The Swapper Reviews

The Swapper is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
86 / 100
Nov 25, 2013

Clay, consciousness, space. The Swapper is a homogenous mixture of elements that fit together just well. When you look back at it, it’s hard to find too many things that are objectively broken.

Read full review

90 / 100
Jan 2, 2014

As a new IP, The Swapper is one of the best around. The great puzzles, superbly told story and beautiful visuals make me excited for whatever comes next from the Finnish developer.

Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Jul 22, 2014

Not everyone may find the same humbling or existential experience that I did, but for me, the game left me with questions beyond the game itself as credits rolled. It successfully made me take a step back, look at my own being, and asked tough psychological, moral, and ethical questions that don't necessarily have a right or a wrong answer. All the while I was embroiled in some of the most well thought out puzzle mechanics in years. The Swapper will fly under many people's radar, which is unfortunate because with its unique take on graphics, puzzles, and narrative, they will be missing out on what I would say is the best puzzle platformer experience since Portal.

Read full review

4.5 / 5.0
Jul 23, 2014

The Swapper is yet another indie coup for Sony, as it is very clearly one of the best puzzle games to come out in years. This is a well-designed experience that has the potential to win over non-puzzler fans.

Read full review

90 / 100
Jul 23, 2014

The Swapper delivers on nearly every front. The puzzles are intelligent and challenging, the story is deep and philosophical and the visual style is incredibly unique and inventive. This is a title that is sure to satisfy fans of science fiction and platform puzzle games alike.

Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2014

If you have any interest in puzzle games that will bend your mind, you owe it to yourself to check out The Swapper.

Read full review

Jul 24, 2014

No matter the platform, The Swapper is a game that people should play. It may be a year later, but the game still stands out as one of the most creative and forward-thinking indie releases in recent memory.

Read full review

8 / 10
Jul 25, 2014

The Swapper is an indie puzzle platformer with a gameplay hook which is cleverly married to a grand operatic narrative. Its strange visuals and atmospheric soundtrack augment this vision, creating a wholly unique and cohesive experience. While some of its later puzzles are a bit too fiddly for their own good, and the overall pacing sometimes feels a little off kilter, this is still a space voyage that comes highly recommended.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 25, 2014

Despite being a puzzle game with a very simple (albeit ingenious) gimmick, The Swapper manages to subvert expectations and tell one of the best science fiction stories of the year. Between its unique presentation and constantly evolving puzzles, this is one game I'll be talking about for some time to come. The Swapper is a masterpiece of design.

Read full review

Unscored
Jul 27, 2014

The Swapper is a wonderful example of what a puzzle platformer should be and has set a very high bar for others that will follow. It is available across all three Sony platforms and that is welcome too, as it is a game that is very hard to put down once you get into it.

Read full review

8 / 10
Jul 29, 2014

Facepalm Games have created something special with The Swapper, with Cruve Studios helping to bring the game to PlayStation. The unique cloning abilities of the mysterious Swapper device pave the way for some challenging puzzle designs and a gripping story, that sci-fi fans will no doubt love. However, you can't help but feel that it's all over far too soon.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2014

The Swapper couples complex narrative and mind-bending puzzles nicely. It's a short ride, but the core concept wields enough for on-the-fence gamers to consider a purchase.

Read full review

4 / 5.0
Aug 4, 2014

The Swapper isn't for everyone. Its plot is dense and tucked away. Only those dedicated to knowing the full story will bother to locate and read all of the terminals. Also, at times, it can be extremely difficult and its one-dimensional gameplay won't do it any favors in attracting a wide audience. However for what it does within its niche, The Swapper is a complete, well-constructed, and well-thought-out game that will keep hardcore puzzle/platformer fans looking for something new very entertained.

Read full review

Game Debate
Joffy S
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 5, 2014

The Swapper is a fantastic game although it's not without its limitations. The nagging feeling while working your way through the puzzles is that the idea was never really stretched quite far enough. The self-contained puzzles are good in their own right, but it can at times feel like a procession of challenges. It would have been nice to get to grips with multipart puzzles or something just a little meatier. For fans of the genre though this is invaluable, although it's all-too-short 4-hour length could leave seasoned puzzlers wanting.

Read full review

Aug 5, 2014

The Swapper is one of the most unique and fun puzzle games to release in the last few years and is definitely not one to miss.

Read full review

8 / 10
Aug 6, 2014

One of the best action puzzlers for several years, made all the better by some surprisingly distinctive storytelling and visuals.

Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Aug 11, 2014

The Swapper is a beautiful, haunting thing. It's rare for a game to leave you feeling emotionally numb, but also satisfied by the journey. All of The Swapper's parts operate in concert, creating a masterful puzzle platformer that deserves to be remembered.

Read full review

Aug 11, 2014

The Swapper is a short, but sweetly addictive puzzle platformer that begs the statement, "If Dead Space were only a puzzle game."

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2014

Overall, The Swapper is a fun, well-designed puzzler that I would recommend playing through at least once. If you can catch it for sale at the PlayStation Store, grab it quickly.

Read full review

83 / 100
Aug 14, 2014

So overall, I would say 95% of this game is pure excellence. I had an absolutely fantastic time playing it and it was surprisingly long (I thought I could finish it in one sitting, but it actually took me two full nights of playing). It's just a shame that one teeny tiny detail took my impression of it from great down to good. It's still well worth playing even with the frustration, but without that minor detail it could have been one of the best.

Read full review