SWAPMEAT Review: A Gloriously Disgusting Mess That Deserves Your Attention
If you have ever looked at an alien monstrosity and thought, "I want his legs," this is the game for you.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: SWAPMEAT is gross. It is a game drenched in meat, fluids, and body horror. It is also one of the most weirdly compelling co-op shooters I have played in a long time.
The premise is simple and horrifying. You are an employee of Rangus Meats, a megacorp that may or may not have broken the galaxy. Your job is to drop onto hostile planets, shoot mutants, and harvest their limbs to upgrade yourself in real-time.
It sounds like a gimmick, but in practice, it is a frantic, strategic layer of chaos that turns a standard roguelite shooter into something unique.
The Art of the Swap
The core hook is the "swap" mechanic. When you kill a mutant, it drops a body part. You can grab that part and instantly graft it onto your own body.
This isn't just a cosmetic change either. Every limb changes how you play.
One minute you are a standard soldier. The next, you have "Squat Daddy" legs that let you butt-slam enemies from the sky. Then you find a "Stellar Chef" torso that drops shields for your team. Or maybe you just want a turkey head that shoots grenades. Why not?
With over 3,000 combinations, the build variety is insane. You are constantly improvising, adapting to whatever weird junk the game throws at you. It forces you out of your comfort zone because you can't just stick to one "meta" build. You have to work with the meat you are given.
Fast, Ugly, and Fun
The combat itself feels great. The developers cite Quake 3 and Serious Sam as inspirations, and you can feel it in the movement. It is fast, twitchy, and unrelenting.
You are constantly under siege by waves of alien weirdos, and standing still is a death sentence. You have to dodge, shoot, and swap on the fly.
The co-op adds another layer of madness. The difficulty scales dynamically, so if your buddy drops out (or rage quits), the game adjusts. But honestly, playing this solo feels like missing the point. It is built for screaming at your friends while you all scramble for the same pair of triple-jump legs.
The Early Access Janky Bits
It is still in Early Access, and it shows. The UI can be a confusing mess of meat-themed menus. Some of the elemental upgrades feel a bit lackluster compared to the wild body parts.
The objectives can get repetitive. You are mostly just shooting things and collecting "Meat Cores." It’s not revolutionary mission design. It’s a vehicle for the combat loop.
And yes, visually, it can be a lot. If you have a weak stomach or just hate the color orange (there is a lot of orange. a l o t), this might not be for you. It is a hyper-stylized, grimy aesthetic that you either love or hate.
The Verdict
SWAPMEAT knows exactly what it is: a silly, gross, arcade shooter that doesn't take itself seriously.
It is not trying to be a cinematic masterpiece. It is trying to be a fun video game where you can have an octopus for a head. And for 25 bucks, that is a pretty aight deal.
It has a strong foundation, a unique hook, and enough replayability to keep you and your friends entertained for a good chunk of time. Just don't play it right after lunch.
7.6/10 A glorious, fleshy fever dream that proves being a monster is way more fun than just fighting them.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.
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