectively turning familiar domestic settings into a psychological trap.
The game's visuals and sound design create a deeply immersive environment, enhancing the sense of dread and unease throughout the experience.
Its brevity, lasting around 30-60 minutes, keeps the narrative focused and taut, making it a compelling choice for fans of short horror stories.

The game suffers from optimization issues, leading to frame rate drops and technical roughness that detracts from the overall experience.
Many players found the story predictable and lacking depth, with some feeling that it ends abruptly without providing sufficient closure.
The limited interactivity and reliance on a walking simulator format may not appeal to those seeking more dynamic gameplay or complex mechanics.

story
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
55%
8%
The story is a short, atmospheric horror narrative set in rural America, revolving around a man's life disrupted by a mysterious package of tarot cards. While it employs environmental storytelling and offers an intriguing premise, many reviewers found the plot to be predictable, rushed, and lacking depth due to its brief runtime. Overall, it presents a compelling yet incomplete experience that invites interpretation, with a mix of engaging elements and some criticisms regarding its execution.
- “Set in the isolation of rural America, it tells the story of a man whose peaceful domestic life begins to unravel after the arrival of a mysterious package containing a set of tarot cards.”
- “The narrative unfolds primarily through environmental storytelling and brief written clues rather than direct exposition.”
- “A genuinely unsettling cult home invasion horror game largely focused on story.”
- “I couldn't tell if the story was rushed or being overbearingly pretentious with its metaphors, but even after a second playthrough, and understanding what the cards meant, I was still left unsatisfied.”
- “The story is okay, but it doesn't really get fleshed out much (as the game is only less than an hour long, it's not easy to have an in-depth story anyway).”
- “The games story progresses over the course of a few days and it becomes difficult to keep track of what goes on, since it jumps around day from day without any sort of explanation of what happens.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
Overall, the graphics of the game have received positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the attention to detail and the impressive visuals, especially for an indie title developed by a single person. While some noted issues with lighting and performance, the general consensus is that the graphics enhance the game's atmosphere and storytelling, making it visually appealing despite some technical drawbacks.
- “The graphics quality is good with nice attention to detail; sound was spot on, helping raise the hairs on my arms!”
- “A strong short story that grabs you, graphics that blow you away if you think this is only made by one person.”
- “Great graphics, nice voice acting, fun and creepy story.”
- “The graphics overall are not good either because of how extremely faded and washed out they are.”
- “If you lower the graphic settings down, the frame rate improves slightly but then the paintings and book images are blurred and pixelated.”
- “The visuals are a mix of quality textures and the worst lighting I've seen in a while.”
atmosphere
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
25%
8%
The atmosphere in "The Swine" is consistently praised for its striking and immersive qualities, effectively creating a sense of tension and unease without relying heavily on jump scares. The game's minimalist design, combined with strong lighting and sound elements, enhances the eerie environment, making it a memorable short horror experience that resonates with players. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a key strength, contributing significantly to the game's impact and storytelling.
- “The simplicity serves the atmosphere rather than limiting it—each action feels deliberate, each discovery a small revelation.”
- “Lighting plays a central role in maintaining the atmosphere—lamps cast uncertain glows, shadows stretch unnaturally, and moonlight filters through windows in cold tones.”
- “The atmosphere remains consistently strong, and the minimalist approach allows the game to achieve a level of tension that many higher-budget titles struggle to replicate.”
- “It’s a game about atmosphere, suggestion, and the horror of intrusion—how the smallest disruptions to routine can unravel a sense of safety.”
- “As for the game, the entire building has this creepy atmosphere that made me think there could be something trying to scare me around every single corner, which is something I prefer over jumpscares in horror games.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The gameplay is primarily a linear walking simulator that focuses on exploration within a confined environment, offering minimal interactivity and complexity. While some players appreciate the steady sense of progression and narrative engagement, many find the experience lacking in depth and excitement, often describing it as boring or a waste of time. Overall, the gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and reliance on atmosphere rather than intricate mechanics.
- “The strength of the experience lies not in complex gameplay systems or jump scares but in its ability to make the familiar feel threatening, turning the comforts of home into a psychological trap.”
- “The sense of progression is steady, and while the gameplay never becomes complex, the unfolding narrative provides enough curiosity to keep the player engaged until the final moment.”
- “Some cool interactivity and light item/note collection ups the fun factor, as I find a lot of short horror games go extremely sparse on the gameplay elements.”
- “Its a walking sim, or a bad movie, no real gameplay... waste of time.”
- “The gameplay is also boring and not scary with very little interactivity.”
- “Gameplay is a confined walking sim and not a lot of depth.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance and suggesting that the Unity engine has been pushed beyond its limits. Many feel that significant optimization improvements are necessary for a better gaming experience.
- “It would be nice, however, if an optimization fix was pushed through, as everything else is near perfection.”
- “Might need some optimization.”
- “It seems like the Unity engine was pushed a little too far and is poorly optimized.”
- “The game is really poorly optimized.”
- “For one, the optimization is abysmal.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both bizarre and entertaining, with absurd scenarios like a girlfriend perpetually in the bathroom and over-the-top cult elements contributing to its comedic tone. While some players find the humor to be a highlight, others note that the game's linearity and certain design choices can detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about its comedic effectiveness.
- “The story is vague, but whatever story bit you see tends to be hilarious.”
- “Whether it's some hilarious wanna-be cult stuff or the fact that your girlfriend's in the bathroom for days straight.”
- “I don't normally mind when games are linear, but I guess I assumed this wasn't a walking sim horror game (so that was 100% my fault), so having the girlfriend always in the bathroom when things go down was a bit weird (funny but weird).”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with a mix of creepy droning sounds that complement the visuals effectively. Some players noted specific references to classic horror, while others appreciated the overall quality and fitting nature of the soundtrack, suggesting it could be expanded as downloadable content. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- “Loved the music..maybe they could release the score as DLC.”
- “A lot of the music is quite creepy droning noises, so mixed with the creepy visuals it definitely creeps out the player.”
- “Great atmosphere, story, and music.”
- “A lot of the music is quite creepy droning noises, so mixed with the creepy visuals, it definitely creeps out the player.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game is criticized for its limited scope and short length, resulting in minimal replayability. Many users note that the reliance on repetitive scares further diminishes the incentive to replay, leading to a consensus that the game lacks depth and value for multiple playthroughs.
- “Its limited scope and short length mean it lacks the depth or replayability of larger horror games, and some of its scares rely too heavily on repetition.”
- “I would definitely get the game on sale as it's very short with no replay value.”
- “There is no replayability with this game, unfortunately.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported issues with stability, particularly noting frequent screen glitches during scenes involving pigs, which detracted from the overall experience.
- “There are too many scenes where the screen glitches out when the pigs show up, which I didn't care for.”