I’ve been given another multiplayer co-operative game.
I’m being mocked.
Just know that any opinions on the multiplayer aspect of what you’re about to read (please read), are from random lobbies and third-party accounts.
Personally, I didn’t expect two meat-based games to be released in 2026, or any year honestly, it felt like a niche that Super Meat Boy had locked down. But more fool me as Swapmeat is here to increase meat franchises (that I’ve heard of) by 100% and it’s not just here to make up the numbers.
Swapmeat is a roguelite, action, shooter from One More Game, an indie developer making their debut with this game. The goal is relatively simple, land on an alien planet, shoot weird alien-ish things, collect stuff, bring stuff back, repeat. If that sounds like Risk of Rain, then good, I was trying to make it sound like that.
In fact, upon firing up Swapmeat, you can immediately see Risk of Rain 2’s influence, from movement, to combat, to the worlds you land on. The only real difference is the whimsy that Swapmeat brings to the proverbial table. Whilst calling Swapmeat’s story paper-thin is a compliment, the framing it does give the game allows it to be silly in a way that Risk of Rain never could. So much so that the main draw of Swapmeat, swapping meat (I know, mad) gives it endless replay-ability alongside truly ridiculous scenarios.
Swapmeat is so called as upon defeating enemies in your runs, you may find items left behind in the form of body parts, which you, as a meaty lad, can swap for your own, giving you not only new abilities but also the opportunity to be a real-life Sid from Toy Story. Remember those toys he loved to take apart and fuse back tougher in bizarre combinations? Swapmeat is that but with a laser gun and a spatula (yeah, you wield a spatula like a sword, great stuff).
This unique mechanic sets Swapmeat apart from pretty much any other game in this genre, at least to my knowledge, and on top of the that the gameplay is quite fun, if a bit repetitive, but criticising a roguelite for its repetition feels like missing the point somewhat. But I stand by it, the objectives, or prime directives as they’re called, can be overly simple and therefore boring at times. You’re tasked with defending a location, defeating a mini-boss or destroying a target. None of which are especially interesting but can be especially challenging. Moreso if you take too long, because, as with Risk of Rain before it, the longer you take, the stronger your enemies become, so move fast young grasshopper, or be swarmed by meat thingies that I’m sure are meant to be brains but look a little too phallic for my liking.
As a man without friends, I could only play on single player mode for this review, but I did venture into the terrifying wilds of random matchmaking briefly, and learned two things.
One, Swapmeat is much harder when played with others, irrespective of the which difficulty setting you select. And two, Swapmeat is much harder when everyone plays like a loose cannon. Perhaps something I found surprising given the simplicity of Swapmeat’s gameplay loop was just how much teamwork and planning is actually required to complete runs.
Lastly on gameplay, we have the bonuses. Every time you level up during a run you will be offered a choice of bonus. Some are fun, a fire gun, a new ability to cause havoc. Some are dull and feel like they just exist to make the cool ones, cooler. A 10% boost to health might sound good, but when you’re swarmed towards the end of a run, it does little to keep you alive. A 15% boost to melee damage is fairly useless when you beset on all sides.
To summarise, Swapmeat is a very interesting take on the roguelite shooter genre, with a unique mechanic that sets it apart from its rivals. The worlds are vibrant, the music is excellent, and the gameplay feels smooth. But like all games requiring you to do “runs”, it struggles to make repeated attempts feel unique enough that I could imagine coming back over and over again.
But as with indie games, it’s not expensive (£8.99 on Steam currently) and is creative enough that building on the concept should prove easy. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one that ages well with a host of updates and DLCs adding to an already solid gameplay experience.
Ivory Coast vs Norway this week. Allez Les Éléphants!
