Grapple your way to the end
Speed Swing is a fast-paced action video game wherein you must reach the end as quickly as you can. Developed by Jakob Delzer, this 3D first-person indie game is a unique platformer that has you swinging in between obstacles in order to progress and reach the finish line.
Similar to BONEWORKS, Speed Swing relies heavily on physics and momentum for your movement. However, the game also features strategic gameplay as the levels gradually increase in difficulty regarding the placement of spots you can swing on and your next destination.
Avoid slacking off
In Speed Swing, your goal is to swing onto thick bars, posts, and walls using your trusty grappling hook to land onto the finish line. Unlike games such as the Spiderman series, the swinging action here requires great momentum and speed so you can’t allow your line to slack anytime you grapple onto something. You’ll either jump and swing immediately or wait a bit before shooting out your hook.
The controls are easy enough and you can see them on the screen during the first level. WASD is for movement, spacebar is for jumping, and the left mouse button is for grappling. Meanwhile, the R key is for resetting the level, and Esc is for Options. Unfortunately, these instructions disappear after the first level. The second level gives you a tip but the next one no longer has instructions.
This game’s appeal is mainly about difficulty scaling. Even on the second level, it’s not so easy to complete despite the solution looking pretty straightforward. Thus, expect each of the 20 levels to test your patience and wits. However, this is also its main issue as the solutions will often require pretty precise movements that leave no room for improvisation.
Swinging is serious business
All in all, Speed Swing is a highly challenging platformer that isn’t for the faint of heart. While the controls are easy to master, the difficulty scaling between each level drastically increases and will force you to work on each for either a few minutes or even up to hours. Nevertheless, it has such rewarding physics gameplay that can be appealing to some.
