HiveSwap is an indie game with a beautiful art style, funny dialogue, great music, and is definitely worth the $5 on Steam. I first discovered it when Danica Meeks commented on my gems of the internet video, which was 6 months ago. It's been that long, huh? My bad. When I first looked up Homestuck on YouTube, the most recent videos that were posted on this channel are HiveSwap related videos. Great branding there guys. So as you could tell, I was pretty confused. I watched the launch trailer on HiveSwap trying to figure out what in the world it was. And I was so. I learned that it was a game on Steam, so I bought it. And I played it. And it's really good. There are multiple reasons why it's really good. And that's not even considering the story, which I don't want to touch on too much, because this game is really fun to experience without knowing much about it. However, I will talk about free-made reasons why this game is good. The visuals, the sound, and the dialogue. Let's talk about the visuals since it is the first thing I noticed right out of the game. This game's art style is so unique. According to the website, it's actually hand-drawn animation, which makes sense why it's so smooth and so alive and so good. I can think Andrine Garcia for that, the lead animator on this game. Thank you for spending so much time on this piece of art. Honestly, it's amazing. I haven't seen such a visually appealing indie game in a long time. I'm so glad I found this. It's colorful, it's clean, it's vibrant. The cutscenes make me feel like I'm watching a high-budgeted 2D animated movie. It makes me happy. Another cool thing about this game is that depending on where you are in the story, the title screen changes. Which, although not important, it really just adds to the game. And makes me realize that the attention to detail in this game is spot on. Speaking of attention to detail, just as much thought was put into the music. You remember that guy who made that really unpopular game called the Undertale? Yeah, me neither. But he helped put the music in this game, which probably explains why it's so good. There are songs that are so whimsical with comb piano and light strings in the background to give it that innocent feel. You also have some songs that still use piano and strings, except they pump up these suspense to a 100, which in some instances gets you ready to battle those flying, eyeless monsters. There are also some songs that are mostly sick, electronic beats, mixed with epic sounds. And then there are songs where they take everything that I literally just said and mash them together. Honestly, every song is so unique and so great. It meshes so well with the gameplay in every single atmosphere you encounter. Speaking of atmosphere, there's one part of the game where you go into the basement and all of a sudden the music changes to a suspenseful, creepy vibe. I gotta say, the first time playing this game, I was actually genuinely nervous because I thought something super bad was gonna happen. A true sign of great music to match the scene. There is another great side of this game when it comes to music. The Grubbles. In this game, there are two characters, Zephyrus and Demick, who start a band. But of course, this game goes the extra mile and you can actually buy their EP in real life. Which is really cool. Let me tell you, I normally don't like songs without lyrics, but this EP is so amazing to jam to. I honestly love it. But one that I'm addicted to currently is fronly warning. When I first heard it, I was instantly hooked. But see, here's the even more interesting thing. There are lyrics. They're in an alternate alphabet, which is a made up language made by the team. And people have deciphered it. And now I love the song even more. The entire soundtrack is good and it's honestly my jam. Totally worth the $5. You know what else is my jam? Dialogue. Especially funny dialogue. I am honestly surprised how many times this game made me laugh. This game isn't marketed as funny, but the way that some of the characters interact with each other had me laughing so hard. This is mostly for one of two reasons. One, the very observant yet sarcastic main character Joey Claire. And some of the conversations between Joey and her brother, Jude Harley. The remarks that Joey makes when you click on things tend to be pretty humorous. Like for example, when you click on the closet and press change, you get a pop-up saying, You can try to be close to what you style about it. I was just wondering if he's one party offering compulsory reactions and acts for each outfit. Who's gonna give you an affirming head down when you finally nail it? I love Joey. I also love Jude. Soley for the reason that whenever you're talking on the radio with him, he's always screaming about something. It's not like he had any reason to yell because there are totally no monsters outside of the tree house. Speaking of monsters, there is a very interesting concept when it comes to fighting these beasts. Puzzles. Now I'm not talking about a puzzle game where you match a certain color of shapes and a road to attack a monster. I'm looking at you. Puzzle and dragons. No, I'm talking about situational puzzles. It's basically where, depending on the situation, you have to attack monsters using different strategies when there isn't even an attack button. You only have your items and a few abilities, which makes battles way more interesting. You have to figure out what works best depending on the situation, which makes it more enjoyable. I'll admit, at first I was a little confused on the game mechanics as to how to fight monsters, but once I learned it, I loved it. I've saw it was so enjoyable from beginning to end with the stunning visuals, amazing soundtrack and charming dialogue. This game is honestly one of a kind and I'm so glad I found it. I well deserved 10 out of 10. The ending really had me wanting more. Good news is, the story isn't even over. This is Act 1. The next game is set to release the spring of this year. And I'm so excited. This journey has only begun my friends. And I'm ready for the next chapter. Speaking of next chapters, have you found any interesting video series or games on the internet? If so, let me know in the comments and I may end up making a video about it. Hopefully the next one won't be six months from now.