SwapQuest enters console gaming (from its mobile beginnings) and targets exactly who it is for. Swapquest is a tile-swapping puzzle RPG: it’s something like an 8-bit Final Fantasy meets a sliding piece puzzle. And it’s every bit as fun as you would imagine.
Like any great RPG, SwapQuest begins with, simply put, a quest. An ancient legion of demons called The Horde frees itself from its quasi-eternal prison within a magic orb called the Arcanyme and begins its crawling consumption of the kingdom of Aventana. SwapQuest casts you in the role of Prince Wilbert or Princess Wilma as you race across the land to reassemble the shattered Arcanyme and find the mythical sword that has the power to defeat The Horde. The Horde, for its part, captures the king and queen and chases you as you tile-swap your way across Aventana’s diverse ecosystems. And herein lies the true tension.
The looming threat of The Horde wraps each puzzle in urgency. Not only must you cross the land one tile at a time, but you must do it with The Horde breathing down your neck. But The Horde is not the only danger. Before you stands many obstacles: monsters, chests, locked doors, wildfires, quicksand, booby traps, and so much more. Each new ecosystem provides new classes of impediment for the player to navigate. This mechanic, along with new side missions for each level, keeps each puzzle fresh and engaging. And the maps and tiles are randomly generated, so every playthrough provides a unique experience. The final series of puzzles is particularly challenging, filled with innovative ways to utilize the tile-swapping mechanic. The boss battles, too, manage to challenge the way you think and use the tiles to your advantage.
That covers the sliding piece puzzle analogy, now for the Final Fantasy part. In true old-school RPG fashion, the player chooses 1 of 6 classes for their character at the outset of the journey. Class abilities range from gaining increased experience from scoring critical hits on monsters to caring for a jewel-hunting canine companion. Moreover, each class upgrades with experience, allowing the player to choose new skills, which varies the play experience even within the same class. The player can also purchase new weapons, enchant them with status effects, and upgrade their skills at the Caravan. And with 12 active save files, each player can experiment with a variety of classes and difficulties without sacrificing save space.
SwapQuest’s visuals and score are, in a word, delightful. Marches and ballads resonate with a power and simplicity similar to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but with more polish and fewer fairies. The graphics get an impressive upgrade as well in the port from mobile. The updated cell-shaded graphics are both dynamic and whimsical and bring a lot the visual character of the game. Of course, SwapQuest allows you to toggle between the classic 8-bit and the revamped graphics modes with the click of the right stick. If you’re into that sort of thing.
Perhaps the most exciting new feature to join the console version is local Co-op. You and a friend (or a parent, sibling, or child!) can team up as Wilbert and Wilma to save your parents and the kingdom. You must still each choose a class, which offers interesting opportunities to coordinate your abilities and job types. For instance, the Noble class provides attack buffs dependent on the number of jewels you have, and the Rogue has a companion animal who collects jewels. A friend and I ran this team. As the Noble, he engaged enemies we encountered, while I scurried about securing treasure chests and loose jewels. Both players occupy the same board and can move the same tiles, so there are plenty of opportunities to work together like this.
Actively cooperating with another person to plot the best route to victory was both exciting and challenging. As SwapQuest is relatively family friendly, it presents a great opportunity to demonstrate effective communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to younger partners. Sharing the board also means you don’t have to over-rely on a less experienced teammate. And thanks to the array of buttons at your disposal, performing character actions on console is easier than it was on mobile devices.
SwapQuest’s tile-swap mechanic began on mobile as a touch-drag-and-drop operation. It has translated reasonably well to console. Though, when the pressure is on, I still find myself missing my drops and grabs. But I’m like that under pressure. And the inclusion of button commands has definitely improved character control.
One characteristic about which I have mixed emotions is The Horde doesn’t end play when it catches you, even on Hard difficulty. It inflicts minor damage and bounces you forward half a dozen or so tiles. Which you then need to work with, certainly. But it doesn’t carry with it the gravity of being overtaken by a legion of ancient demons. I would have liked to have seen a higher difficulty with more serious stakes. To this point, there are also several challenge levels scattered about the world. Spoiler alert: they aren’t particularly challenging. Again, I would like to see settings that increase the difficulty of these levels.
Ultimately, SwapQuest is a very fun puzzle game. It’s at its best in Co-op mode. And it’s a fantastic bridge between younger and older generations of gamer. Truly, this is perhaps its greatest quality. I’m glad to see a game that manages to challenge and entertain gamers of all ages. I do wish it had opportunities for even greater challenges for more experienced puzzlers. I highly recommend SwapQuest if you’re an older sibling or parent looking to bring a younger generation into thoughtful gaming opportunities. Or if you just love a good puzzle game. With the RPG depth and shifting solutions, it will keep you entertained for hours.
(A Review copy of SwapQuest for Xbox One was provided by Rebusmind for the purposes of this review.)