Thoughts on The Swapper

[DarknessKey92]

Just heard about this game, and decided to research it a bit, and all I learned is:

 

It's a Indie game that first came out in May 2013 on PC that was Developed by a very small team consisting of a possible 2 to 4 people.

IDK why the name of their developing studio is called "FacePalm Games", but oh well.

 

I guess it's a "side-scrolling puzzle-platform" that heavily has you solving puzzles using a "cloning gun" capable of making a possible of 4 clones, who mimic your exact action patterns. For instance if you jump or move to the right, then they too do the same thing. The same Gun also has a secondary ability to swap control to any of these clones, as long as they are within line of sight. Meaning as strange or creepy as it may sound, if you switch control and the previous host falls off the edge accidentally dying; then you still remain alive on a count that your mind/conscience is still alive in your new clone's body. As long as you don't fall/or get directly killed, then you're ok. The game has you going from area to area in search for orbs needed to unlock/activate doors that progress you further, to ultimately escape the space station. As you explore for orbs or activity, the game lets/wants you to back track previous areas from time to time.

 

A lot of people who talk about or review the game have tried to express/praise the game's Impressive visual style and atmosphere, along with the quality of the puzzles. Which was established as I said before, by a very small developmental team.

 

It has now been ported into PS3, PS4, and PlayStation Vita by "Curve Studios"; scheduled to release on all 3 consoles on June 24(NA) & June 25(EU/UK).

 

The game's Soundtrack has also been found to be fitting for the game, by supporting its artistic and feel design.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiYBePS6877fWc1JDWXcuhFO29z9GOWal

 

Found A Video uploaded by "Force Strategy Gaming" that examples the Swapper's Gameplay Mechanics along with an explanation of what happens as you progress the game while avoiding Spoilers.

Note: This footage is from the "PC Version", so don't assume the Console Versions(PS4,PS3,PSV) of the game are out yet. This video is to show you how you're expected to solve Certain puzzles in the game.

 

As for the trophies, well So far they are very Unknown only Described the same way as the title...simply as a Roman numeral. Hopefully they are the "Unlock through normal progress" trophies. Meaning by the time you finish the game, so will your set be finished as well.

 

This game seams interesting to me, and I plan to get it on June 24 now(might not be able to have a day 1 experience with the game, but will try to play it as soon as I can)....I'm not claiming to know everything about this game, so if you know anything else I don't or failed to mention, then feel free to post.

 

Edit: The Publishers "Curve Studios" have made a statement saying that the game's been delayed until  "August 5th or 6th". 

 

Here's a Quote from an  "eurogamer Article" explaining the reason why "The Swapper" was Delayed.

 

The reason for The Swapper's delay was so Curve could fully optimise the claymation platformer for PS3 and Vita. "The Swapper is our first indie title to really push the limits of the PlayStation 3 and Vita," said Curve digital managing director Jason Perkins. "We've been able to really throw the power of the PS4 at the game, but we also want to ensure that when the game comes out, it looks great and runs well at 30 fps on hardware that, in the case of the PlayStation 3, is over seven years old."

 

 

While a price hasn't been revealed, Curve noted that it will be available at a discount for pre-orders set to go live in early July.

 

One Last thing to mention is that The PSN version will offer Cross-Buy support.

Edited June 28, 2014 by DarknessKey92

[vivan000]

As for the trophies, well So far they are very Unknown only Described the same way as the title...simply as a Roman numeral. Hopefully they are the "Unlock through normal progress" trophies. Meaning by the time you finish the game, so will your set be finished as well.

They are not, which is great.

But probably they are the same as in PC version. There're guides for PC version, so finding them won't be fun.

[cybershark91]

Thank you Darkness for sharing your research with us. I have to say, the game looks really interesting and I will definitively buy it later this month. I always look for great puzzle games and this could become great.

Edited June 15, 2014 by cybershark91

[Yadilie]

Interesting a whole game sharing the same mechanic as the Temporal Puzzles in R&C A Crack In Time. Might be fun.

[Titanomachy_75]

Been out on steam forever!! Just collectables …. But they seem hard but who knows?

[xVolloxx]

Played it on pc and i did really enjoy the game , might pick it up again for Ps4 .

[DARKSCORPONOXR]

the game looks interstingly good but i wouldnt be surprised if people play it then swap their opinion on it...

for the unlocks, i presume you'll get a trophy for gettin to each monitor by completin a puzzle so 10 puzzles for 10 monitors...

Edited June 16, 2014 by DARKSCORPONOXR

[SuffyZorugelion]

Looks interesting indeed. This is the first time I've seen this game.

[LordHoBagBeater]

The sort of game I like 

[FluffyAssassin64]

Looks great and super interesting to me; I saw a review of it on Good Game (weekly Australian review and news TV show on the ABC channel) for PC last year, and looks like the kind of mind-bending puzzler that I love

[Yechan]

Looks interesting. I'll probably get it

[noyjoy]

Really excited for this game, really glad it made its way to the ps4

[Frisendal]

I have deliberately avoided buying this on steam so that I could play it on my Vita. The timing couldn't be better since I have one more exam until I have summer vacation.

 

Edit: It seems the game has been delayed: https://twitter.com/curvestudios/status/479293662967644160

Edited June 19, 2014 by Frisendal

[DarknessKey92]

I have deliberately avoided buying this on steam so that I could play it on my Vita. The timing couldn't be better since I have one more exam until I have summer vacation.

