Xenoraid Reviews
Although Xenoraid does nothing to shake up the genre, changing spacecraft in the heat of battle and using different weapons on the fly tries to add spice to an otherwise solid but unspectacular top-down shooter experience. The characters, dialogue and locations are neither varied nor dynamic enough to be very engaging, and the gameplay, while serviceable, will satisfy but certainly not impress anyone who has already played one of its ancestors or contemporaries, either on Switch or elsewhere.
Xenoraid is a shoot'em up that does not fully abide by the classical rules of its counterparts. If the shooting action works fine, the game's structure feels like it's too constricting on the player with its insistence on purchasing every element for the ships, which creates unnecessary burdens on the players.
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There is nothing special about Xenoraid, but it keeps the basics solid. The shooting is fun, the dodging is good, and the upgrading is the best part, which allows for better ships to enter the fray. It is the type of game that could serve as a great platform for a really good game, but as it is, it is a fun romp that harkens back to old-school games. If it can be picked up cheap, Xenoraid is an enjoyable four-hour ride.
The problem is all the bulk surrounding it. Poor checkpointing, being unable to carry tech upgrades forward, and the persistent wish that I had more control over my own aiming all sort of dampen the experience. I like where this game's head is at, but I've got a list of things they can improve if Xenoraid gets a sequel.
Unfortunately, I am not sure as to whether or not I would recommend the game or not. I think this is more of a Marmite type game, if you're into this genre, then you are going to love it, however, if you are unsure or not really played this genre before, then I have a feeling that 90% would probably not enjoy it.
Xenoraid is pretty much only saved from a savage review by using a controller to play the game. Otherwise it's a slightly below average title, but possibly worth a shot if you have $10 spare and like this genre of game.
Xenoraid is competently built but lacks any real reason to actually compel you to play it. The gameplay loop quickly becomes monotonous and, aside from quick bursts here and there whilst waiting for a download, I can’t see many gamers putting much time into conquering the alien attackers.
Xenoraid is just not very much fun. It has some interesting ideas, and some that are just confusing, but for the most part it's the same space shooter that has been seen time and time again. It's like the Expert mode of an old shooter, where things have been tweaked, but it largely feels like the exact same game. While the upgrade system and loadouts are pretty interesting, they feel like an exciting game leading into something much less appealing.
There is some satisfaction to be found in slaughtering the alien forces that are hellbent on attacking Earth in Xenoraid, but the experience fails to ever be more than distinctly average. Even throwing in the chance for friends to fly alongside you as wingmen seems a flawed move, a couch co-op experience that comes at the cost of removing the best idea that the game has going for it. There are better games in the genre to spend your time with on Nintendo Switch, then – meaning that it’s best to leave someone else to defend mankind in this one.
Everyone's played enough of this type of game by now in order to know what to expect. You're going to be ducking and diving in amongst enemy fire as you tear down waves of enemies coming from the top of the screen. There's just not quite enough here to make Xenoraid memorable.