Xeodrifter

Like the Metroid titles that inspired it, the music, graphics, and world/enemy design are more than worth revisiting a few times a year. This may be Renegade Kid’s best game yet, despite its relatively short length. I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll be invited to adventure with this mysterious new space explorer. Were they secretly a girl the whole time? Hopefully we’ll find out next mission.

Space is a jerk and so is this throwback-infused exploration quest, but it wouldn't work any other way.

Practically any game can catch my attention with the words “It’s like Metroid.” Of course, a conceptual tie to Nintendo’s classic series isn’t a free pass, but the time-tested formula is a great place to start. In the case of Xeodrifter, it serves as a solid framework to deliver a compact and entertaining retro adventure, though one that doesn’t venture too far off the map.

Xeodrifter is an interesting game, in that it’s both easy and difficult to recommend. The upside is that this is a finely crafted Metroidvania that oozes quality in almost every fashion, but the downside is that there just isn’t a whole lot to it. If you’re looking for a simple, straightforward open-ended platformer that’s easy to get into (or one that’s good for speedrunning), this is the game fo...

It's apparent that the PlayStation 4's 2015 gaming year will most notably be remembered for a handful of exemplary AAA open world games, but pulsating under the radar there has also been a fine array of pixel art 2D games released on the console this year. With examples like Shovel Knight and Super Time Force Ultra, this is partially the result of the cream of 2014's pixelated crop being ported an...

Xeodrifter is a short but sweet title. It's got some solid platforming, a well balanced difficulty, and a fun weapon system. It's a bit on the short side but is fun while it lasts, especially if you're still fiending for some Metroid-inspired action.

Xeodrifter's mix of old-school 2D platformer sensibilities and new-school visual effects is charming, and finding a new ability that unlocks a new area tickles the same pleasure centers that Metroid does. Even when it felt like a pale imitation because of severely deficient enemy variety, the fun of experimenting with different gun behaviors and revisiting old areas to find new secrets kept my int...

Xeodrifter is very much a game to kill the time. Depending on how good you are at action-adventure platformers, it’s a rather short game, but worth the money. If the game wasn’t so stingy when it comes to health pick-ups and checkpoints, I could easily recommend it to a much wider audience. This game could be so much more than it is; understandably it’s based on retro games but it could have easil...