S.W.A.P is a first-person arena shooter without any guns

We've had a first-person shooter where your opponents are invisible , so why not a first-person shooter where you don't have a gun? That's what S.W.A.P is, and as the name suggests it's all about swapping (though S.W.A.P actually stands for Subterfuge Weapons Assessment Program).

Like Screencheat , S.W.A.P's central mechanic is the kind which seems a bit questionable on paper. Basically, you really need to try it out to understand. Sydney-based studio Chaos Theory Games describes it as an 'Indirect First Person Shooter', and judging by the gameplay footage below it appears to have inherited the frantic, twitch-oriented pace of ye olde arena shooters like Unreal Tournament and Quake.

As a student project the game is completely free of charge (there are no pesky microtransactions) though Chaos Theory is using it to gauge interest in a more feature complete game utilising the mechanic. If a sizeable enough community gathers around the project then the studio will crowdfund a ground up redevelopment of the game in Unreal. If you like the free to download game , then you might as well show some support by signing this petition .

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.