Review: Swarm

Posted by Ben on March 28th, 2011 | 1 Comment | Tags: Swarm

Swarm’s menu screen should tell you everything you need to know about the game. It is gleefully sadistic in how it forces you to murder hundreds of blue critters, and it ensures that you take joy in every aspect of the culling of the horde. So why isn’t it better? Mostly, it’s down to variety. Swarm simply doesn’t have enough content to justify the price, and even though you’ve exhausted every possible idea the game has to offer when you see the credits, it still feels short. Swarm is a curious beast, that’s for sure

The main problem with the game is that it feels like there was a certain amount of ideas chosen to be in the game, and then the levels were designed around those ideas. Save for a few set pieces, and the two boss battles, every level in Swarm feels like roughly the same formula, albeit mixed around from time to time. However, all the parts remain the same. There’ll be a chase sequence with an almost unkillable enemy, a platforming segment that forces you to curse the controls, and certainly a segment in which everything explodes. Swarm feels formulaic at every turn, and nothing in the game surprised me. It always felt like I was going through the motions, rather than being genuinely entertained.

It seemed as though Swarm was always going to deliver visually, and for the most part it does, with the titular swarmites of course being the visual centerpiece. Their animations are always hilariously clueless, and the gleeful exuberance with which they throw themselves into every situation never failed to raise a smile. However, the environments don’t particularly match the work that’s gone into the characters. Swarm’s environments are muddy, dark and sometimes confusing to navigate because of this. The camera also makes some of the platforming segments an absolute pain. I had trouble making jumps at times, because the angle of the camera threw off my depth perception at times. Thankfully the game’s checkpoint system made things less frustrating for me.

Swarm is a good idea not given enough room to breathe. Where a game should have existed bursting from the seams with hilarious scenarios, there exists a game with a few good ideas and a humorous veneer. You’ll certainly find some enjoyment here, but be warned that that enjoyment might not stick with you for the entire game.

For more info on our review policy click here. This review is for the PlayStation 3 version of the game.