Xeno Crisis is an arena shooter in which one or two players take control of battle-hardened marines embarking on a deadly mission to confront an alien menace and get home alive! Run and gun your way through thousands of adversaries as you explore the devastated research outpost, searching for survivors, and ultimately facing the origin of the outpost's demise. Outpost 88 is divided into seven distinct areas, each being randomly generated with each play, meaning that your strategy must evolve on the fly if you're to succeed in your mission. Collect dog-tags from vanquished enemies to upgrade your equipment between areas and look out for special weapons which will give you a momentary advantage.
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Xeno Crisis is a 2019 multi-directional arena shooter developed and published by Bitmap Bureau. Created as a love letter to classic arcade shoot-’em-ups like Robotron: 2084, Xeno Crisi released for a litany of systems including the Sega Genesis, Nintendo Switch, GameCube, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 4, and (most importantly for this review) the PlayStation Vita. In short, Xeno Crisis is an nightmare-infested bullet-hell that offers a satisfying nostalgic shooter experience with outstanding pixelated visuals and an impressive soundtrack but falls short due to its length and crushing difficulty.
Like most video games from the same genre and time period that Xeno Crisis pulls inspiration from, the story here is sparse. The entire plot centers around a distress signal from the scientific research facility Outpost 88 which has been overrun by some sort of outside invaders. After receiving this distress signal, Commander Darius tasks two space marines, John Marsh and Sarah Ridley, with eradicating the threat and rescuing any survivors. After choosing whether to take on the mission as a one-man killing machine or in tandem with a second player, your marine of choice is airdropped into the first level of the invasion and has to fight for their life.
To survive, the player must guide their marine in and out of enemy-invested rooms, clearing each one of the invaders and saving survivors along the way. While initially equipped with only a standard rifle, a limited supply of grenades, and a close-range melee attack, the player will soon discover a wide array of weaponry scattered throughout each level to utilize - i.e. flamethrowers, homing missiles, lasers, shotguns, etc. Unfortunately, these scavenged weapons are only usable for a short amount of time, but their firepower more than makes up for it. When every room has been cleared, a door to the level boss opens and the ultimate challenge begins. The six bosses in the game each have their own disgusting designs, inspirations, and mechanics that make them fun to destroy and best in combat. Their designs, however, all look to be just pixelated versions of demons from Doom or a straight one-to-one copy of a Lovecraftian monster. It’s not a bad thing, per se, and the pixel work is still outstanding, it’s just a tad disappointing.
The gameplay loop of Xeno Crisis - entering a room, killing anything that moves, grabbing whatever power-ups, ammo, and health you can find, and dashing to the next room to do it all again - is incredibly addicting. This, along with the game’s soundtrack, is what makes it a fantastic game to have on a handheld and why I can’t delete it off my Vita. Rolling credits on the game, however, is no easy task. Xeno Crisis is crushingly difficult, even on the easiest setting. There are of course options to upgrade your character after each successful level, but these incremental health increases or weapon upgrades don’t do much to curve the ever-increasing difficulty. Furthermore, the twin-stick controls the game employs - left joystick controlling character movement, right joystick controlling the direction of weapon fire - is less than ideal on the PlayStation Vita. On a legitimate controller with two full-size joysticks, I’m sure the twin-stick controls and the demanding precision and speed required to survive in Xeno Crisis are far easier than on the tiny nubs available on the Vita. And while the Vita’s joysticks are serviceable and worth putting up with to have this game available on the go, it might leave you with a hand cramp or two.
Overall, Xeno Crisis on the PlayStation Vita is a fantastic port for fans of old-school arcade shooters and those seeking a challenge. While the difficulty and short length do put a damper on the overall experience, it doesn’t take away from the sheer enjoyment of blasting wave after wave of enemies with an ever-increasing arsenal of weaponry. I can say with certainty that I will never go back and put myself through the hell of finishing Xeno Crisis, but I also can’t bring myself to delete the game. It’s an impressively fun pick-up-and-play shooter that functions as a fantastic time-waster where the player can cut their brain off and just pull the trigger until their chosen Marine or the invaders are dead.
In short, if you crave intense twin-stick action on the go and have the reflexes to match, Xeno Crisis offers a rewarding, nostalgic trip down memory lane that deserves its spot in your Vita’s library.
Like most video games from the same genre and time period that Xeno Crisis pulls inspiration from, the story here is sparse. The entire plot centers around a distress signal from the scientific research facility Outpost 88 which has been overrun by some sort of outside invaders. After receiving this distress signal, Commander Darius tasks two space marines, John Marsh and Sarah Ridley, with eradicating the threat and rescuing any survivors. After choosing whether to take on the mission as a one-man killing machine or in tandem with a second player, your marine of choice is airdropped into the first level of the invasion and has to fight for their life.
To survive, the player must guide their marine in and out of enemy-invested rooms, clearing each one of the invaders and saving survivors along the way. While initially equipped with only a standard rifle, a limited supply of grenades, and a close-range melee attack, the player will soon discover a wide array of weaponry scattered throughout each level to utilize - i.e. flamethrowers, homing missiles, lasers, shotguns, etc. Unfortunately, these scavenged weapons are only usable for a short amount of time, but their firepower more than makes up for it. When every room has been cleared, a door to the level boss opens and the ultimate challenge begins. The six bosses in the game each have their own disgusting designs, inspirations, and mechanics that make them fun to destroy and best in combat. Their designs, however, all look to be just pixelated versions of demons from Doom or a straight one-to-one copy of a Lovecraftian monster. It’s not a bad thing, per se, and the pixel work is still outstanding, it’s just a tad disappointing.
The gameplay loop of Xeno Crisis - entering a room, killing anything that moves, grabbing whatever power-ups, ammo, and health you can find, and dashing to the next room to do it all again - is incredibly addicting. This, along with the game’s soundtrack, is what makes it a fantastic game to have on a handheld and why I can’t delete it off my Vita. Rolling credits on the game, however, is no easy task. Xeno Crisis is crushingly difficult, even on the easiest setting. There are of course options to upgrade your character after each successful level, but these incremental health increases or weapon upgrades don’t do much to curve the ever-increasing difficulty. Furthermore, the twin-stick controls the game employs - left joystick controlling character movement, right joystick controlling the direction of weapon fire - is less than ideal on the PlayStation Vita. On a legitimate controller with two full-size joysticks, I’m sure the twin-stick controls and the demanding precision and speed required to survive in Xeno Crisis are far easier than on the tiny nubs available on the Vita. And while the Vita’s joysticks are serviceable and worth putting up with to have this game available on the go, it might leave you with a hand cramp or two.
Overall, Xeno Crisis on the PlayStation Vita is a fantastic port for fans of old-school arcade shooters and those seeking a challenge. While the difficulty and short length do put a damper on the overall experience, it doesn’t take away from the sheer enjoyment of blasting wave after wave of enemies with an ever-increasing arsenal of weaponry. I can say with certainty that I will never go back and put myself through the hell of finishing Xeno Crisis, but I also can’t bring myself to delete the game. It’s an impressively fun pick-up-and-play shooter that functions as a fantastic time-waster where the player can cut their brain off and just pull the trigger until their chosen Marine or the invaders are dead.
In short, if you crave intense twin-stick action on the go and have the reflexes to match, Xeno Crisis offers a rewarding, nostalgic trip down memory lane that deserves its spot in your Vita’s library.
It didn't take me long to realize I suck at these top-down shooters so I dumped it. It's probably decent but I'll never live long enough to find out.
Playing Through My Evercade Collection Part 11: Xeno Crisis & Tanglewood Double Pack
Originally this launched on Game Pass of all places and I played it a little bit there and my original thoughts were a rather basic 'Kinda fun but flawed' and this assessment still stands pretty true.
As a base, its very much a fun arena shooter in the same vein as Smash TV, hoards of enemies, twin stick shooting and some bloody lovely sprite-work all making for a rather frantic time. I mean the music too is absolutely pushing the Mega Drive limitations as far as it can and the breakneck speed that the game kicks into is just so much fun...
...right up until you realise no, this isn't Smash TV and you shouldn't treat it as such because if you do you'll ultimately fall to the issue I had and that's ammo.
I do not understand the reason for having limited ammo in a game like this, its already balls hard enough with a kick to the teeth mentality of both 'get gud' and 'If you use a continue you'll automatically be locked to the bad ending' nonsense that should be wiped off the face off this earth.
Making it so every shot sort of counts just causes the occasional moment where the pace just drops dead as you desperately try and get another ammo box. Pacing is also a problem in some of the later levels as it tries to mix it up with slower spawning enemies but it doesnt quite work and comes off as dull in comparison to earlier stages.
Its still a very fun game and while really difficult, it absolutely is worth storming through despite some severe pacing difficulties.
I'll assume this is the Mega Drive version on Evercade.
Originally this launched on Game Pass of all places and I played it a little bit there and my original thoughts were a rather basic 'Kinda fun but flawed' and this assessment still stands pretty true.
As a base, its very much a fun arena shooter in the same vein as Smash TV, hoards of enemies, twin stick shooting and some bloody lovely sprite-work all making for a rather frantic time. I mean the music too is absolutely pushing the Mega Drive limitations as far as it can and the breakneck speed that the game kicks into is just so much fun...
...right up until you realise no, this isn't Smash TV and you shouldn't treat it as such because if you do you'll ultimately fall to the issue I had and that's ammo.
I do not understand the reason for having limited ammo in a game like this, its already balls hard enough with a kick to the teeth mentality of both 'get gud' and 'If you use a continue you'll automatically be locked to the bad ending' nonsense that should be wiped off the face off this earth.
Making it so every shot sort of counts just causes the occasional moment where the pace just drops dead as you desperately try and get another ammo box. Pacing is also a problem in some of the later levels as it tries to mix it up with slower spawning enemies but it doesnt quite work and comes off as dull in comparison to earlier stages.
Its still a very fun game and while really difficult, it absolutely is worth storming through despite some severe pacing difficulties.
I'll assume this is the Mega Drive version on Evercade.
Very entertaining overhead shooter. Brutally difficult though. Furthest I managed so far was level 6 and then I fucking crashed. I managed to get back there but not as far through the level.
Easy mode is not easy. But if its going for the 16bit era style, I suppose its pretty spot on. It would be good if you could carry over the power ups you gain after each play through. I might have the slimmest of hopes of beating the game then. But I'm still a big fan. It's compulsive pick up and play action, where a quick go can end up being 2 hours before you know it.
It has a great pixel art style and a really fun music score. One I'll keep coming back to for a quick thrill here and there.
Easy mode is not easy. But if its going for the 16bit era style, I suppose its pretty spot on. It would be good if you could carry over the power ups you gain after each play through. I might have the slimmest of hopes of beating the game then. But I'm still a big fan. It's compulsive pick up and play action, where a quick go can end up being 2 hours before you know it.
It has a great pixel art style and a really fun music score. One I'll keep coming back to for a quick thrill here and there.
Art is great. Core gameplay is very fun. Unfortunately, melee attack is clunky and the character has inertia when moving. The flow overall is not good and there’s no level select. Sure, there are cheats but that’s a hassle. It's cool that this is a Mega Drive game, but if they tightened up gameplay, added features to make a more modernized version that could be really great.
Few games have left me as strong a first impression as Xeno Crisis. In it's opening, and it's first few levels, there's just so much it absolutely nails. There's a very distinct vibe - probably deliberate - of this being an Aliens tie-in game for the mega drive lost to time. It's kind of awesome - the core gameplay of just blasting aliens in this twin stick shooter has a fantastic feel - animations are great, the muzzle flare is about the player character, spent shells and alien corpses literring the rooms. It's essentially smash TV, but grimey and alien.
And the soundtrack that accompanies it is so damn good. The YM2612 soundchip of the Mega Drive is partially notable for being able to produce a kind of synth that for lack of a better word is a bit "grimy", with strong bass and a bit of reverb (i am not good with music). If you've played something like MUSHA Aleste or especially Thunder Force IV - and Savaged Regime, the composer here, captures that synth and uses it to incredible effect. It works so well, and if nothing else, i heavily encourage checking out this game's soundtrack. The music, never, ever lets the side down.
Which unfortunately, I can't say for the gameplay. It's still good overall, don't get me wrong, but the cracks begin to show when the honeymoon period ends. Which is probably going to be at stage 3, which is awful. It's stupidly overlong with enemies that take an age to spawn, and it doesn't even have a boss. It's a weird drop in intensity which lets some of the frustrating features of Xeno Crisis set in - the pointless ammo system, the waiting for enemy spawns, the slight bit of inertia that your character has preventing accurate movement, the random map generation and upgrade system that feel rather pointless.
But the biggest issue of all is that the game is interminably long. 45 Minutes is short by most standards but for the lightning paced gameplay this is going for it's way over the mark. By the end of stage 4, the game feels ready to wrap itself up in the next stage.... but then stage 5 is another insane filler chapter and there's two stages after it! Maybe the sheer awesome catharsis of the game wears off a bit early for me, but I bet it would wear off for anyone by the time it decides to end, especially as the formula ane enemy variety never really gets interesting enough to make up for it.
But don't get me wrong, Xeno Crisis is quite good. If it could pace itself better and carry its remarkable opening feeling for it's entire runtime, it would be one of the best Mega Drive games. And it's soundtrack is outright amazing. And maybe the sad thing is that the game could be too, if it just knew when to stop.
And the soundtrack that accompanies it is so damn good. The YM2612 soundchip of the Mega Drive is partially notable for being able to produce a kind of synth that for lack of a better word is a bit "grimy", with strong bass and a bit of reverb (i am not good with music). If you've played something like MUSHA Aleste or especially Thunder Force IV - and Savaged Regime, the composer here, captures that synth and uses it to incredible effect. It works so well, and if nothing else, i heavily encourage checking out this game's soundtrack. The music, never, ever lets the side down.
Which unfortunately, I can't say for the gameplay. It's still good overall, don't get me wrong, but the cracks begin to show when the honeymoon period ends. Which is probably going to be at stage 3, which is awful. It's stupidly overlong with enemies that take an age to spawn, and it doesn't even have a boss. It's a weird drop in intensity which lets some of the frustrating features of Xeno Crisis set in - the pointless ammo system, the waiting for enemy spawns, the slight bit of inertia that your character has preventing accurate movement, the random map generation and upgrade system that feel rather pointless.
But the biggest issue of all is that the game is interminably long. 45 Minutes is short by most standards but for the lightning paced gameplay this is going for it's way over the mark. By the end of stage 4, the game feels ready to wrap itself up in the next stage.... but then stage 5 is another insane filler chapter and there's two stages after it! Maybe the sheer awesome catharsis of the game wears off a bit early for me, but I bet it would wear off for anyone by the time it decides to end, especially as the formula ane enemy variety never really gets interesting enough to make up for it.
But don't get me wrong, Xeno Crisis is quite good. If it could pace itself better and carry its remarkable opening feeling for it's entire runtime, it would be one of the best Mega Drive games. And it's soundtrack is outright amazing. And maybe the sad thing is that the game could be too, if it just knew when to stop.