Swarm Queen
A quick-to-learn but challenging real-time strategy game where you spawn an army of space-bugs that control themselves.
Developer
Publisher
Release
December 19, 2017
8 years and 228 days ago
Steam Reviews
Very Positive405 reviews92.8%
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Game contextLatest: IGF Team
| ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan. | Status | Notes Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes |
|---|---|---|
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer. | ||
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher. | ||
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified. | ||
Updated: Jul 11, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released. |
Media
11 itemsAbout the Game
You're an insectoid alien fighting over Jupiter’s moon Europa.
It’ll be a tough battle - a test of your strategy, intuition, and perseverance.
Your minions control themselves, using "fuzzy logic" to pick the best target.
Your job as the queen is to focus on strategy.
Mutate your eggs so you can create combat minions - but you only have 4 "egg slots", so you must choose.
Make sure to spawn Harvester bugs to collect nectar resources.
When and what you choose to spawn or mutate is a big part of the tactical choice.
And always watch the chaos of battle. Predicting the outcome of a fight can help you decide your next move.
In each of the 21 campaign levels, the enemy Swarm Queen has a new unit or ability, which you then unlock for use in later levels.
The enemy queen spawns Harvesters, collects nectar, and unlocks units just like you do. She judges the situation and tries to counter you as best as she can.
The enemy’s advantage is that she has a surprise new unit or ability in each level. But, she usually only has access to a few other units. (You can view the enemy’s unit list before starting the level or in the “pause” screen in-game.)
Completing the campaign unlocks some “challenge levels”, which put a twist on normal gameplay.
You could also try going back and beating levels on hard mode (good luck!), or starting a “New Game Plus” (added in a free update) with extra nectar for both queens.
In the biggest update yet, version 2.0 includes an alternate "cartoon" art style, Steam achievements, visible enemy "emotions", an "easy" difficulty setting, and more!
Swarm Queen is inspired by insects, and classic sci-fi aliens like Xenomorphs, Zerg, and the "Bugs" from Starship Troopers. It's like a war between ant colonies, but in space!
A “100% scientifically accurate” depiction of Jupiter’s moon Europa, including all of the alien life. :)
Swarm Queen is a one-man indie game from Canadian developer Helmi Bastami (it rhymes with "sell me pastrami"), and my first commercial release. I used to be a hobbyist animator and creator of Flash games on Flyborg dot net.
It’ll be a tough battle - a test of your strategy, intuition, and perseverance.
Your minions control themselves, using "fuzzy logic" to pick the best target.
Your job as the queen is to focus on strategy.
Mutate your eggs so you can create combat minions - but you only have 4 "egg slots", so you must choose.
Make sure to spawn Harvester bugs to collect nectar resources.
When and what you choose to spawn or mutate is a big part of the tactical choice.
And always watch the chaos of battle. Predicting the outcome of a fight can help you decide your next move.
In each of the 21 campaign levels, the enemy Swarm Queen has a new unit or ability, which you then unlock for use in later levels.
The enemy queen spawns Harvesters, collects nectar, and unlocks units just like you do. She judges the situation and tries to counter you as best as she can.
The enemy’s advantage is that she has a surprise new unit or ability in each level. But, she usually only has access to a few other units. (You can view the enemy’s unit list before starting the level or in the “pause” screen in-game.)
Completing the campaign unlocks some “challenge levels”, which put a twist on normal gameplay.
You could also try going back and beating levels on hard mode (good luck!), or starting a “New Game Plus” (added in a free update) with extra nectar for both queens.
In the biggest update yet, version 2.0 includes an alternate "cartoon" art style, Steam achievements, visible enemy "emotions", an "easy" difficulty setting, and more!
Swarm Queen is inspired by insects, and classic sci-fi aliens like Xenomorphs, Zerg, and the "Bugs" from Starship Troopers. It's like a war between ant colonies, but in space!
A “100% scientifically accurate” depiction of Jupiter’s moon Europa, including all of the alien life. :)
Swarm Queen is a one-man indie game from Canadian developer Helmi Bastami (it rhymes with "sell me pastrami"), and my first commercial release. I used to be a hobbyist animator and creator of Flash games on Flyborg dot net.
