7. The Swapper
Facepalm Games – Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert, Carlo Castellano
Windows PC, Steam
A haunting and seductive science fiction canvas for a well-suited game mechanic – make up to four clones of yourself among which you can project the focus – in other words, shift your first-person consciousness from one clone to another. Right-clicking slows time so you can perform complex feats in self-replication towards achieving your aim.
The implications on a psychological level are rather disturbing as you watch versions that used to be what you identified as the “real” you get squashed, crushed or lost in the corridors of this mysteriously abandoned scientific extra-planetary outpost.
Done in claymation, to add that extra little bit of head-twisting – a cross between digital and organic states -The Swapper finds that coveted match between game mechanic and theme to create a cunning and complex journey in logic and atmosphere. ~ Indie-Game-Freak
“Gone Home accomplishes a remarkable feat – building up a series of narratives in the player’s mind through mere suggestion, but ultimately proving none of them to be true.”
Gragh! Why would that be the first sentence?! And I can’t let myself read the rest to get any sort of context, so now I’ll be assuming everything goes to pot, and whenever I get around to playing GH, it’ll likely be a niggle in the back of my mind, not allowing me to attach to anything that seems to have gone on. sigh, It feels like single-player experiences are more important to play “day one” than multiplayer, in this digital age. So hard to keep myself away from spoilers (or what I take as spoilers), y’know?
Well we never say what those suggestions are…
Not to play devils advocate to much here but the game has been out for months and making press every day like crazy AND this is a GOTY article all kinds of red flags flying around if you don’t want spoilers my man 😉