The Swapper

The Swapper
DevelopersFacepalm Games
Curve Studios (Console Ports)
PublisherFacepalm Games
Curve Digital (Console Ports)
DesignerOlli Harjola
ProgrammerOlli Harjola
ArtistOlli Harjola
WriterTom Jubert
ComposerCarlo Castellano
Platforms
ReleaseWindows
  • WW: 30 May 2013
Mac, Linux
  • WW: 18 February 2014
PlayStation 3 / 4 / Vita
  • NA: 5 August 2014
  • EU: 6 August 2014
Wii U
  • NA: 6 November 2014
  • EU: 6 November 2014
  • JP: 2 April 2015
Xbox One
  • WW: 5 June 2015
GenresPuzzle-platform, Metroidvania
ModeSingle-player

The Swapper is a 2013 puzzle-platform game. A science fiction-themed title, the player controls a scavenger stranded aboard an abandoned research station, and discovers the strange titular device, which allows her to create clones of herself and switch her consciousness between these clones. The player uses this ability to solve various puzzles and learn about the fate of the station's researchers. The game's plot explores philosophical themes including the nature of consciousness, identity, telepathy, and the mind–body problem, with two of its main characters named after famous philosophers Daniel Dennett and David Chalmers.

The Swapper was developed by Facepalm Games, an independent developer in Helsinki, Finland, and released on May 30, 2013, for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It was ported to PlayStation and Nintendo by Curve Studios in 2014. The game was released to critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the game's visual style and atmosphere, puzzle quality, and innovative mechanics.