sprunki swap showcase phase 1
Sprunki Swap Showcase Phase 1: The "Free Sample" of Music Games
You know when you're at a grocery store and they have those little cups of something on a stand? That's this. Sprunki Swap Showcase Phase 1 is the tiny cup of juice. Not the whole carton. Just enough to decide if you want to buy the carton (which would be the full Sprunki Swap, I guess).
My cat walked across my keyboard while I was playing this earlier. Created what might actually be the most interesting composition I've made all week. Maybe that says more about my skills than the game's limitations.
What's Actually in This "Showcase"?
Okay so from what I can tell - and I'm just some person clicking things, not a detective - this has maybe... four or five characters? Six if you count that one that might just be decorative? I don't know. It's limited. Purposefully.
Q: Why would anyone play a limited version?
A: Same reason you watch a movie trailer. To see if you want to commit two hours of your life.
Except here the commitment is... I don't know, ten minutes? Maybe fifteen if you really get into finding the exact right combo with the limited options.
--
It's raining as I write this. The pitter-patter is actually more rhythmic than anything I made in the first five minutes with this showcase. Not the game's fault. I'm just bad at this.
The "Good" Character (According to Me)
There's this teal swirly character in the bottom left (I think?) that makes this... shimmery sound. Like if wind chimes were digital. That's my favorite. I could just click that one repeatedly and be content.
My brother says the orange blobby one is better because it has more "punch." We argued about this for longer than adults should argue about fictional character sounds.
Honestly, with only a handful of options, you kind of HAVE to experiment with every combination. Which is maybe the point? Forces creativity through limitation or whatever. Or maybe the developer just hadn't finished the other characters yet. Could be either.
Showcase vs. The Real Thing
So if you play this and think "hmm, this is fun but I wish there were more options" - congratulations! You're the target audience. Go play the full Sprunki Swap. Or that Sprunki Pyramixed thing everyone's talking about.
If you play this and think "this is already too many choices, my brain hurts" - maybe music games aren't your thing? Try solitaire.
I fall somewhere in the middle. I like the simplicity here. Sometimes having fifty options is overwhelming. Here, with like five, I can actually remember what each one does. There's a purple triangle that makes a bass-y sound. A green circle that goes "boop." A blue... thing that swooshes.
See? I already used up all the descriptive words I have. That's Phase 1.
--
Tried to make something resembling a song. Results: Sounded like a broken keyboard. Or maybe modern art. Depends on your perspective.
My friend who studied music theory would probably have a stroke if he saw me playing this. "That's not in key!" he'd yell. But like... who decided what "key" is? The sound police? Let my teal swirly guy and orange blobby dude exist in beautiful, discordant harmony.
Verdict (For What It's Worth)
It's free. It takes two minutes to load. It makes noise when you click things. Sometimes that noise is pleasant. Sometimes it's... experimental.
Would I play this for hours? No.
Did I play this for twenty minutes instead of answering work emails? Yes.
Do I regret those twenty minutes? Only a little.
It's the gaming equivalent of doodling in a notebook margin. Not your masterpiece. Just a thing your hands do while your brain is elsewhere.
Maybe next year they'll have a Phase 2 showcase with more characters. Or maybe this is it forever. The digital equivalent of a single-serving ketchup packet in a world of full bottles.
Anyway, my coffee's getting cold. Time to actually be productive. Or maybe time to click that teal swirly guy one more time... just to hear the shimmery sound.
*click*
Yep. Still shimmery. Okay, NOW I'll be productive. Probably.
