Only you can save the planet!
Top down shooting games have been around since the dawn of video gaming, thrilling players long before a lot of today’s gamers were even born. in the wake of games like Space Invaders, Galaga and Asteroids. Xenoraid follows on that honoured tradition but that doesn’t mean 10tons have made a game that looks and feels old-fashioned, far from it.
The game is set in the year 2032, and you’re defending the earth from wave after wave on enemy spaceships intent on destruction. The story however is mere background fodder and what we’re really here for is the action. You control your ship shooting enemies as they come at you from the top of the screen. In the main you can only shoot up, although as you move from side to side your ship will sway enabling you to shoot up at an angle with good timing, something that becomes vital to your survival. If things are difficult enough getting shot by aliens, some levels involve avoiding asteroid fields that can smash your ship to pieces after one too many collisions. The gimmick on Xenoraid that elevates it above your average shooter is that you control one of 4 ships, and you switch between any of them at the press of a button. They can be equipped with slightly different weapons, so you learn which guns or missiles work best against each type of enemy and switch ships accordingly. A good trick is if you time your ship switching right it can be used as a good tactic to avoid a barrage of incoming missiles.
It’s not just a case of moving onto the next ship when you lose one, as you really need to get to the end of the level with all four of your ships intact. This is because you earn coins for each level depending and any damage to your ships needs to be repaired, using your precious coins. Look after your wing-men and you can spend the cash upgrading you ships and weapons, or developing new ones. As you get further into the game and onto boss levels, you’re going to need these upgrades to stand a chance of victory. Keep your pilots alive and they gain experience and move up the ranks, getting you bigger rewards.
As well as the standard campaign mode, which you can also do in local co-op with a friend, there’s also a survival mode, which can be pretty hardcore as you try and survive wave after wave of ever more powerful and numerous enemies.
The graphical style isn’t intricate and may not be cutting edge, but is nice and crisp with the spaceships set against some nice backgrounds, and the audio satisfyingly sticks to traditional sounds you’d expect from guns, lasers and explosions. The ships aren't the most manoeuvrable, but do glide smoothly around the screen, so with good timing you should be able to avoid more attacks than will hit you, and of course you can upgrade your ships to make them a little nippier.
Xenoraid is an action-packed shooter that will challenge players with its variety of enemies and draw you in with its ways to personalise your fleet to your liking. It’s a great title for those that like to dip in for short bursts of action that will keep you coming back again without you getting bored.
Developer: 10tons
Genre: Top down shooter
Price: £7.99
Huge Thanks to 10tons for the review copy.