I couldn't finish this game due to a game-breaking bug that prevents me from progressing half-way through, so this short review will have to do until the game community responds to some possible solutions beyond what I've tried.

By now, I have only heard of and checked briefly in on Homestuck, which is supposedly an interactive web comic that has gone to great lengths over the years and built a faithful fanbase and community. It has spawned a side-project based on the Homestuck universe, crowdfunded on Kickstarter and released this point-and-click adventure game as the first part of planned 6 acts.

The first act of HIVESWAP introduces the half-orphan siblings Joey and Jude, whose home mansion gets invaded by peculiar monsters. This situation leaves you to guide those children to work together to survive the encounters, as well as uncover the secret behind the mansion that spans beyond earthly realm.

The writing put into this game baffles me, mainly because every interaction you make with objects and surroundings are thoroughly unique and elaborate, making half a novel's worth of reading on this act alone. It also helps that the characters have their own style of dialogue, especially taking a jab at Jude's crypto communicator lingo tendencies throughout the game (blatantly being the nerdy archetype of the story). With that said, some writing make for cerebral reading, not least with Jude, and can be either refreshingly entertaining or wearisome after a short while.

While it's not exactly my favourite style, I'll have to give credit to the graphic artists and animators for pouring their time and effort with the details and fluidity of scene animations.

Had it not been for the bug with the snake minigame, which requires me to progress, I should have finished this game after a couple of hours. But I guess I'm done for now, because I haven't found myself invested into neither the game series nor the Homestuck universe in this occassion. But fans of the latter are likely to find a gem in HIVESWAP easier, provided they'll find the patience since it took years for Act 2 to come out recently and raising question marks from the playerbase.