Hostile Pinball Action
HIGH Scoring just shy of a billion points on one ball.
LOW Scoring less than 10 million combined points on the other two balls.
WTF Trying to comprehend what’s going on during moments of mass chaos.
For a variety of reasons, I have generally stepped back from reviewing games this past calendar year. However, when asked to cover Xenotilt, the sequel to 2019’s superb Demon’s Tilt, I gave a very resounding, “YES!” Moments into the game, my excitement was quickly justified — Xenotilt takes the original concept and turns it up to eleven.
The 16-bit inspired pinball table in Xenotilt is once again a three-layer feast for the eyes, and each of the three main sections are filled with pixelated details that make the table come to life. Those details flourish with swarms of enemies and gigantic bosses, ranging from a bug-like demon, a skull encased in an energy field, and a half-robotic succubus. Players can keep the ball in play, so long as it doesn’t drain on the bottom most area. Seems simple enough, but Xenotilt isn’t just simple pinball.
Much like its predecessor, Xenotilt once again combines pinball with bullet-hell shmup. This might seem like an impossible merger, but the two genres are combined flawlessly. Those swarms of enemies and massive bosses launch missiles, lasers, and other ammunition at the silver ball as it zooms across the ramps and through the bumpers. These projectiles impact the ball’s movement, but are also essential for racking up huge scores.
Multiple modes await players hoping to hit the top of those leaderboards. There’s classic mode (three balls per game) and hardcore mode (a single ball), but new in Xenotilt is Ex-Mode. This option contains three bonus areas not found in the other modes of play. I don’t want to spoil too much, but accessing these secret rooms leads to unique tasks like hitting billiard balls into various pockets.
In addition to the bonus areas, players can unlock “Survivors” in Ex-Mode. Once saved, these survivors can be “hired” to add perks to the gameplay — most are very specific perks, but they boil down to increasing scores and extending time during table events. They’re not necessary for huge totals, but remain a great addition that should keep most players busy as they hunt down each survivor’s location.
Another new addition to Xenotilt are turrets — now players can fire back at the hordes of enemies with more than just the silver ball! As the ball zooms around the table it can collect bullets. Once accumulated, holding a flipper and then nudging the table activates two turrets, unleashing a firestorm of bullets across the table helping to clear paths for the silver sphere.
Even more spectacular is the laser option. While I’m still uncertain what exactly charges the laser ammo, activating the turrets, then witnessing two plasma streams whip around the playfield accentuates the screen-filling, controlled chaos in Xenotilt — it’s a thing of beauty.
The beauty is still confined to one single table (plus bonus areas), but there’s enough action in each section to help keep things fresh. While a minor issue, it would have been nice to include a practice mode for the bonus areas, as they are visited less frequently than the other zones. However, I was still able to complete one bonus after only three attempts and another on the very first try. This lack of ability to practice is a minor issue, and doesn’t detract from Xenotilt.
Xenotilt is a fantastic sequel that improves on its predecessor, and a game that begs to be played over and over again. I’m glad I paused my review hiatus to cover it!
Rating: 9 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by WIZNWAR and published by FLARB, LLC. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 5 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed (still have a few unlockables to earn). There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated Everyone. No official description is available. Parents of the youngest gamers may want to use caution as the themes are generally on the darker side, including skulls and some demon-like creatures. There is also a table boss that has its eye swing from the socket at one point in the “battle” but beyond that, there is no blood or gore.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game does not offer subtitles. While this is primarily a pinball game, there is some small dialogue uttered by the bosses and when events happen on the table (i.e. “Jackpot!”). Menus and in-game text size, like the score and combo indicator, cannot be changed.
Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls, including controllers and keyboard. I played exclusively using a wired Xbox 360 controller.
When he does find time to play, Brian’s preferred games of choice are platformers, beat-‘em-ups, or a good adventure game.He still enjoys the retro gaming scene, could talk about the Nintendo 64 more than he might like to admit, and misses playing in actual arcades. Brian also gets to pass on his love of gaming, as his oldest son is just now starting to join the fun.
As for that GameBoy - it’s sitting in Brian’s nightstand, waiting patiently for four AA batteries.
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