Ruiner

 Xbox One
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. XBLA Fans
    Nov 20, 2017
    100
    On a pure gameplay level, Ruiner is almost perfect. It strikes the perfect balance between challenge and fun. The game feels incredible to play, and every ability feels satisfying and powerful, but that means nothing if you don't have the skills to use them well. The story and world may not be fleshed out enough, but at least it's a sight to behold. The game may be called Ruiner, but it can only improve your game library.
  2. Windows Central
    Sep 28, 2017
    90
    With so many twin-stick shooters on the market, they often tend to blend together. Ruiner stands at the top of the field, thanks in large part to its ultra-cool presentation. The visuals and sounds are amazingly slick for an indie game, the sci-fi story and setting evoke the best cyberpunk stories like Ghost in the Shell and Blade Runner, and the gameplay has more depth than your average shooter. If you can handle some serious challenge (and a whole lot of the color red), Ruiner certainly won't ruin your day.
  3. Generación Xbox
    Sep 28, 2017
    85
    The technological cadence of a near future full of violence is the context in which Ruiner takes us. A zenithal-view action game that surprises us with its technical section, its frenetic shootings and its variety of weapons.
  5. TrueAchievements
    Oct 6, 2017
    80
    Ruiner is a whirlwind of shooting, dodging and dying that falls just shy of true greatness. The shaded cyberpunk environments are depressing but beautiful, inviting you into a seedy criminal world where challenging enemies and badass weapons abound. Death is always one misstep away; you'll come to embrace it and take it in stride as you figure out what makes every opponent tick. However, by halfway through Ruiner, you'll have seen all there is to see, as much of the late game encounters are lazy copy-pastes of enemies and bosses from earlier in the game. While it's cool there is a skill tree and perks to upgrade, some of them aren't worth investing into, and it feels like the developers try to push you down a specific leveling path with the way the encounters are set up. The frenetic, fast-paced combat is still a blast, especially if cyberpunk themes are your jam, and the opening levels of Ruiner are some of the best gaming experiences to be had in a while.
  6. God is a Geek
    Sep 26, 2017
    80
    Fun and frustrating, often in equal measure, Ruiner is polished to a high shine but still won't appeal to everyone.
  7. MondoXbox
    Oct 11, 2017
    76
    RUINER pleases with its detailed, even if not so original, cyberpunk world and frantic action. Sometimes fights can become too chaotic and the story could have been better explained, but it'll definitely please lovers of action games and dark sci-fi settings.
  8. games(TM)
    Dec 3, 2017
    60
    Competent, but not wholly compelling. [Issue#194, p.84]
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  9. ZTGD
    Oct 12, 2017
    60
    The second outing feels like the balance the game should have had, and it is a lot more fun. For players willing to suffer through it once, it almost makes up for the tedium. The problem arises once again in that there are so many games out there that work on the first try. Maybe the developers will patch out the issues, and if so Ruiner is a great idea with some truly questionable mechanics that make it a chore to play more often than it should.

