Xenoraid
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Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Xenoraid
Xenoraid is yet another shoot ‘em up that brings something new to the table. While it has aspects of a roguelike and the progression of an RPG, it still sticks to its guns as a shooter. It works and works well in that part. The shooting is tight and when learning the proper way to aim, it felt very satisfying. It has a few issues here and there, and while the look is not really fantastic, it offers up a rather fun experience, if even for a few hours.
Xenoraid does do a lot to try and stand apart from the deluge of similar games out there, and it should be commended for that effort. But with its lack of refinement, progression resetting, and fairly bland overall presentation, it's unlikely we'll be looking back on this one a year from now.
Xenoraid brings some interesting ideas to the vertical shmup genre. Unfortunately, the changes take away from what really defines the genre, leaving it in a sort of limbo between genres.
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.
A traditional vertical shooter with a single good idea but many gameplay flaws, restrained by an anonymous and unattractive look.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Xenoraid is a unique spin on the space shooter genre that offers its own brand of challenge for seasoned players. The short missions are perfect for handheld gameplay, as well, making it easy to pick up and play whenever you have a spare few minutes. Space shooter fans looking for something new that isn’t a dual stick shooter should be fairly pleased with what Xenoraid has to offer.
These additions have been layered on top of a very old chassis, and while they do stave off boredom for a little while, it feels like chugging cheap energy drinks to prolong the inevitable crash. When there are games out there like Rez and Geometry Wars that reinvent that chassis, it’s difficult to play something like Xenoraid and feel… well, much at all.
