Swap This! is a matching puzzle game on the Nintendo Switch in which you have to match colors with each other to complete puzzles and earn high scores. The main draw of this particular title is that it only costs €1. For such a low price, you can’t exactly go wrong with buying this game. Just don’t expect too much of it.
The game plays like any other match puzzler that can be found on all types of devices. Match four or more colors, watch them blow up with a fancy animation, raise your score high score, repeat until you solved the puzzle or become bored. In other words, Swap This! is just another match puzzle game. Sure, the blocks aren’t just blocks but instead cute little creatures that have to be “freed” in order to return to the sea, but in the end, that doesn’t really change the fact that you probably have played this type of game before.
Luckily, there are several modes to at least make the game somewhat unique when compared to others. Minute Match has you trying to amass the highest possible score in a minute; Wave Mode requires wiping out a certain amount of blocks and outrunning the clock; Fish Fight swaps the countdown with a giant fish that you push back by quickly blasting blocks and finally, Puzzle offers a couple of, big surprise, puzzles, which basically increase the challenge, but removes the timer. These modes are far from groundbreaking and you’ll probably try them out once and then continue playing the mode you like best, but at least there are options you can choose.
It may sound like Swap This! is a generic experience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be fun to play. For starters, three out of the four available modes greatly value quick fingers, thus while a simple matching puzzler, it can become quite adrenaline-pumping. The gameplay leans so much towards high speeds, in fact, that many will have a hard time getting their foot off the pedal, and focus on creating chain reactions, making a smarter use of the power-ups, or getting rid of those pesky sea urchins that can mess things up if you ignore them. The game is thus easy to pick up but can offer some challenge at times.
However, while the low price makes it easier to forgive the game for its low amount of content, there is one issue that has irked me many times during my playthrough. It’s not possible to play it with the traditional buttons on the controllers. You either have to use the touchscreen of the Switch or use the motion sensors of the Joy-Cons to point at the screen and select objects that way. The game itself mentions it is supposed to be played fast and recommends using the touchscreen in handheld mode. It might be true that’s the fastest way to play, but I’d rather have seen an option button that makes it possible to use traditional controls.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, don’t expect too much of this game. It’s a matching puzzler that works well but isn’t any different than other similar games. You’ll probably have some fun playing it for the first hour or so, but after that, you’ll quickly drop it. Still, €1 for a puzzle game is a pretty good deal…