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
63
#63 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 46
  3. Negative: 6 out of 46
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jan 2, 2018
    8
    As far as twin-stick shooters go Ruiner is a game that offers you a stylish and in some ways a unique experience. They have managed to get aAs far as twin-stick shooters go Ruiner is a game that offers you a stylish and in some ways a unique experience. They have managed to get a lot of aspects right and I definitely enjoyed my time with the game, and that ultimately made be able to look past its imperfections. The gameplay in the game is fantastic and has a great responsive and fluid feeling throughout all aspects it takes on. The combat in the game is satisfying throughout, and there is a great deal of customisation to keep things fresh. The game also has a great deal of variety when it comes to the abilities you can unlock, and the best thing is that each ability feels different meaning the game has some replay value. When it comes to the level design the game is unfortunately lacking in terms of variety, and each level has a basic feel to it which means no level is particularly memorable, which is a shame. I also wasn’t a big fan of the story and it lost its appeal quite quickly because nothing really stands out here. The presentation side of the game does stand out though. Visually the game looks awesome, and I think the red and dark visuals give the game a unique and violent atmosphere. The sound design is also well done, and in my opinion the soundtrack makes the gameplay stand out even more. At the end of the day Ruiner has made some pretty bold design choices, and for the most part these choices have paid off. It creates a twin-stick shooting experience unlike any other I’ve had before and this uniqueness definitely draws you in. It’s not perfect and it does have a few problems here and there, but the gameplay made me forget about these problems. If you like twin-stick shooters then Ruiner is a must own and if you’ve never played a twin-stick shooter before then I fully recommend you try this game first.… Full Review »
  2. SuperkenGaming
    Sep 30, 2017
    8
    Ruiner
    Twin stick greatness
    Ruiner is a cyberpunk styled twin stick shooter set in the year 2091, you play as a sociopath out to save your    Ruiner
    Twin stick greatness
    Ruiner is a cyberpunk styled twin stick shooter set in the year 2091, you play as a sociopath out to save your kidnapped brother...
    This game was designed to be brutally difficult and has even gotten flak from other reviewers for being so tough…
    But this game actually has difficulty settings... and if you set your ego aside and play on the games easy mode which is designed to be just the right amount of challenging...
    This 5 hour game can be insanely fun, satisfying and hard to put down…
    This game features 16 levels total and each level really looks and feels the same…
    But the game is so fun to play that you hardly notice as you’re going batman on the enemies surrounding you to this games amazing soundtrack…
    Enemies have a variety of weapons they carry all of which you can pick up and use on the fly…
    at first you have a shield and you’re able to dash as well as use a melee weapon and a ruiner gun with infinite ammo, and of course enemies are all carrying better weapons…
    getting used to combat can take a little while, but once you do you feel like a superhero, snatching up new weapons and looking at your surroundings while the game briefly goes into slow motion
    defeating enemies will award you karma, which can also be found in chests, and extra weapons laying around after a fight can be put into a weapon grinder for karma as well..
    This is essentially your experience…
    and you level up in ruiner at a very satisfying pace, the game doesn’t feel grindy once…
    Managing your skill points and crafting your ruiner around your playstyle is where the greatness of this game comes in...
    You have a variety of choices on where you can dump you skill points into and if you’re not happy with your choices you can take skill points back at any time... you’re not stuck dealing with it…
    a lot of your skills such as grenades and your shield use up your energy, but you can unlock the ability to spend your energy on health regeneration, you can spend your health on energy regeneration…
    by the games end my character felt like a tank as id be using energy for grenades and health but I had the perk of shooting refilling my energy…
    this came really late in game, the final couple of levels.. but I felt unstoppable with this chain of abilities I worked my way up to…
    there are also robots that will drop in with gifts like energy, health, and weapon drops…
    where the real challenge comes into play is with this games bosses.. It’s filled with mini and main bosses that definitely take effort to defeat... but this game is great with its checkpoints… letting you hop right back in with all of your health and ammo back to give it another shot…
    The game on its easy mode felt perfectly balanced.. I was challenged and I was having fun…
    but of course you can go into a hire difficulty If you’re more about frustration... the point is the option is there to play this game the way you want…
    Ruiner is a tad underrated..
    If you’re a twin stick shooter fan don’t skip it...
    I give Ruiner
    an 8/10    … Full Review »
  3. EdCrane
    Nov 1, 2017
    8
    Tough as nails twin stick shooter. Although its not without its flaws, I had a lot of fun with this game. Side quests feel tacked on and theTough as nails twin stick shooter. Although its not without its flaws, I had a lot of fun with this game. Side quests feel tacked on and the progression system feels a bit pointless with regards to replay-ability. Otherwise there's a lot to like here. If you can get past the wildly misogynistic attitude towards women represented in the game...… Full Review »
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