Swap Heroes

While Swap Heroes mixes puzzling elements and simplified RPG-style ideas, it brings something fresh to the slightly over-crowded genre.

There's a focus on tactical combat underlying the gameplay here, and a clever set of unlocks that let you experiment with different rosters of heroes.

As bite-sized scrappers go, there's a lot here to like. It's fast-paced, easy to pick-up, and offers neatly packaged blasts of clever old school violence.

You control a team of four different heroes, each with its own set of skills. They're stood in a T shape, three at the front, one at the back. The heroes at the front can attack the monsters that scoot down the screen. The one at the back can regenerate some health.

The battles are turn based. Each round you choose to switch around two of your heroes. If you switch the hero at the back to the front they'll perform a special move. That might be healing the rest of the team, unleashing a volley of arrows, or one of a variety of other attacks.

Your front row bashes out attacks automatically when you've swapped. You start off with a variety of fighters, including an archer, a rogue, and a priest. Currency you earn as you play can be spent on unlocking new heroes with different powers.

Striking a balance between your team members is important. You need a balance of damage, defence, and healing powers.

Each playthrough sees you buying new upgrades for your heroes. There are five two-stage levels to work your way through, and the crabs, mages, and giant Knights you fight come in different waves each time.

It all blends together to make a delightfully addictive experience. It's sharp, and there's a bounce to proceedings that makes the whole thing spark into life.

Some might find there's not quite enough going on, but there's certainly enough content here to keep you entertained for a few hours.