SWARMERS FAQ

Player questions for the iPhone game: controls, Swarm windows, scoring, runs, the Global Board, purchases, and privacy.

1. The basics

What is Swarmers? An infinite arcade defender for iPhone. You are a Binder. Swarmers ride dimensional streams toward the breach; you swipe between the streams and bind them before anything gets past. Sectors last thirty seconds and there is no last one.

How does a run end? Lose every open stream in the current sector and the run is over. Streams start at four (sectors I–IV), then five (V–VIII), then six from sector IX on.

What are the difficulty levels? Easy, Average, Hard, and Impossible. Higher difficulties spawn faster, move faster, open Swarm windows more often, and score more per bind (up to 4× on Impossible). Local records are kept separately per difficulty. The Global Board ranks each Binder's single best submitted run across all difficulties.

What devices does it run on? iPhone on iOS 17 or later. Android and iPad are not available in v1.

Do I need an account to play? No. Play, local records, and the tutorial all work with no sign-in. Signing in is only needed for the Global Board (see section 7).

2. Controls

How do I move? Swipe left or right to jump between streams. A longer or faster swipe jumps more streams at once.

How do I fire? Swipe up. One Pulse per swipe. Pulse is infinite. At the start of a run it is your only weapon unless you have banked Bindwaves (see section 8).

How do I use Bindwave? One-finger swipe down. It arms with a three-second fuse, then clears every stream at once. You carry at most four in hand during a run.

Can I change the controls? No. Gesture controls are the only scheme. Settings covers SOUND, MUSIC, HAPTICS, SMOOTHER MOTION, GLOBAL BOARD, and TELEMETRY. The same screen documents the three swipes.

3. The Swarm rule

What does the orange ring mean? That Swarmer is in a Swarm window. You have two choices, and both are deliberate.

Choice one: hold fire. Hold all fire, including Bindwave, until the ring drains. You can still move. A clean window earns +1 Bindwave if you have room in your four-charge hand. The HUD shows HOLD ALL FIRE → +1 BINDWAVE while this is still available.

Choice two: shoot it. An actual hit on an orange Swarmer splits it into a cascade. Destroy every copy and you earn the Cascade Clear bonus, scaled by your chain. Miss one and you get nothing extra, plus a fuller field.

I fired on a different stream during a window. Did I lose the reward? Yes. Firing anywhere — Pulse or Bindwave — forfeits patience for that window (the HUD switches to FIRED · NO PATIENCE REWARD). It does not split the orange target unless you actually hit it.

Why didn't I get a Bindwave after a clean window? Your hand was full. Four is the in-run limit, so a clean window only pays out when there is a free slot (including a slot reserved for a pending refund). The HUD shows BINDWAVES FULL. This limit has nothing to do with your purchased bank.

4. Scoring and recognition

How does the multiplier work? Every bind grows the Containment Chain, a run-wide score multiplier that steps up every five binds (+0.25 per step, capped at 3.0). Losing any stream breaks it.

What is CLUTCH? A bind in the last 8% of a stream, before impact. Recognition only, no bonus points. Multiple clutch binds within three seconds count as one moment.

What is PERFECT SECTOR? Finishing a sector with every one of your streams intact.

What is the HOLD FOR N countdown? You are down to one stream with five seconds left in the sector. The number counts down and the rail flashes once a second as a skill cue. There is no award for surviving it.

What is the target shown before a run? A personal goal: reach a sector, build a best chain, or beat a score record. It tracks in the HUD, and the game-over screen shows exactly how close you came. A missed target stays until you hit it. Goals grant recognition, not resources.

Why did the sector end but enemies were still on screen? After the timer hits zero you get up to three seconds of playable cleanup to finish shots, cascades, and Bindwaves already in flight. No new Swarmers spawn and no new Bindwaves can be armed. An armed Bindwave with no targets left is refunded to where it came from.

Why is there a break in the action mid-sector? Encounters are authored in short phrases, and each phrase ends with a recovery opening (the "Clear the field" callout). Swarmers already on the field keep moving, so it is an opening, not immunity.

5. Threats and layouts

What are the Swarmer types? Five identified so far.

When does each show up? Sector I introduces Alpha and Beta. Gamma joins in II, Delta in III, Phantom in IV. From then on the game draws from all five patterns in a shuffled bag.

