Swap your money for this game



The Wii U eShop has gotten some lower-quality titles recently, such as a Flappy Bird clone and some other poorly made games; so it’s nice to see a high-quality title redeem the eShop’s reputation. Of course I’m talking about the game in this review, The Swapper.

I never fully understood what was really going on with the story, mostly because I played it in short bursts. The story was told in certain areas and you have to find logs that add to the story, and since I missed quite a few, following the story was hard for me. Then again that’s just my experience; after reading the Wikipedia article for The Swapper it starts to make sense, and is actually pretty interesting. It really feels like Metroid Prime, where the story is more or less found in scans.



However the story isn’t the main selling point of the game; I enjoyed The Swapper even without paying too much attention to the story. The core gameplay goal is to collect orbs, but they are at a distance that you must use a tool called “The Swapper” this tool allows you to create clones and “swap” control of them. This creative twist adds a lot of options for a puzzle game, but there’s more.

Two types of light beams, red and blue, will obstruct your swapping abilities. One will not let you create clones in the light, and the other will block your swapping ability. Then there are the platforms that flip your character from walking on the ground to the ceiling and vice versa. Just when you think The Swapper is out of ideas, they hit you with a new twist.

The Swapper is one of, if not the best-looking indie game on the Wii U eShop. It looks very polished and I failed to notice anything look bad. The music is amazing, it gives a very eerie feel to the game; it adds so much to the atmosphere, which is something that screams quality.



The gamepad is used well in The Swapper; it has off-TV play and can be used as a map and log book. This comes in handy for finding the remaining orbs, it would be hard to find them without a map, and having the map on the gamepad is incredibly convenient.

There’s very little to find wrong with The Swapper, if anything, it’s how frustrating the puzzles are. How long completing The Swapper will take entirely depends on how long it takes for you to figure out the puzzles. They get really hard later, and you may feel like giving up, but you will figure them out with enough time. I never think because a game is hard it’s bad, but some people do.

Like how Shovel Knight is the essential indie platformer, The Swapper is the essential indie puzzle game on the Wii U eShop. Maybe it’s on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for with The Swapper. Go download this game if you even remotely like puzzle games.


Main pros: Very fitting music, looks great, unique gameplay elements

Main Cons: Frustrating. Seriously that’s it

Score 9.2