SwapQuest

Developer Rebusmind brings a genre mix between RPG and puzzle for Xbox One. Not an everyday combination but it totally works! Let’s build ourselves a way towards the review while avoiding all kinds of monsters, fire hazards and more! 

THE GOOD

• You will immediately understand the gameplay from SwapQuest, you swap environment tiles so your character can travel towards the finish line. Along the way you will fight enemies, collect gems and bash treasure chests or trees for more gems.  You have some time pressure, a big horde of monsters is trying to catch you but nothing to challenging. Making paths and thinking a few steps a few steps ahead is a must, luckily things have been made a little bit easier because your character will walk by itself, you just need to tell where to go, if that option is presenting itself.
• Boss fights need some extra clever swapping skills and are the most fun to play. First you’ll need to figure out how to take the tile swapping and boss abilities to your advantage, before you can actually defeat the monstrosities.
• One thing that makes SwapQuest worth your money is the engaging and user-friendly Co-op mode. You really have that sense of teamwork and accomplishment.

Mixed Feelings

• The visual retro-look totally works for SwapQuest but it’s a thin line between acceptable and unclear. The bosses have great art design but everything else looks quite dull. For gamers that enjoy bit-graphics SwapQuest is something I can really recommend.
• The RPG-elements come from choosing classes and earning EXP that allow you to earn new skills. You can collect new weapons, improve your stats but I never really got interested in it. You need to become stronger to deal with harder enemies but you don’t need to invest much time in the RPG mechanics.

THE BAD

• One option that I really missed was speeding up time. When you need to walk a long straight-line things can take longer than they should. The results are a few yawn-moments and that’s never good for a video game.
• How original the gameplay concept might be, it still causes a lot of repetitive moments.  It misses something, or even a few things to make it really stand out and entertaining.

SwapQuest isn’t a bad game but I really recommend playing it with a friend. The mix between puzzle and RPG is original but I expected a little bit more. Overall Swapquest is an enjoyable but sometimes repetitive experience.