What are the stream layouts? Six named layouts: Parallel, Chevron, Crossing, Crossfire, Confluence, and Drift. The layout rebuilds every sector along with the spawn pressure.

Where do I re-read this in the game? Main menu → TUTORIAL. That is the swipeable handbook, including the Swarm Window and Cascade Clear pages, plus a safe practice arena. The first-run lesson can be skipped with SKIP TUTORIAL.

6. Runs, retries, and Save & Exit

What are runs? Your attempt budget. You hold up to 5 free run charges. Starting a run costs 1. After game over, RETRY SECTOR costs 1. Quitting to the menu costs nothing. The tutorial run is free.

How do runs refill? +1 every hour while you are below 5, so empty to full takes five hours. The clock keeps counting while the app is closed. Free refill never takes you above 5; purchased packs can.

What does RETRY SECTOR do? Restarts the same sector with its streams rebuilt. You keep your score, run time, and Bindwaves in hand. The attempt that just ended is already in your records — and on the Global Board if the board is on. The retry is a separate continued result and is not CLEAN.

What are the pause options? CONTINUE resumes the live run. SAVE & EXIT freezes it on this device. QUIT & DISCARD throws the run away. Discard does not refund the run charge you already spent to start.

Can I stop mid-run and come back later? Yes. Pause and choose SAVE & EXIT. One saved run per device, no time limit, and resuming costs nothing. It reopens paused so you can get your bearings.

I force-closed the app and my run is gone. Only SAVE & EXIT creates a checkpoint. Force-closing during an unsaved run does not. Switching apps pauses the game and music, so that is safe; closing is not.

What if I start a new run while one is saved? The game asks whether to discard the saved run first. It never quietly spends a run charge over a saved run.

Does a saved run survive uninstall or DELETE DATA? Uninstalling wipes it. DELETE DATA does not: it leaves a SAVE & EXIT file on the device. See section 10 for what DELETE DATA actually removes.

7. Global Board and handles

How do I get on the Global Board? Settings → Online → GLOBAL BOARD, sign in with Apple or Google, claim a public @handle, and finish a run. RANKS has a LOCAL tab (this device) and a GLOBAL tab (verified bests). The public board is also at the leaderboard.

Why do I need to sign in for the board when I didn't need to for the game? Sign in with Apple or Google is what makes your handle yours across reinstalls and a new phone. Everything else in the game stays on this device.

I got a new iPhone. How do I keep my handle and best runs? Install the game and sign in with the same Apple or Google account before playing. That attaches the new phone to your existing profile (up to three devices). If you play first, this phone may create its own records and you can hit an identity conflict.

I signed in and got an identity conflict. That Apple or Google account is already tied to another handle, and this device also has a profile with a handle or ranked runs. Scores are never merged. Delete one side with DELETE DATA, or use the account that owns the profile you want to keep.

The game says too many devices. A profile can attach three devices. Sign in on a fourth returns that error. There is no way to detach a single device; DELETE DATA on any device removes the whole profile (handle, scores, and sign-in link) for all of them, and you start fresh.

What ranks? Your verified best submitted run, all-time only — one rank per handle. Difficulty is shown on the row; it is not a separate board. Runs that used paid retries or started with banked Bindwaves still rank. Runs with zero retries and zero banked Bindwaves at start carry a CLEAN designation. It is a badge, not a separate board. Offline play still records locally; board posts wait until you are back online.

Are there handle rules? 3–24 characters: lowercase letters, numbers, and underscore. Handles are public and moderated. Reserved names (for example admin, support, swarmers) and prohibited words are blocked. You can change a handle later; the old one is released and you may not get it back.

Can I turn the board off? Yes. Turning GLOBAL BOARD off stops score posting. It does not unlink your account or delete anything; DELETE DATA does that. Turning it back on resumes posting if this phone already has your handle. You sign in again only on a new install, or if Apple told us you revoked Sign in with Apple. Tap GLOBAL BOARD or the linked-provider line (not the switch) to add a second sign-in or unlink one. Removing the last sign-in is DELETE DATA.

I removed Swarmers from Apple or Google settings. Apple notifies us and we drop the Apple link; posting pauses until you sign in again unless Google is still linked. Google does not notify us, so that link stays until DELETE DATA.

