Swallow the Sea Review
A game based on eating fish. If you love eating seafood you will enjoy the game called Swallow the Sea. It is an interesting little game that involves you eating various gross fish, much like a game of Hungry Hippos. In Swallow the Sea you take control of an aquatic organism called a spongy little zygote and have to eat smaller organisms to increase your size. This game is a bit different from the typical fishing games where you are more concerned with gathering as many fish as possible, in this game you have to eat the different creatures floating around in the water. Although the game is similar to fishing, it does have a few differences that make it quite different.
For this game I made use of two separate but interconnected concepts: one was making a game that looked very similar to an over-world sea floor map where you could see different islands, some with islands where there were monsters chasing small particles, and other islands where there were corridors and passages tinged with blood vessels and organs. The second concept that was used was to implement the idea of pixel art, so that all the creatures, as well as the environments featured a lot of pixel art. As this was a game based on eating fish this was a natural choice. As with most games that rely on unique visualization, the pixel art adds a lot to the effect.
One of the most interesting things that you will find while playing Swallow the Sea is that not only does the game look like a real sea floor topography, you will also encounter many sea creatures living below the water's surface such as rotten flotsam and other sea creatures. The fact that there are many different monsters chasing you along the waterways and passageways adds to the depth of the experience. It can get quite hectic when trying to avoid the monsters and keep your character alive. However, once you have already begun playing you will quickly get a feel for the game as you notice patterns to the locations where you go and how the backgrounds and scenery interact with each other.
