Xenomarine |

“You are a Xenomarine, stranded in a dark alien-infested space station. Your squad is all dead, and you have nothing but a crowbar, a torch running low on power and some battered armor.” Get ready for Xenomarine, a game that came out of Early Access about two months ago. The developer over at Fourfold Games (yes, this is a one-man Indie studio) has since continued working on this game, always keeping their players’ wishes close to their hearts. Let’s dive in!

Two game modes: The game offers two playable modes: roguelike and adventure mode. The first one is a challenging hardcore game mode in which permadeath is applicable. Progress is only saved when quitting the program and saved games are erased when you die meaning you’ll have to start again from level 1! In this game mode, you can track high scores. The adventure mood offers more relaxed gameplay. Progress is saved at the beginning of every level but there’s no high score tracking here. The balance between the two game modes was very fun in my opinion. When I feel like chilling, I play adventure mode, but when I need some really tough action, the roguelike mode is my best friend!
Randomly generated levels: One of the best things about this game is that the levels are randomly generated. You’ll encounter random enemies and items along the way, all randomly generated. When you die and have to restart a level, it’s going to be totally different, adding a little more challenge. The randomization is definitely great for the replay value as well.
Achievements: With a total of no less than 55 achievements on Steam and in-game, this game will definitely also appeal to completionists. Even though achievements are not necessary for games, it’s still a nice touch to add them as it provides something extra you can try to beat and complete.

Advance to new levels and encounter new enemies

No real tutorial: Even though the game is not that hard to play, a tutorial would have been welcome just to get you familiar with Xenomarine. As things are right now, you just get dropped in the game and you have to start playing. There is, however, some explanation provided when getting in touch with new features, but still, I felt like I was just dropped into a game that I had no idea how to play in the beginning. I had no idea about the features and was just walking around aimlessly, killing enemies at first.

No music: The lack of a soundtrack becomes more visible when you compare it to the graphics of the game. I mean, the artwork fits in perfectly with the sci-fi horror alien theme of the game. The dark rooms, the flickering of lights, etc. And then there’s no scary soundtrack? WHY? That would have been so welcome here. Didn’t even have to be scary, just something besides the in-game noises.

Score: 70%
Xenomarine is a fast-paced roguelike dungeon crawler at its finest. It offers a fun gameplay that has great replay value and is fit for various types of gamers. Whether you’re a laid back kind of gamer, or the hardcore permadeath type, this game will fulfil your needs. Seeing as the developers are still continuously taking feedback from the players, I’m convinced this game will only get better with time. By the way, Xenomarine is currently on sale on Steam! Score: 70%

Developer: Fourfold Games Publisher: Fourfold Games
Played on: PC
Steam game store link: click here