Swordtail

Playing it, from the first screen

Swordtail is by 7Spot Games. Poki lists it under action, simulation, cats, two-player and survival games, and the long description on its page explains the task: a kingdom is under attack from waves of monsters, and you are the one defending it.

Between and during the waves you collect resources, craft items from them and improve your equipment. Better equipment is what lets you hold out against the next wave, so the game runs as a loop of gathering, making and fighting.

There is no attack button. You move with W A S D or the arrow keys, or by clicking and dragging, and you act by getting close: walk up to a resource and you collect it, walk up to a monster and you attack it. Esc pauses the game.

Swordtail also has a local mode for two people on one computer, which makes it one of the few games here that two players can share at the same desk. Poki lists its last update as July 2025.

Keys, clicks and taps

Noted on the first runs

• Use quiet moments between waves to gather. Resources are what upgrades come from, and it is harder to collect them with monsters around.

• Upgrade your equipment before you feel you need to. The next wave arrives either way, and being ready early is easier than catching up.

• Because you attack by moving close, think about your approach. Walking straight into a group means meeting all of it at once.

• In two-player mode, split the work: one person gathers while the other keeps the monsters busy.

• Esc pauses the game. Use it when you need a moment to plan rather than working it out mid-fight.

• On a touch screen, drag in short strokes. Long drags make it harder to stop exactly beside a resource instead of walking past it.

Who it sits well with

Swordtail suits players who like survival games with a steady rhythm of gathering and upgrading, and it is a natural pick for two people sharing one computer, such as siblings or a parent and child. Solo players get the same loop at their own pace, with Esc always there for a break.

The less good parts

• Poki shows ads around its games, so there may be one before you start and occasionally between sessions.

• It involves fighting monsters. The combat is fantasy and not graphic in the way Poki describes it, but it is still fighting; in our view it suits most ages. This is not an official rating.

• The two-player mode is on one computer only. The Poki page does not describe online play with a friend elsewhere.

• Survival waves can build up. If you fall behind on upgrades, later waves may be hard to get through.

• Poki's short description of Swordtail does not match its long description and categories. We describe it from the long description, the controls and the categories, which all point to the same game about defending a kingdom.

Questions people have about Swordtail

Further down the line

• 
  MineFun.io →

  The other game here built for playing together, in a shared online room.

• 
  Snake vs Human →

  Also about gathering resources and upgrading to face tougher enemies.