Xotic Review

It seems more and more indie developers are making first person shooters that clearly throw-back to the early days of the genre, and Xotic is no exception. With its vibrant, colorful levels and fast-paced arcade style, the game is very reminiscent of old standards.

The objective of the game is fairly simple: You shoot several different items and enemies on the map in order to string together combos. The bigger the combo, the more points you earn. The more combos you get, the higher your point total will be. That’s the entire game, in a very small nutshell. There is somewhat of a story that involves an intro cut scene explaining who you are and what you’re supposed to be doing, but after that you just try to get the highest score you can over and over again. To help ensure this is an exciting endeavor, the game includes online leader boards so you can track your stats against your friends and the world. If it weren’t for the leader boards, the game would be a rather shallow experience. I have to admit, during my play through I spent the majority of my time worrying about where I would place in comparison to other players, and that competitive aspect drove me to complete every objective I could.

The objectives are all relatively similar and all involve shooting at something. There are little red things called scabs on the ground. Find and shoot all of them in a level and you will receive some additional points. There are a certain number of enemies per level. Find and destroy them all and you receive more points. There are also floating items called “orb essence,” which you can collect all of. If you do, you are awards additional points. Last but not least, there are secrets. Secrets are colorful objects you have to destroy. Find them all, and once again you are awarded some extra points. There are also huge batteries lying around that you can collect. These serve to halt the time bonus point counter for a short time and they add to the total amount of holograms you can have active at once. Holograms are shields you can generate in front of you while you’re on the ground. If you’re airborne when you generate a hologram, you create a platform under your feet. This mechanic helps you travel to high places in levels, which you will often have to do if you want to generate the highest possible point total.


With the exception of a few timed, enemy free maps, every level of the game is constructed exactly the same way. You spawn and then set off trying to shoot all the point generating object the level contains. A portal opens when you defeat all the level’s enemies, and you can go through it if you want to end the level and advance. Staying around to complete more objectives will earn you higher score however, and doing it in a timely manner will add to your total as well. Since the game is so repetitive and only offers one mode of play, once again, without the leader boards, this process would start to bore the player very quickly. It is easy to see that for some players, even with the leader boards the game will leave something to be desired. What helps Xotic offset its disadvantage in the content department is its price point. The game sells for an attractive $9.99, so there isn’t much chance you’ll feel like you’re getting ripped off.


Another interesting feature is the weapon system. Much like the recently released Hard Reset, which left out a multiple weapon system in place of two, multi-function base weapons, Xotic substitutes a single versatile and modifiable weapon in place of the traditional system of multiple weapons and inventories. Your weapon in Xotic is also alive, and is named the Macroterra. The Macroterra looks a lot like a fly, and helps you jump by flapping its wings. The weapon has several modes you can unlock and upgrade by spending experience points. Each mode acts like a different weapon, such as a shotgun, rocket launcher, or flame thrower, and experimenting with each can be amusing for a while. The problem is, the game will never push you use the different weapons to complete objectives, and since each weapon mode is just as powerful as the last, you’ll only need to use the most convenient ones in combat.


You will also receive experience points during your playthrough, but like the many different weapon modes, these may feel insignificant in the experience. This is largely due to the fact that you will attain enough experience points to unlock every upgrade available by the time the game is over, so you’re never presented with a hard choice. Selected upgrade unlocks also coincide with the awarding of experience points, so the leveling feels very guided and easy. This isn’t a serious problem as it doesn’t detract from the core game experience, but the leveling feels a bit unnecessary. During the missions, however, you can gain all kinds of temporary power ups by completing objectives, and these add a much weightier element to the game play. Power ups range from double points to regenerating health, and can end up being the deciding factor in your overall performance.


So Xotic is simple, but fun. The level design, on the other hand, is far from ordinary. In fact it’s very interesting. The graphics are far from jaw-dropping (they actually resemble AAA titles that were coming out around 2004/2005) but the art direction makes up for what the technical side is lacking. Imagine Tim Burton’s acid-trip-induced remake of the Xen levels from the original Half-Life and you’ve got the idea. It’s colorful, weird, and initially fun to look at. The only notable problem with the level design (and it’s a minor one) is that they’re hard to notice. So much of your attention will be paid to shooting the same glowing red bubbles and collection the same colorful orb essences as fast as you can in every area that the levels may start to look the same very quickly. If the levels were a bit more pronounced and your objectives a bit more subdued, this problem might have been averted. If you actually take the time to look at the levels amidst your mad-dash to score points, you’ll notice that they are varies and quite interesting.

A major plus helping Xotic is its quality. No, it’s not chalk-full of content that will keep you entertained for months. And no, it doesn’t have blockbuster graphics. The game only sets out to do one thing, but it does that thing very well. The game is polished, there are no bugs or hitches to speak of, and the only complaint I could possibly raise against the mechanics is that airborne movement takes some getting used to, as it is a bit stiff. But that could have been by design; you’re in the air after all. So yeah, Xotic hits all the appropriate pegs on the polish-your-game-before-release ladder. It can also be very addicting and very fun. It might not be a whole lot, but for its price you really can’t beat it. While Xotic is currently only available for the PC, it would be great to see the developer take it to mobile platforms (this is exactly the kind of thing the casual gamer is looking for and it would do very well on smart phones and tablets), and with the new hardware phones and tablets are sporting, bringing the game to the mobile market is a more feasible proposition every day.

The Good:

• Fast-paced, high-score motivated play is addicting and fun
• Great visual style and art direction
• Polished experience

The Bad:

• Very limited amount of content
• Airborne controls can feel a bit stiff