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HIVESWAP: ACT 1 similar games & best alternatives

HIVESWAP: ACT 1

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Linux • 2017

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Quick resume

A hand-drawn tribute to hilarious '90s adventure games (with none of the accompanying frustration). Play as Joey Claire, a puzzle-solving teen snatched out of her time (1994) and place (Earth) and stranded on a hostile alien planet on the brink of rebellion.

Global score

92/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Point-and-click, Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • Engaging story and characters
    • Beautiful art and animation
    • Catchy and fitting soundtrack
    • Humorous and detailed item interactions
    • Accessible to newcomers and fans alike

    Cons

    • Short game length
    • Some bugs and graphical issues
    • Lack of challenging puzzles
    • Achievement unobtainable currently
    • Long wait for future acts

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Experimenting, Fellowship. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players freely explore environments, combine items in many ways, and solve puzzles at their own pace, showing strong control over actions."

    • Competence
      2

      "Puzzles are generally easy and straightforward but require some thinking and experimentation, providing moderate skill challenge."

    • Competition
      -5

      "Single-player point-and-click adventure with no competitive elements or player comparison."

    • Continuation
      3

      "Players express eagerness to continue with future acts and replay to unlock achievements, indicating attachment despite short length."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Entirely single-player experience focused on individual exploration and puzzle solving."

    • Creativity
      4

      "Players encouraged to combine every item with every other item, producing unique humorous responses and interactions."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; cooperative and narrative-driven gameplay."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Players enjoy immersive story, humor, and nostalgia, providing a strong escape from real life."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and fandom enthusiasm, not obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      5

      "Strong emphasis on trying all item combinations and exploring dialogue options to discover unique content."

    • Exploration
      3

      "Players explore richly detailed environments with many clickable objects and secrets, encouraging discovery."

    • Expression
      1

      "Some character customization and unique character designs, but limited player-driven expression."

    • Fantasy
      4

      "Set in a fictional universe with aliens, alternate worlds, and imaginative story elements."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Strong fandom community presence and shared enthusiasm, but gameplay is solo."

    • Growth
      2

      "Players develop puzzle-solving skills and learn about story and lore through exploration."

    • Health
      -5

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention on puzzles and story; not a background or idle experience."

    • Intimacy
      1

      "Emotional attachment to characters and story, but limited social interaction."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements; single-player narrative focus."

    • Progression
      3

      "Players collect items and unlock achievements, progressing through story acts."

    • Relaxation
      3

      "Generally lighthearted, humorous, and nostalgic tone promotes relaxation and flow."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Enjoyable art, music, and animations provide sensory pleasure and emotional engagement."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; individual experience."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative focus with engaging characters, humor, and lore immersion."

    • Strategy
      1

      "Puzzles require some reasoning but are mostly straightforward and simple."

    • Thrill
      1

      "Some tension in puzzle solving and story moments but overall low suspense and risk."

    • Value
      3

      "Players feel the game offers good value for price despite short length, especially fans."

    • Violence
      -3

      "Minimal combat presented more as puzzles; emphasis on interaction over destruction."

    • Survival
      -4

      "No significant threat or resource management; stable and safe gameplay environment."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026