Take Lemmings, control them all at the same time, add in a little Pikmin and give it the unique humor and flavor of Hothead games and you’ve got Swarm set for release in March of 2011 on both Xbox LIVE Arcade and the Playstation Network.
It’s rare in this day and age to see a game so openly embrace death as Swarm from Hothead Games does. Well no, that’s not true, but it does seem like the Hotheads believe that we, collectively as gamers, like to torture and kill off piles and piles of nameless little creatures. They’re probably not too far off on that one. I hate to think what that says about us as a people, but since it’s just a game, I’ll refrain from going into the more philosophical discussion of our sadistic tendencies and just get on with it.
Quick story summary: Alien ship lands on planet, tons of Swarmites spill out of it. Mother (the ship) needs you to gather Swarmites and feed her so she grows. So get on with it already. Of course, besides environmental traps and things to avoid and puzzle to solve, there are bosses you must defeat.
Swarm is a 2.5D side-scrolling platform game that requires you to navigate the hazards of the planet, collect DNA and some form of molecules, we’ll call it Swarmium for lack of any other word. You’re given 50 Swarmites and the goal is to not let them all die. Along the way, because you will lose some, you’ll find spawn points that allow you to gather more Swarmites to you (no more than 50 at a time though). Run through the levels collecting the Swarmium and DNA bits, avoiding the hazards and solving the puzzles to get a score high enough to unlock the next level. You can also replay a level and beat it quickly for a time bonus and a potentially higher score.
