Goombd Played! - Swarm

If you've grown tired of keeping your Lemmings alive all the time, Swarm might turn things around for you. In Hothead Games' departure from the adventure genre, you're rewarded for being sadistic. In fact, the more evil you are to your poor, hapless blue minions, the bigger, baddest, best score chain you'll get. Points are good, right?

Yes they are. You'll need plenty of those. Swarm's levels are only unlocked once a minimum cap is reached. Points are earned by collecting strands of DNA, killing Swarmites (it's what these lovable blueish guys are called) in creative/evil/fun ways and by being quick about it. Things aren't that straightforward though. Traps and puzzles liter your way and thanks to a smart implementation of direct controls, there's hardly a point where the game itself turns out to be an obstacle.

Surmounting these pebbles on the road, though, is another matter. There are various ways to use your little army of 50 Swarmites. They aren't as useless as Lemmings that simply walk one way or the other. They're obedient. You give them an order, they do it. Want them to stack on top of each other? Done. Jump over a chasm? Pff, easy. All these actions are mapped to a few button combinations and are unlocked the further you progress in the game.

Swarm is the type of puzzler that likes to throw new things your way every so often. New moves become available as you make your way through new stages. You're also awarded with medals the more you murder your blue victims too. These medals can then be upgraded the more kills you achieve on a particular style. Unlocking all is a matter of thoroughly exploration and discovery, and it's probably one of Swarm best features.


I'll admit (admissions are a part of Goombd!, after all) - I like to earn achievements and trophies. I don't particularly go out of my way to win them, though. I dig hunting when they make the game more fun and interesting, which is the case for Swarm. Going after them is an added layer of challenge and will demand nearly perfect results on all stages.

It also helps that Swarm is a pretty game. The Swarmites look like "claymated" and deaths would look adorable if they weren't so gruesome. Okay, I'll say that they are really darn cute. You never see any blood, though, so if you're into that, you won't find it here. You will, however, see plenty of blue. All over the damn screen.


Swarm is the type of game that could easily take you just a few hours to make it to the credits. That's just the beginning of it all, though. Getting all medals, awards, best scores and unlockables can easily quadruple that amount of time, if you are looking for replayability. And who wouldn't? Swarm is a blast. Or a jump in a vat of acid. Or a blue-tinted barbecue. You get the drift! |8