Xeodrifter Review

   Xeodrifter is not the Metroid clone you’re looking for

It seems like everybody’s trying to get on board the Metroid-nostalgia train these days, and Mutant Mudds and Moon Chronicles veteran Renegade Kid is no exception with their new indie title Xeodrifter for 3DS and PC. Xeodrifter makes a reasonable attempt to capture the feeling of exploration and adventure from the Metroid series, however this incredibly short game with no story and limited enemy types, environments, and weapons falls well short of the mark. Like in the Metroid series, you unlock a series of power ups that allow you to progress farther in the game’s four worlds, but you never really achieve a sense of power in doing so as the actual quest you’re on and the worlds you explore are quite boring and flat, and therefore the gameplay never truly feels rewarding. 

   Story

You’re in a rocket ship. You get hit by an errant space rock. Your ship is marooned in a star system with four planets. You scan them for energy signatures to find a replacement warp core. You collect power ups and shoot things until you find said warp core. That is all.

   Gameplay

You play as a tiny red-suited astronaut who has a basic blaster that can aim sideways or straight up. You also get access to a submarine that can travel in the four cardinal directions underwater, while shooting forward. As you progress through the worlds, which can be explored in any order, you find power ups that allow you to progress through obstacles you’ll encounter as you meander through the four levels. Each power up is protected by a boss, and in one of the most disappointing moves Renegade Kid made for this game, each boss is a clone of the previous boss, simply adding more health and one additional attack.

Some of the game’s enemies are interesting and pose a modest challenge, but once you understand their patterns they’re pretty easy to avoid. The enemy types are also limited, and you will see a lot of the same creatures through the worlds, though some are exclusive only to a specific world. 

Meanwhile I managed to beat the final boss and almost 100% the game in under four hours, which was a godsend considering how boring I ultimately found the gameplay. What’s more, while you do get six different power up abilities, only one of them is an alternate weapon, and that is only used to destroy special walls. Instead of alternate weapons you modify your basic blaster by collecting gun power ups which you can slot into different firing modes, increasing your shot size, speed, or type. Regardless of what you choose, however, your shot is always simply just a white ball, and I found that once I pumped all my gun power ups into shot size and speed I could demolish anything in my path, including the final boss.

I will say that the movement power ups can be fun despite the worlds being generally uninspired, and sometimes you need to use a combination of them to progress or go back and find secrets. The most interesting power up, and one which makes strong use of the 3DS’ stereoscopic 3D, is the ability to warp into the background in certain areas. Even without the 3D on, it’s fun to explore the background while you still see enemies bouncing around in the fore. Still, this is not enough to make up for the otherwise lacklustre gameplay, as the platforming itself is pretty quaint.

   Graphics / Sound

We all love the 8-bit aesthetic, who doesn’t? I really enjoyed the graphics of this game, and as previously mentioned, the ability to warp between the foreground and background, particularly with 3D on, is a visual treat. However, despite all this, the worlds themselves are a bit bland. Yes, they have some unique textures, but somehow despite the ability to move into the background they are lacking depth. I never truly felt immersed in these world as much as I would like.

The chiptune soundtrack, however, is awesome and definitely deserves a mention.

   Verdict

For $9.99 you don’t necessarily expect to get much, but given Renegade Kid’s fairly excellent track record, I found Xeodrifter quite disappointing. If you’re looking for a fun Metroidvania game, spend the extra dollars and get yourself Shovel Knight or Shantae & The Pirate’s Curse.