Get ready for some arcade fire!
Xenoraid is a vertically scrolling shmup originally released in 2016 by developer 10tons. Taking place in the not so distant future of 2032, framed as the first war in space. With relatively primitive artillery as far as sci fi spaceships have been portrayed in the past.
As a vertical scroller, you play from a top down perspective and can navigateGet ready for some arcade fire!
Xenoraid is a vertically scrolling shmup originally released in 2016 by developer 10tons. Taking place in the not so distant future of 2032, framed as the first war in space. With relatively primitive artillery as far as sci fi spaceships have been portrayed in the past.
As a vertical scroller, you play from a top down perspective and can navigate your ship through enemies and asteroids as you face the upcoming onslaught. Using the right trigger to fire your regular weapon and the left trigger for your special attack, you simply aim by the position of your ship. Setting apart from the regular 2d side scroller, your weapons overheat. So you can’t charge into a galactic battle with guns blazing. Instead you’ll dodge your way through the hazards of space combat, waiting for the right moments to engage your enemies. Causing you to play with a more cautious and precise style, rather than the typical bullet frenzy. The game’s creators had more of a focus on tight aiming rather than bullet spraying and it really shows.
The gameplay feels great, responsive mechanics and animations that add that little bit of polish to the experience. When playing through each missions, uniquely, they are procedurally driven. So you can’t just memorize the difficult attack patterns and easily blow through each level after you figure them out. With a number of different ships, all having different weapon abilities, they have truly unique play styles attached to them. Beginning with a standard fighter jet, then taking you on quite the adventure. Using a space style flamethrower certainly does the trick, but getting into that close range can mean certain death.
Where Xenoraid truly shines is the squadding. In gameplay you have four ships at your command and you can switch between them in battle. If running low on health on one ship, pressing the corresponding X, Y, A, or B buttons, will tag in your selected ship. These ships can be upgraded between battles and get promoted if used enough in a mission. So after three missions upgrading your fire rate and missiles, can make you quite powerful.
But be sure to Switch those fighters when critically damaged, because just like Fire Emblem, Xenoraid employs a permadeath system. So if your upgraded Captain dies in battle, it is gone, forever. Making each battle mean more and having way more of an emotional impact when you lose a member of your team.
Between battles you can make overall squad upgrades, lower weapons heat production, or deploy nukes when a squadmate dies. Little upgrades likes this can have a big impact on battles. Also managing your squad, you’ll have to repair your ships from battle and purchase new ships when you have an opening. With more fighter ship options becoming available later in game.
Xenoraid isn’t a huge game with an epic story, but it’s a lovely modern spin on arcade classics. WIth solid gameplay and captivating permadeath rpg progression. Xenoraid is a welcome addition to my Switch library.
Check out my Xenoraid Video Review on YouTube channel TheFlannelFox… Expand
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