Escape from Naraka
Escape from Naraka
Game
Game2018
Hiveswap Friendsim
Developer What Pumpkin Games, Inc.
Hiveswap is a episodic adventure game developed by What Pumpkin Games and overseen by Andrew Hussie and Cohen Edenfield. Based in the universe of Hussie's MS Paint Adventures webcomic Homestuck, it focuses on a girl, Joey Claire, who is accidentally transported to the planet of Alternia—home of the troll species seen in Homestuck. The game was the subject of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, raising over… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
167 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 26, 2026 · last updated Oct 27, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
86
LovedLoved
136 positive · 23 negative
95% range 79–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 136 | 23 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,154 of 1,249 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
87% recommend · 141 yes, 22 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 163 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,286 of 1,390 positive).
Some reviewers criticize the price, lack of gameplay, and inconsistent writing quality. [1][2][3] A few players note the game is best enjoyed by existing Homestuck fans. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [2]
Hiveswap Friendsim is not a game, it's an e-book that's been dumped on Steam masquerading as a game. As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay, it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, "How did something this badly written end up on Steam?". When someone hoping to become an author is …
- [1]
Very funny. Small premise, each story lasts about 10 minutes and nothing more. What's nice about this game are definitely the characters of the various characters to help. NEGATIVE NOTE: it's a short-term pastime, there are no achievements, cards or items in the shop. Nothing. Really exaggerated price for the contents it has, it has practically none, they are funny stories and that's all. It's a game that should be …
- [12]
I don't follow the Homestuck universe, so I'm new to all this. It's hilarious without being stupid, turning a dating sim into a chaotic adventure in a crazy world. Mindless fun.
- [4]
Despite the mixed art style and writing I absolutely adore friendsim. It perfectly captures that feeling of going out at night and trying to make friends in an often hostile world. Idk if I can recommend it to nonhomestucks but I adore this game.
- [5]
if you like hivestuck and visual novels its great. if you dont, maybe pass?
Summarised from 33 of the 170 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Hiveswap Friendsim sits at 86% positive across 159 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Reviewing Hiveswap: Act 1, Polygon gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, citing minor bugs, a "convoluted UI", and its short length of about two hours as issues but praising the game's humor as "hilarious", its art as "gorgeous", and the setting as "a treasure trove [...] for players to explore." Hiveswap: Act 2 would be released to mixed reception, with reviewers calling the writing bloated and gameplay tedious.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 167 · most liked firstVery funny. Small premise, each story lasts about 10 minutes and nothing more. What's nice about this game are definitely the characters of the various characters to help. NEGATIVE NOTE: it's a short-term pastime, there are no achievements, cards or items in the shop. Nothing. Really exaggerated price for the contents it has, it has practically none, they are funny stories and that's all. It's a game that should be bought at a super discount because in the price range at which it is sold, you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →HIVESWAP, Friendsim, and Pesterquest are now all 85% off on Steam. Get an extra 15% off if you grab the whole Homestuck game bundle: store.steampowered.com/bundle/22123...
neutral · AI labelView post →so, i gave this a solid twenty minutes, and pesterquest a solid fifteen minutes or so, but i found the art style and writing in both to be so amateur-ish and corny i had to DNF them. i have since learned that the creator not only outsourced a lot of the work for this via diehard fans, which is NOT a good idea when your fanbase is seemingly a bunch of teenagers (let's be real, he probably greatly took advantage of their fandom), but he failed to credit them apparently. gross behavior from a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Four, three, two, ♥♥♥♥ you Listen up y'all, this ♥♥♥♥ is ironic Strider's beats are best suited to trolls hooked on phonix! Karkalicious definition makes terezi loco She wants to know the secrets that she can't taste in my photo Dyin' just to know the flavor I ain't doin' her no favors No reasons why I tease Her flush just comes and goes like seasons I'm karkalicious (so delicious) No, I don't do kismesis And if you read any fanfics All that ♥♥♥♥ is fictitious I blow kisses (mwah!) Don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this review is not Gonna be well structured as i'm still emotional from finishinG this Game and the impact it had on me. that should already be a clear indicator into how i feel about it but i'll Go into further detail for my own sake because i need to talk about it. i've been in homestuck for a while now and as with practically anyone else whose read the comic it's rotted deep into my brain and i feel like it's become a core part of who i am. i didn't think it was possible for me to Get any…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so let me tell you about homestuck
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →killed a baby within the first 10 minutes of playing 10/10 would recomend
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're a Homestuck fan, I guess it's fine. Though I REALLY can't recommend this game to anyone else, specifically cause of the writing of 2 specific character routes... Maybe if you're like a super fan of Homestuck and want to check out everything about it... but if not, this really isn't worth it to be honest. Like, at all.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't follow the Homestuck universe, so I'm new to all this. It's hilarious without being stupid, turning a dating sim into a chaotic adventure in a crazy world. Mindless fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →god i wish homestuck wasn't real
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like homestuck and big reading sessions, you're ruined, this is the right game for you. A developed social/simgame to make you feel the internal pain of social shame. I feel like some of these routes were rushed, Honestly, in some parts I was unaware of the quality of Hussie's writing, it disappointed me a little. Besides this, it's funny and not the "generic datin sim" kind. It's really interesting to learn more about characters you like while interacting with them, in fact, theres one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Marvus Xoloto I would do anything for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hiveswap Friendsim is not a game, it's an e-book that's been dumped on Steam masquerading as a game. As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay, it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, "How did something this badly written end up on Steam?". When someone hoping to become an author is unable to get published in print, they spend $100 and dump their high school…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →that autistic orange guy is really neat
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →you can befriend a couple of clowns (literally) and a bunch of clowns (figuratively)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite the mixed art style and writing I absolutely adore friendsim. It perfectly captures that feeling of going out at night and trying to make friends in an often hostile world. Idk if I can recommend it to nonhomestucks but I adore this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fingers crossed this $0.00 investment pays off
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very funny and well-written visual novel that introduces you to the world of Alternia from Homestuck. Makes for a pretty good entry point into Homestuck imo. The music by James Roach, Toby Fox, and others from the Homestuck Music Team is all fantastic, and while there are some routes that aren't as great as others, the majority are really good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fans of the Homestuck universe will understand.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not good Homestuck content, and not even a good visual novel. I'm a total nerd for this world and i've never been more uninterested in what its trying to say. save your money and just watch the chatlogs on youtube, i promise you're not missing anything. Thanks Hussie :/
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you like hivestuck and visual novels its great. if you dont, maybe pass?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A visual novel with 36 mini stories where your are trying to become friends with everyone. Some stories are better than others but there is kinda too many of them in my opinion so by the end I was just sick of them. Would probably be better played/read over a longer period of time. Linux version of the game works without any issues.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →didn't like it that much
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game sucks ignore my profile
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's literally homestuck what do you expect.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →you cant fight the homestuck it may be weird and random but its the greatest fandom
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Elwurd was my lesbian awakening (just kidding it was Kanaya Maryam)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not as interesting as Pesterquest. Played the previous games in the franchise, not read the source material. There's simply too many characters and a good half of them are very uninteresting and boring to read about. Couple it with the fact that there seems to be no good throughline for all these 30 characters and it just feels like opening 30 books in Skyrim and reading them. Yes the art is cute and some music is banging, but I kept waiting for when the actual story (beyond the "you're just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hiveswap Friendsim is a delightfully unhinged visual novel set in the deeply dysfunctional alien world of Alternia — a place where making friends can be hazardous to your health, but you'll die trying anyway (and probably more than once). It's part love letter to Homestuck fans, part initiation ritual for newcomers, and part "What if Tinder, but everyone was a murder clown or potentially Shia LaBeouf?". While it can be disorienting at first if you're unfamiliar with Homestuck, the game cleverly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's really fun being able to observe the lives of the trolls on alternia outside of all the sburb/sgrub stuff. i imagine this game would be an...interesting experience for someone who hasn't read the webcomic, though i'd still recommend it either way. as someone who somehow managed to read through all 8129 pages of homestuck in the past i think this would be a great way to pique one's interest in the actual comic especially since the start might be kind of boring
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a crush on Mallek
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love all the clowns! Chuckle-voodoo lyfe
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i made friends with the hot dog boy
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i enjoy talking to all these grey losers
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →platonic troll dating sim hellck yes
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent writing, and superb characters. Love it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun way to learn more about trolls and Alternia, with some heartfelt stuff and some typical crazy stuff.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think Friendsim is easily the most mixed bag games I ever played, although that is quite literally by design. This game features 18 volumes covering 36 chapters (38 trolls) with 10 different writers, and the quality between some of these were like night and day. The context of Friendsim itself is that it serves as a setup for Hiveswap Act 2 as most of these characters find their way into that game. It's probably best to read this before diving into Act 2. Each chapter introduces a troll that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hate read Homestucks Epilogues
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm going to be real with you, some of these characters are A LOT to take in, and that forces me to take a break after playing for a while. Otherwise? Pretty fun game! And it's nice to see some familiar faces from Hiveswap haha
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A cartoonish visual novel telling a story about friendship. I found nothing of interest in this work - you need to make strange choices to progress, which immediately left a bad taste. I bet there are some good bits and pieces that you can get from this game, but as a whole, it is not interesting enough continue playing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hiveswap Friendsim is an eccentric, emotionally chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt visual novel that expands the Homestuck universe through a series of strange friendship stories filled with absurd humor, emotional vulnerability, and endless personality. Developed by What Pumpkin Games and published by Fellow Traveller, the game acts as both a companion piece to Hiveswap and a major exploration of Alternian culture, placing players into a bizarre alien society where survival depends less on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SO silly, its such a blast to play because I never know whats going to happen. the soundtrack is also so lovely
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pretty fun honestly. characters were charming cant wait to play hiveswap. music was nice and the game was funny sometimes. felt a bit like quantity over quality sometimes with the amount of routes but idk i still enjoyed it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You could find something on wattpad or ao3 for about the same quality the only difference would be that the ao3/wattpad author would atleast care about what they are writing
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want all the friends. I started playing this game when the chapters were just coming out individually and I found such value in it even then that I was willing to pay for each one as they came out. I am glad that they eventually put it all together though. I love the storylines. It's a great inner look at the world.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're a fan of Homestuck, then go for it. If you're not a Homestuck fan, it will be confusing but it's designed to introduce you to the alien planet of Alternia and catches you up to the biological and societal mechanics within its world. I played through this multiple times when it first came out, waiting for each volume every two weeks and doing multiple playthroughs with friends. The music is wonderful, the writing is hilarious, the characters are all memorable in their own ways. There…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nothing makes any kind of sense here but at least I'm (mostly) having fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →amazing visual novel. bit sad that there's no romance, but some scenes can be interpreted as such if you think really, really hard.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so i guess this game is basically trolling fans and this is disgusting. awful. too bad it's too late for a refund
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is genuinely one of the best visual novels I've ever played. It has made me absolutely cackle for hours on end. I enjoyed this game a hell of a lot. Fair warning though, you should probably play the actual game chapters before playing this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very interesting and enjoyable! Loved the art and music :3
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The next #Homestuck Game #VTuber Stream will be Sunday Nov. 15th! I'll be playing the first half of #Hiveswap Friendsim- for the very first time!! (I'm going in blind!) This stream will start in the evening, at 5pm, to hopefully catch all y'all night-owls! See you then! ::3
neutral · AI labelView post →this game is amazing for hiveswap fans, or people who like befriending aliens in general. all these characters are so easy to fall in love with (not romantically despite the tensions present). it's really fun to go back and look at the "wrong" routes (are they really wrong if you're uninterested in their friendship?). they're all so cute. this is a really fun spin on dating simulators without forced love.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Prime Gaming August Free Game Lineup buff.ly/s6HPiXM Aug 6 - Right and Down - Hiveswap Friendsim Aug 13 - Pyramids and Aliens: Escape Room - Airship: Kingdoms Adrift - Steelrising Aug 20 - Royal Romances: Forbidden Magic - Spray Paint Simulator Aug 27 - Havendock - Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
neutral · AI labelView post →This is very explicitly a friendship sim and not a dating sim, yet I can't help but be in love with at least half of the girls in the cast. The writing in most of the chapters is just that good. In terms of story navigation, this is kind of like a baby's first VN, but when it comes to VNs I'm basically baby so that's good for me - I just like Homestuck lol. And speaking of which, I wish James Roach could just take over the entire ownership of the franchise from Hussie cuz honestly the chapter…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i regret buying ts. do NOT buy this game if you dont want to: 1. feel dirty 2. rip your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ eyes out and make them bleed 3. blow your brains out and MOST OF ALL 4. be dissapointed with your favorite characters if I hadn't bought this as a bundle and had played it in the first two weeks of purchase, I would have happily returned all my money. this game isn't worth any of your cash.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everyone knows zebruh is the best one in the whole game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't waste your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ time dude the entire game and why I played it for 30 hours is best described as a car crash so horrific you can't look away
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its a fun game, lot of death but that would be the homestuck universe for ya
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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