Swingworm Game Info

Swingworm is an unconventional platformer. You move Swingy the worm by dragging his head and tail between different platforms. When either end of his slinky-like body touches another platform, it latches on until moved again. One end of Swingy must always be connected to a platform. Levels are designed to take advantage of the worm’s properties; for instance, sometimes you'll use his spiky tail to kill enemies and latch onto ice platforms, while times you'll use him as a rope to move platforms.

Swingworm contains 95 levels that come into two varieties. The majority of them are built around collecting all the berries scattered around the level and then latching onto the swing on which the black “Big Bug” resides. There are also a handful of Angry Birds inspired levels in which you must collect all the eggs within a destroyable wooden structure. It’s a refreshing twist to use Swingy as a bulldozer.

There’s no way to die in Swingworm. You keep going at a level until you beat it, making this game approachable to everyone. For the serious gamers, the challenge comes in obtaining three stars across every level, an extremely formidable task. The first star is awarded simply for completing the level, but collecting further stars requires you to complete the level under a set time. Coming in contact with an enemy adds five seconds to your time, often requiring you to restart the level. To this end, Swingworm has high replay value should you decide to master the art of manipulating Swingy.

The levels are well designed, although platforms are often too far apart. It’s frustrating when you don’t make the goal time because you miss the swing by mere pixels. This is partially due to the game’s slinky-like physics; Swingy’s undulating midsection can make the difference between reaching that distant platform or not. As we said, the art of manipulating Swingy is one that needs to be mastered if you plan on getting top times.

GameCenter leaderboards and achievements are implemented for chart-topping enthusiasts. Your leaderboard position corresponds to the combined time across all levels in a single chapter. It’s a manageable approach to scoring, as nobody wants to track 95 different leaderboards. Swingworm is a worthy purchase for anyone who enjoys experiences only possible on a touch screen.