Will the board ever reset? The Terms allow a reset or a version split after a bug or a balance change that made old scores incomparable. There is no scheduled reset.

Someone's score looks impossible. Email [email protected] with the handle. There is no in-game report button. We review flagged runs and may remove a score that does not match legitimate play.

8. Purchases

What can I buy? Main menu → STORE. Four consumables: 5 runs, 15 runs, 5 Bindwaves, 15 Bindwaves. The 15-packs save 33% per unit. Prices show in your local currency on the STORE page.

How do purchased Bindwaves work? Purchased Bindwaves go into a bank with no cap and no expiry, and it carries across runs and app launches. When a run starts, up to four load into your hand without leaving the bank; the rest wait. Earned charges are spent first, and a banked charge is only debited when you actually fire it. Whatever you don't fire stays banked. So buying 15 doesn't give you 15 in a run, it gives you a reserve that keeps refilling your hand across runs. The tutorial never uses banked stock.

Is Swarmers pay-to-win? You can buy more attempts and more Bindwaves. You cannot buy a different game. Nothing you buy changes enemy behaviour, point tables, the multiplier, or the Swarm decision, and nothing lets you skip the orange ring. Paid runs and banked Bindwaves do help you survive longer, and those runs rank. The board marks runs that used neither as CLEAN so everyone can see the difference.

Are there ads? No ads in v1.

Loot boxes, battle pass, subscriptions? None, and the Terms forbid loot boxes.

Where is Restore Purchases? There isn't one, because everything sold is consumable and is granted to your device the moment the transaction completes. If a purchase completes and the count doesn't move, restart the app; the game re-applies finished transactions on launch. Refunds go through Apple.

Why do I see run packs on the game-over screen sometimes and not others? The buy ladder only appears when you have zero run charges. With charges left, game over offers RETRY SECTOR and NEW GAME only.

9. Settings, battery, and performance

What is SMOOTHER MOTION? Off by default. The game runs at 60 FPS in play and 30 FPS in menus and pause to save battery. SMOOTHER MOTION allows up to 120 FPS during play on phones that support it.

Why does the game pause when I switch apps? By design. Music pauses in place and combat waits for Continue.

The game is stuttering or hot. Turn off SMOOTHER MOTION, close background apps, and update iOS. Send details through in-game FEEDBACK — that is not Telemetry, and it does not require Telemetry to be on.

10. Data, privacy, and deletion

What data do you collect? A device-bound game identity (a key, not your Apple ID). Gameplay telemetry only if you turn TELEMETRY on in Settings; it is off by default. Crash and error diagnostics, always on and associated with this install (they are not published on the leaderboard and are not controlled by TELEMETRY). Your handle and scores if GLOBAL BOARD is on. Your Apple or Google identifier and, if the provider shares it, an email address once you sign in for the board. App Store purchase history for in-app purchases. Full details in the Privacy Policy.

How do I delete everything? Settings → DELETE DATA. Type DELETE, then YES. That permanently removes:

This is profile-wide: if the profile is attached to other devices, they lose the handle, scores, and sign-in link too, and drop back to anonymous. Purchased run charges and banked Bindwaves are kept. Tutorial completion stays. A SAVE & EXIT run is not removed.

Turning off GLOBAL BOARD or TELEMETRY isn't deletion, right? Correct. Those stop collection. DELETE DATA is the deletion. In-game FEEDBACK is separate from TELEMETRY; turning Telemetry off does not stop feedback you send yourself.

Can I request deletion by email? Yes, [email protected]. If Global Board is on, email from the address on your Apple or Google sign-in (a Hide My Email relay is fine) and we can match it to your profile. Profiles that never signed in have no email, so a handle alone usually can't prove identity. Use the in-game control where possible.

How old do I have to be? 13+ to use Swarmers. Tapping Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google confirms you are 13 or older; there is no separate age checkbox.

11. Support and studio

How do I report a bug or send feedback? Settings → FEEDBACK (an email address is optional, for replies only), or [email protected].

Who makes Swarmers? Marbir Digital, LLC.

Is Android coming? Planned, no date.

Any health notes? Don't play while walking or driving. If you or anyone in your family has a history of seizures, read the health section in the Terms before you play.