The Swindle

 Switch
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. GameSpace
    Oct 10, 2018
    80
    The perfect kind of game for the Nintendo Switch.
  2. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 6, 2019
    75
    The Swindle on the Switch plays just as good as when it was originally released. It's is a merciless, ruthless, blood boiling experience you cannot find just anywhere. Not for the faint of heart, but a sheer joy for ones capable enough to see through the big heist.
  3. Switch Player
    Feb 19, 2019
    60
    There’s nothing quite as agonising as getting every penny in a house only to get hit by an enemy and leave with nothing. But The Swindle does feel good when it’s going well. It’s just very, very tricky.
  5. NintendoWorldReport
    Oct 15, 2018
    50
    t’s a huge shame that The Swindle misses the mark so hard on its execution. The tools, upgrades, and challenges are all really fun to experiment with. There’s a great game somewhere within the mess, but you’ll probably stop having fun way before you manage to pull off the heist of a lifetime.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. chosen0ne
    Sep 22, 2021
    2
    The procedural generation makes maps that don't make any sense. I wish they were more purposeful with the level design. The jump doesn'tThe procedural generation makes maps that don't make any sense. I wish they were more purposeful with the level design. The jump doesn't feel right at all, far too bouncy and strange than it should be. I didn't enjoy controlling it, the game got quickly repetitive, and it was difficult. Too much grinding required and simply put: I didn't enjoy it at all when I thought it looked amazing.… Full Review »
  2. appledinger
    Aug 29, 2019
    3
    When I first played this game, I disliked it because it was too frustrating. I died all the time, often because of mechanics I didn'tWhen I first played this game, I disliked it because it was too frustrating. I died all the time, often because of mechanics I didn't understand or hazards I didn't see. I heard enough good things that I pressed through and I was able to get kind of good.

    Then, something even worse happened: I stopped liking the game because it became tedious. Maps were repetitive, enemies are just littered everywhere with no rhyme or reason. The only reason it's hard is because the procedural generation drops 6 enemies into a room with a computer (where most of the money is) so you have to wait for an opening, knock one on the head, get back to safety, and repeat until you have created enough space to get a few seconds on the computer. I was able to do this successfully most of the time and clear out 90% of the money on the level and I was just so bored after "figuring out" the pattern that I deleted the game. It might get better later on, but I would have had to fully clear out at least 4 more levels to get to the next level and that sounded gross and boring.

    The other side of the frustration is weird, inconsistent mechanics. Wall jumping in a tight space is unpredictable, sometimes I've had my full body in line of sight and nothing happened, sometimes I get detected even though I'm certain I was not spotted. Some of the perks don't always activate consistently (looking at you, "action hero") which means that you can't rely on them with your strategy.

    And my biggest pet peeve about this game: the animation for swinging your club doesn't match the hitbox. Not a huge deal, but when it looks like I got a hit, I want a hit dammit.

    Long story short, everything about this game SHOULD be fun, but somehow doesn't manage to actually be fun.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »