Metroid continues to be the inspiration for lots of games, but Xeodrifter is one of the few games that actually got the Metroid feel.
This is a game that reminds us that good gameplay still is the most important thing in a video game. Just like Metroid, Xeodrifter throws you in the wild, tells you what your objective is and let you do all by yourself.
Divided in 4 planets structured like mazes, Xeodrifter rewards exploration and forces you to search the planets for upgrades that will open some new paths that were previously blocked. You will find health and gun upgrades as you progress. The gun upgrades are customizable, and you can even save up to 3 combinations of beams.
The enemies you'll encounter won't drop energy to replenish your health, with the exception of one specific (and familiar) kind of enemy you'll find in front of every boss room, so you'll need to be cautious: If you die, you'll restart from the beginning of the level and you'll lose everything you've got since the last time you saved. The only checkpoints you'll find are in the boss rooms, and you can only save your progress inside your ship.
There is not a great variety of enemies, but at least two or three of them are really interesting. There is only one boss - it looks like a baby hedgehog from outerspace - in the game, but you'll face this guy several times, and as expected, each fight is harder than the previous one, and you'll absolutely need to learn patterns and react quickly and efficiently to win - just like you had to do in Metroid.
One of the things that separate Xeodrifter from other Metroid wannabes is a game mechanic that let's you switch planes, teleporting from foreground to background or vice-versa. This is similar to Mutant Mudds, but it works better here because it literally adds a layer to exploration and combat - jumping from a plane to another can save your life from time to time, and is a mechanic that you'll need to master if you want to beat the game, as it is extremely important during boss battles.
Graphically, Xeodrifter looks like a GBA game with 8-bit roots. It's beautiful planets, created with gorgeous and colorful pixel art, are a joy to explore. The sound department is good too, with some nice chiptunes, but some sound effects are a little bit annoying at times.
In the end, Xeodrifter is a must play for any fan of the classic Metroid games, and highly recommended for anyone who likes old school platformers, exploration and challenge. It's a short game (you can beat it easily in a few less than two hours) but it has great replay value for completionists and speedrunners.
This is a game that reminds us that good gameplay still is the most important thing in a video game. Just like Metroid, Xeodrifter throws you in the wild, tells you what your objective is and let you do all by yourself.
Divided in 4 planets structured like mazes, Xeodrifter rewards exploration and forces you to search the planets for upgrades that will open some new paths that were previously blocked. You will find health and gun upgrades as you progress. The gun upgrades are customizable, and you can even save up to 3 combinations of beams.
The enemies you'll encounter won't drop energy to replenish your health, with the exception of one specific (and familiar) kind of enemy you'll find in front of every boss room, so you'll need to be cautious: If you die, you'll restart from the beginning of the level and you'll lose everything you've got since the last time you saved. The only checkpoints you'll find are in the boss rooms, and you can only save your progress inside your ship.
There is not a great variety of enemies, but at least two or three of them are really interesting. There is only one boss - it looks like a baby hedgehog from outerspace - in the game, but you'll face this guy several times, and as expected, each fight is harder than the previous one, and you'll absolutely need to learn patterns and react quickly and efficiently to win - just like you had to do in Metroid.
One of the things that separate Xeodrifter from other Metroid wannabes is a game mechanic that let's you switch planes, teleporting from foreground to background or vice-versa. This is similar to Mutant Mudds, but it works better here because it literally adds a layer to exploration and combat - jumping from a plane to another can save your life from time to time, and is a mechanic that you'll need to master if you want to beat the game, as it is extremely important during boss battles.
Graphically, Xeodrifter looks like a GBA game with 8-bit roots. It's beautiful planets, created with gorgeous and colorful pixel art, are a joy to explore. The sound department is good too, with some nice chiptunes, but some sound effects are a little bit annoying at times.
In the end, Xeodrifter is a must play for any fan of the classic Metroid games, and highly recommended for anyone who likes old school platformers, exploration and challenge. It's a short game (you can beat it easily in a few less than two hours) but it has great replay value for completionists and speedrunners.