Xenoraid

Xenoraid, by developer 10tons Ltd., is a surprisingly fresh take on the vertically scrolling shoot’em up genre. Developer 10tons has added some fun gamepla

Despite a couple of niggles though, Xenoraid is an excellent example of how a modern top down spaceship shooter should be done, purposefully going out of its way to do something a little bit different. It sets out to be something more than just another Galaga clone, and thankfully it succeeds with flying colours. I can see Xenoraid remaining part of my digital library for many months to come, being an absolutely brilliant way to kill 20 or 30 minutes whenever I’m in the mood for fun and short-burst gameplay.

Xenoraid is a solid and enjoyable scrolling shooter that feels tight and responsive to play with plenty of roguelike options and content throughout. If you are looking for your next Nintendo Switch purchase, this may be it.

From the image above, it’s easy to dismiss Xenoraid as yet another space arcade shooter. It looks like it’s probably a dual stick shooter as well, right? I completely assumed the same when this was handed to me. Sure, boss, I’ll see what this could possibly be about and have it entirely finished in an hour. And lo, how so very wrong I was. This is what I get for assuming. You do know what happens when you assume, right?

There are so many shoot 'em ups that you'd think it's all been done by now. However, Xenoraid has an interesting ship-switching mechanic that breathes new life in the genre so get your thumbs ready for some intense space combat.

As far as "classic video game genres" go, top-down space shooters are a bread-and-butter staple of the medium. While gems of the genre once ruled arcades and home-consoles alike, in modern times they've become dime-a-dozen, mostly relegated to portable devices and mobile phones.