I’ll admit that while I’ve found some of the mobile conversions from QubicGames to be playable in some simple fashion, more often than not the bar has been set at tolerable rather than anything terribly aspirational. Given what I knew, that Rage Swarm was going to be an auto-shooter and that it was sticking with the pretty simple graphical look and sparse environments their games usually sport, I’ll admit that I loaded Rage Swarm up not expecting much. In this case I’ll happily admit I was wrong though, getting sucked in by a game that not only has great action, and a reasonably-balanced degree of challenge, but also very much justifies its existence on a dedicated gaming console.

If there’s one thing that tends to be frustrating and underwhelming when it comes to mobile games, it’s on-screen controls. While the soft joystick approach can work reasonably well, even when implemented effectively it’s easy to start having the center creep around, or to simply get uncomfortable after a while. It’s with a game like this, where every dodge and weave can be essential to your survival, that the Switch’s dedicated joystick really comes in handy. While there’s plenty of shooting going on, at its core this is still very much a dodge-em-up, where your focus needs to be on keeping proximity to your greatest threats (so they’ll be shot at first), and avoiding getting surrounded. While the stage layouts generally aren’t anything terribly special, they do at least offer some area to work in, varying degrees of cover, and a pretty wide variety of enemies that you’ll need to be mindful of amidst the chaos.

In terms of where the experience falls down a bit, while I do love the general progression, and your ability to grind daily challenges to build up some in-game currency that will help you gear up… the very mobile nature of it all still isn’t ideal. While I’m happy to see no screens or windows trying to get me to buy DLC or anything along those lines, you’ll still have to waste a little too much time hopping between tabs to pick up rewards, grab crates you’ve unlocked, manage your gear, and upgrade your skills. This is a shame, since it can really suck the energy out of your play session. That said, since you will hit a bit of a wall if you continue to play too much per day, the daily refresh of rewards can be helpful if you play more in moderation.

With so many other auto-shooters recently trying to get on board the Vampire Survivors train (and generally failing miserably), it’s refreshing to see one that has more of a straight-up shooter angle. The play areas are short, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to upgrade your gear, and 3 daily challenge stages that get you juiced up and facing tougher odds are great fun. You won’t mistake it for being a top-tier title by any means, but given its clear mobile roots and simplistic overall presentation it still manages to convincingly punch above its weight class, and I can respect that.