Xenopurge Game Review – More Than Another Bug Hunt

It’s unimaginable to quantify the affect that James Cameron’s Aliens had on the gaming trade. From inspiring enemies in all the things from Ecco the Dolphin to Contra and introducing audiences to the idea of sci-fi pulse rifles, it’s superb how one movie nearly single-handedly managed to outline online game aesthetics for many years to come back.

Though we’ve seen numerous video games try to emulate each the hardcore motion and the blood-pumping terror of watching Colonial Marines face off towards ravenous Xenomorphs in ill-lit corridors, there’s a extra delicate form of terror current in each Cameron’s sequel and Ridley Scott’s unique that’s a lot more durable to duplicate on the earth of gaming.

Naturally, I’m referring to the much less apparent worry derived from anticipating a Xeno assault as characters observe amorphous blips converging on their place via a retro-futuristic system of some variety. It’s exactly this type of minimalist pressure that makes Traptics’ unexpectedly thrilling Xenopurge such an entertaining videogame, with this extremely addictive bug hunt simulator proving that lifelike graphics and twitchy motion are fully optionally available on the subject of memorable horror gaming.

Harkening again to titles like Games Workshop’s Space Hulk and even Lifeline on the PS2, the complete model of Xenopurge was launched on Steam earlier this month after a quick demo impressed gamers throughout this yr’s Next Fest. And whereas this demo kind of launched gamers to the title’s core concepts, the entire model of the expertise has much more up its sci-fi sleeves than you may initially count on.

In the completed recreation, gamers step into the sneakers of an unnamed Commander as he barks orders at a cloned squad of house marines embarking on a corporate-mandated bug-hunt. The twist right here is that you just solely play because the Commander from the security of his distant command heart, with each the marines and their lethal enemies being represented by two-dimensional icons on a retro pc display. While you initially solely oversee the motion because the Marines execute their mission on their very own, it quickly turns into essential to micromanage your workforce and concern conflicting orders that can have you ever feeling just like the world’s angriest Football coach.

You might not be the one pulling the set off or recovering belongings on this immersive little title, however you positive as hell rejoice every success as if you happen to had been proper there subsequent to your clones (which I affectionately discuss with as “my Boys”). Of course, the sport additionally options roguelike parts resembling randomized mission choice and everlasting upgrades that have an effect on each run – leading to an insanely addictive gameplay loop the place no two playthroughs are alike.

I’d truly argue that Xenopurge owes much more to extremely interactive puzzle video games like Lemmings than another auto-battler I’ve ever performed, as more durable missions could have you consistently and desperately attempting to intervene because the Xeno scum push your marines in the direction of suicidal panic. I at all times had Bill Paxton’s iconic “Game over, man!” line echoing at the back of my thoughts as I struggled to maintain up with the overwhelming invasion, however failure is simply a part of the training expertise on the subject of this type of recreation. That being stated, I’d suggest beginning out in Simulation Mode so you possibly can decelerate time so as to make higher selections, as there’s nothing passive about this so-called “auto” battler.

Unfortunately, whereas I like the dedication to retro pc screens and the intentional lack of aesthetic polish, I’d have appreciated a minimum of a couple of extra visible cues hinting on the look of our extraterrestrial foes. Blurry collectible images and even text-based descriptions can go a great distance in reminding us that these shiny little rectangles are purported to symbolize Lovecraftian abominations.

Xenopurge can be a remarkably quick expertise, as you possibly can doubtless see most of what the sport has to supply in a single sitting if you happen to get hooked on its gameplay loop as I did. Though the procedurally generated parts imply that you may technically replay the title ceaselessly, there’s actually not a lot there to justify clearing greater than a few runs – particularly because the narrative doesn’t precisely take full benefit of the title’s presentation.

That’s to not say that the sport’s makes an attempt at a cohesive story are unhealthy (in any case, the mechanics themselves do a number of speaking right here), it’s simply irritating how the builders overlook apparent alternatives for diegetic storytelling. I imply, if we by no means actually see the enemy, how do we all know what we’re truly going through on the opposite aspect of the display? Could this be a Starship Troopers state of affairs the place the bugs aren’t as evil as they appear? While I like how the cloned grunts start to develop personalities as their fight expertise takes its toll on their amassed reminiscences, the sport may have taken this idea a lot additional and perhaps even ended in a mutiny of kinds.

Of course, it’s not honest to Traptics for us to dwell on the sport that might need been, as Xenopurge in its present state continues to be one of the addictive horror experiences I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying this yr. This achievement is made all of the extra spectacular by the sport’s minimalist model, as I by no means thought I may really feel so intimidated by a single pink pixel on a simulated pc display. There could also be sufficient room for enchancment right here to justify a extra polished sequel, however I’d nonetheless strongly urge fellow horror followers to take a look at this surprisingly worrying tackle lifelike Xeno warfare.

Xenopurge is offered now on Steam.