Swam is a latest release from Hothead Games. The aim of Swarm is simply to get all your little blue swarmites from one end of the level to the next while getting the highest score possible. The swarm can only be described as brainless marshmallows with arms and legs. The swarm is controlled as a whole; there is no leader or direct control over them. You control the whole swarm at once using the simple controls such as jump, huddle and scatter.
The aim of Swarm is to direct all of your little blue Swamites to the end of the level collecting as many points as possible and increase you score modifier. This is a rather simple concept but this does not directly mean that it is a simple game. As the levels progress, you will find that you need to repeat levels to get enough points to meet the requirements of the next level.
To increase your score and modifier you will need to collect all the various globules of points as well as kill as many Swarmites as possible. ‘Easy’ you say?? Well, it is not as killing too many Swarmites you will not have enough to unlock extra points or even worse, you will fail. So you need to be very careful in how many you let die, so you will have to be selective when killing them for the good of the swarm. That said there are ways to replenish the Swarmites but I would not count on these.
The levels of the game are covered in different ways to kill the Swarmites and you will always be seeing new ways in which they are killed.
The graphics of the game are surprising good for an X-Box arcade game. The levels are nicely varied with all the different death animations in very interesting areas. The backdrops to the levels can be rather static but this does not matter as you are not looking at them, your concentration will be on the different ways that the Swarmites can die. Speaking of deaths, these are very humorous and interesting throughout the game and you will never tire of the ways in which the little blue people die.
The sound of the game is nothing to special, it does set the mood for the levels quite well but that in itself is noting remarkable these days. The deaths sounds are funny and do add to the dark humour found in the game but these can be a little reparative when running though a minefield and all you can hear is the same death noises.
Personally this was a very fun and interesting game. I have played many games where you have to keep your little men alive and avoiding damage. It has been a pleasant and welcome change, to be rewarded for killing as many of the little blue people as possible without running out. This has been one of the funniest and enjoyable games I have played this year below £15 and would recommend it to most of my friends, even people who are not normally gamers.
The game is a fun little game that will entertain you for a good while for the cost.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
