Xeno Assault 2 Review

Xeno Assault 2 is a fun 2D shooter with 3D elements, reminiscent of many arcade games. I sometimes think it is a little too similar to the dozens of arcade aircraft shooters out there. In Xeno Assault, you pilot a ship through various levels and environments fighting aliens and battleships, and weaving through asteroids. The game boasts 38 different enemies including bosses, 15 weapons, a plethora of powerups, and 4 different game modes. There are also 4 different difficulty levels to let both newcomers and hardcore arcade gamers feel at home.

The games controls will feel very familiar to you if you have played this type of game before. The battlefield is seen through a overhead view, where you control your ship with either the mouse, arrow keys, or a joystick (if you have one). Using the mouse, you shoot your primary weapon with the left mouse button and your secondary with the right mouse button. If you decide to use the keyboard, you use the spacebar for primary fire and the alt key for secondary. You are always facing forward, meaning you either have to be in front of your enemies or have a certain weapon to destroy them. Control is limited, but Xeno Assault 2 never feels awkward or clunky.

Gameplay will also feel familiar to you because it uses the exact kind of mechanics as other overhead shooters. You are given the task of getting to the other side of the map while destroying anything that gets in your way. Xeno Assault 2 stands out in the gameplay department because of its ideas and fast paced action. Instead of only shooting enemies, you sometimes get caught in asteroid fields and other obstacles that you can either maneuver through or shoot through. There are usually a good amount of enemies on the screen at once, and the different types of enemies have their own formations and attack strategies. Some enemies have strengths such as extra shields or specific damage areas. The games damage system is a little more generic than the gunplay, however. You have a certain amount of lives which are depleted when all of your shields are penetrated. After you lose your last life, the game scores you and ends. The need for a mix of skill and fast reflexes make for an entertaining and addictive experience.

Xeno Assault 2 provides you with many different guns to use to get to the end of the levels, and you can have up to two weapons at your disposal. The primary weapon is a laser that never runs out of ammo. If you wait a while before firing this laser, it will charge up and deal a great amount of damage to anything in front of you. There are also a few upgrades for your main laser to help you along the way. Secondary weapons are collected from dead foes, and run out after a while. The secondary weapons are either very powerful or have some sort of special characteristic such as a large range of damage. Aside from the weapons are useful powerups which last a short while and make you even more dangerous. The types of powerups range from invulnerability to slowing down time.

A downside to Xeno Assault 2 is it’s level design. The environments are uninspired and featureless, making the action happening above the background the only interesting thing to look at. It’s quite simply a bore to look at. The backgrounds certainly detract from the appeal of the game, but they certainly don’t break it. The enemies however are nice and colorful, and have good animations to go with it. They aren’t the most original characters around, but are very good looking. Music is also very upbeat and is a throwback to the era of arcade gaming.