TSA’s Top 100 of 2011 – #71 Swarm

Back in September we described Hothead’s Swarm as a “sadistic Pikmin.” Two months later and we’re sticking with the description. A platform puzzler where players get to collectively control fifty blue, senseless kamikaze daredevils, the game’s “Fifty of a kind beats everything” tagline suggests a tongue-in-cheek romp through chaos; an experience sure to entice fans of the more humourous side of gaming.

Swarm possesses a few specific traits that immediately appeals to us here at TheSixthAxis. Firstly, it’s by Hothead; a developer whose games we’ve immensely enjoyed this year. Sure, the second DeathSpank may have felt more like DLC than a game in its own right, but it was still fun, and that’s the key word here. Remember when games were fun?

Secondly, there’s something wonderfully barmy about these fearless, pudgy swarmites, the ghastly collection of possible ways to kill them probably more alluring as any intention we have of actually getting them to safety.

There’s also a tangible sense of strategy here, however. Check out Hothead’s Joel DeYoung explaining the game’s mechanics at this year’s PAX in the clip below. From controlling the swarm’s shape, to using explosions as a way of launching your little blue dudes across what is described as a “super dangerous” world, admit it – you can’t wait to direct them across the trap-strewn land, cackling as they’re squished, roasted and spiked ad nauseam.

Swarm will be available through all digital distribution channels early next year.

9 Comments

  1. Great video once more. Genuinely silly, genuinely funny. Also, those levels look wonderful when the camera shows the fantastic backgrounds. The icing on the cake being how they are spewed out from some sort of giant worm’s well… mouth? Clunge-hole? You choose. It looks delightfully daft. :-)

    Top stuff, Kovacs.

    • i wish i could view these vids via the ps3 browser

  2. The game definitely has its charm, looks like some half-crazy fun. I’d never heard of this before, might be a purchase for me if the pricing isn’t too stiff.

    Gotta love this Top 100 list, both introducing me to new interesting titles and getting me hyped for the rest. 70 to go!

    • I appreciate the kind words. Thank you. Enjoy it while it lasts, as it’s unlikely I’ll ever do it again!
      :)

      • You’re doing it every year, it’s in your contract.

  3. Whoa looks cool. Thoroughly enjoying Death-Spank at present so this is a welcome surprise to me… I was a huge Pikmin fan and I think whether they’d like to admit it or not, there are Pikmin and LocoRoco influences in here, but it look’s like it’ll have a personality all it’s own and some cool new mechanics :D

  4. Looks like good old fashioned fun! I think Move could work well with this.

  5. i really REALLY hope the end of this countdown doesn’t turn out to be something like MW3.

    • I can neither confirm or deny if Modern Warfare 3 is on this list.

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