 

Edit: It seems the game has been delayed: https://twitter.com/curvestudios/status/479293662967644160

Thanks! I updated the OP with that Info.

[DarknessKey92]

Made new Edits to the OP regarding why the game was Delayed, along with The PSN version being Cross-Buy support.

[LordHoBagBeater]

Is the game out? I see some people playing it already

[YimSiphny]

For anyone on the fence, here's my 10p's worth: I love this game. The Swapper has great art and sound design, an interesting gaming mechanic and some mind-bending puzzles. It's also got a decent story if you pay attention. If you don't then it's simply a great game and a healthy workout for the grey matter.

 

It's also one of the most atmospheric games I've played in a while, particularly the recreation area which is soundtracked by one of the loveliest, most melancholy piano pieces I can recall. Brilliantly done.

If you've got a spare few quid and are looking for a challenge, I totally recommend The Swapper. Kudos to Facepalm for making the game and to Curve for bringing it to the mighty Playstation trio. Runs beautifully on Vita, too.

 

Trophy hunters: although I managed to solve every puzzle without turning to Google, I'd probably never have earned a single trophy without a guide, as (spoiler?) none of them are related to the story!

Edited August 21, 2014 by YimSiphny

[DarknessKey92]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/11/04/sneak-peek-at-ps4-plus-lineup-for-dec-jan/

Just a reminder:

We are gonna be getting The Swapper next month for free, during the IGC January 2015 Line-up.

 

I'm gonna feel bad getting this great game for free, but @ least more people will be able to experience this awesome indie title.

I'm even more glad it's A 3-way Cross buy, so that I don't need to wait till i have a PS4 to play it.

For sure I'll play this game, after I finish KH 2.5 HD ReMIX.

[Superstarmaste1r]

Since the game is on sale and after seeing the review on YouTube it looks cool but the trophies it might be annoying to collect because this is a puzzle game where I absolutely hate the genre of puzzles. Take up a long time for me on what to do where I have to look for a guide just to contuine playing a game which I don't like doing it except when it comes to trophies of course where when I make a first play through to any game I like to expierence it without a guide trying things on my own where I don't have to look at a guide every time for the trophies unless if it is a plot type of game like most Telltale games like Sam And Max and Back To The Future where I may use them by following it. Other than that I won't buy this game sadly.

[starcrunch061]

I like this game a lot. I saw it in my library (so it must have been free on PS+), but only started it two days ago. I don't want to use guides (although I might, because it gets pretty hard), but I really like the feel of this one.

[starcrunch061]

Man - this game is brutally hard. Mysolutions to some puzzles feel quite...nonstandard. I would never find the trophies without knowing where to look.

[AJ_Radio]

For anybody looking to play this game, prepare to pull some hair out. 

 

Very difficult puzzles. You think they look easy or aren't too bad. They are. 

 

Spent upwards of an entire hour trying to figure out some puzzles. Turns out you have to be very specific in how you clone yourself. If you can't figure that out you will not get far in this game. 

 

This is one of the few times where I disagree with the difficulty the guide states. Most people just watched Brian's guide (PS4trophies) to get all the trophies within a hour. I figured all I needed was to read a guide on the terminals. 

 

Big mistake. I already spent hours on the puzzles alone and I'm pretty frustrated. They're pretty difficult to solve. I'm not lying.

 

Trophy list is abysmal. It's just reaching terminals in extremely well hidden locations. I don't think anybody out there found every single one on their own. That is pretty much almost impossible since you figure the walls and background couldn't be gone through to find a terminal totally outside the location where you solved a puzzle. 

 

I was wondering why nearly all the trophies are rare. Now I know.

Edited May 20, 2017 by Spaz

[Superstarmaste1r]

46 minutes ago, Spaz said:

For anybody looking to play this game, prepare to pull some hair out. 

 

Very difficult puzzles. You think they look easy or aren't too bad. They are. 

 

Spent upwards of an entire hour trying to figure out some puzzles. Turns out you have to be very specific in how you clone yourself. If you can't figure that out you will not get far in this game. 

 

This is one of the few times where I disagree with the difficulty the guide states. Most people just watched Brian's guide (PS4trophies) to get all the trophies within a hour. I figured all I needed was to read a guide on the terminals. 

 

Big mistake. I already spent hours on the puzzles alone and I'm pretty frustrated. They're pretty difficult to solve. I'm not lying.

 

Trophy list is abysmal. It's just reaching terminals in extremely well hidden locations. I don't think anybody out there found every single one on their own. That is pretty much almost impossible since you figure the walls and background couldn't be gone through to find a terminal totally outside the location where you solved a puzzle. 

 

I was wondering why nearly all the trophies are rare. Now I know.

Of a person who despises puzzle games, I disagree of what you said the game is hard. Two days ago I played this game while watching ps4trophies of a video guide and it was easy and helpful to know how to solve the puzzle. I admit some puzzle parts are kind of annoying which by far most puzzle games I can get annoyed at parts of how he solved it but not me. Once I figured it out and try it, my progress was going forward. That of course if you just use a video guide which I always need that just in order to play a game and see if I like the game and it was decent. 

Edited May 20, 2017 by Superstarmaste1r

[mako-heart]

I am way too stupid/lazy to play these w/o cheating =_=;;

[StreetWolf29]

Beautiful. I really love the space station setting, the music, the story, the visual style, and the ethics.