Swarm Grinder

How many of these twin-stick action roguelike games will we get before someone tries to innovate the genre a little? Swarm Grinder is another title that follows the mantra, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Without even pressing a button, from the surface, the title already looks like a rinse and repeat of the genre, with only the developer's visual and mechanical flavors sprinkled into the mix.

I may need to hold the cynicism until I've played the game. But at this point, titles like Swarm Grinder that don't offer any particular hooks or points of intrigue almost speak for themselves on overall gameplay. For science, let's dive into the deep anyway, but I'm not optimistic that this game will blow my mind. Let's hope I'm wrong.

Back to the Grind

It doesn't help with the initial skepticism when a game can't tack on selling points to the description. It's more like, "here's another action roguelike; we know you love them!" Sure, many fans of the genre tend to enjoy gameplay more when there's something unique about the game or some riveting mechanics that shake up the grind and hold attention.

So here's where we start relentlessly picking apart Swarm Grinder. The game roots into a sci-fi theme where players take control of a heavily armed robot defending an interplanetary outpost from a swarm of alien life. Each level is procedurally generated to keep you on your toes about what's coming next. Before you know it, you have an unsustainable amount of enemies to deal with.

Visually, Swarm Grinder is standard. It's a series of 2D sprites with basic coloring, resembling more of an old-school flash game than some of the intricacies of modern action roguelikes. The animations are simple and occasionally obnoxiously jagged, leading up to the first main peeve behind this game. So can the visual representation be saved by some sound mechanics?

Not really. You feel like the name Swarm Grinder is in place for a reason, offering repetitive run-and-gun gameplay that's casually progressed as you kill more enemies. The skill tree is a nice touch, and facing off with growing hordes does become challenging. However, my speculation was right about the game. It's another basic incarnation of an action roguelike that doesn't meet modern standards.

Another Day, Another Swarm

You can offer respect to the developers if this is a portfolio game or a first attempt at publishing a title. However, Swarm Grinder will hardly dent the oversaturated action roguelike market. There's not enough going for it. It's a lackluster version of Vampire Survivors, which is an arguable idol in how to make an action roguelike game, and hardly worth investing any time or money into.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• A standard action roguelike that's generally bug-free
• Pick-up-and-play potential
• There is entertainment in fending off impossible numbers of enemies

Cons:

• Repetitive twin-stick shooting gameplay
• Visuals and animations are relatively lackluster
• Skill tree doesn't add much to the game