Developer: Bitmap Bureau Publisher: Bitmap Bureau Release: 10/28/19 Genre: Action
Twin stick shooters were not common during the 16-bit era and on the Genesis even more so. Smash T.V. is the most notable of these but its Genesis port suffers heavily in translation. The default three-button controller was also an issue as well. However with modern tools and decades of game design experience behind us new classics aim to rectify that. Xeno Crisis is a fantastic modern shooter that ranks among the top action games on the system. Bring your A game however, this one is tough.
The story is simple. Outpost 88 is a scientific research facility overrun by aliens. The facility sends a distress signal, leading Commander Darius to dispatch space marines John Marsh and Sarah Ridley to confront the aliens. There are further cutscenes between levels but they are largely inconsequential. The game knows which side its bread is buttered.
Xeno Crisis is a kickstarter success story. The campaign easily met its initial goal and smashed its stretch goals for ports to Windows, MacOs, Linux, the Nintendo Switch and Dreamcast. But it goes even further than that. Xeno Crisis is available on damn near any platform you can imagine, from the most popular to the long dead. The PS4, Xbox One, Vita, Neo Geo, SNES, GameCube, GBA, and even the damn Nintendo 64 all have some version of the game. If you are interested you are spoiled for choice where you want to play the game. My job is to convince you why that is a good idea.
As a twin stick shooter control is probably the most element. Xeno Crisis offers two controller schemes with multiple configurations for a default 3-button controller or the 6-button pad. With six buttons on the right you can easily mimic the four cardinal directions and move and shoot independently of one another like the popular arcade games of old. Surprisingly the default controller works well too although it is not as ideal. It also helps the controls are simple: one button is for grenades, rolling, and fire. Considering how many twin stick shooters suffered on the Genesis back in the day in this regard I am glad they nail it here.
Xeno Crisis is near identical to Smash TV in its setup. Each of the game’s seven levels consists of multiple smaller arenas with waves of enemies. Weapons and other items appear randomly or drop from enemies. There are ten weapons overall and unlike Midway’s classic they last a decent amount of time before disappearing. The game is fairly generous with weapon and grenade drops so you get to use most of the arsenal fairly regularly. Although your main gun uses ammo the game is smart enough to drop an ammo box before it runs out. Dog tags are the most important item as they are your currency to purchase upgrades. Between levels you can upgrade health, ammo and grenade count, speed, power and continues. These have a tangible effect although that begins to wear thin by the midpoint. I will get to that.
One of the biggest problems with twin stick shooters is repetition. They are big on action but most lack good pacing. Xeno Crisis manages this better than most. The first few rooms in a level only have a few short waves allowing you to make quick progress. Even though they get progressively longer it almost never feels long in the tooth. In addition each level is about medium sized with about ten or eleven rooms before the boss. Each level is a different environment with a unique set of enemies and obstacles as well. Despite being procedural generated the map design is generally good. Still despite their best efforts repetition does settle in due to the high difficulty.
This is not an easy game. You need to master timing of the roll as the difficulty curve is steep and rises sharply even on the first level. The waves are not only fast but aggressive and the game introduces hazards like bombs and toxic blood left by enemies quickly. It is quite stingy with health packs and even though you can top out at seven hits before death it does not feel like enough. That is because the enemies become resilient and your power upgrade does not keep up. I wish they balanced this better as it makes the later levels a slog.
The boss battles suffer a little because of this. The patterns are easy to recognize but they are damage sponges. The very first boss is a massive skill check and surprisingly one of the most difficult. If you are having problems here you might want to give up. While the boss battles are cool and the highlight of the game they are also tedious. You have a single life and three credits and have to sacrifice a hefty number of dog tags to buy more. To see the true ending you must beat the game without continuing. Good luck with that. You will not see the end of this one quickly without a friend.
In Closing
In spite of its steep difficulty curve I would still recommend Xeno Crisis. Despite the challenge it is nothing practice cannot overcome. And while you are doing so you have gorgeous pixel art and a fantastic soundtrack to keep you coming back. Regardless of which platform you choose Xeno Crisis gets a high recommendation from me.
