Skip to main content

AK-xolotl

AK-xolotl is a difficult yet highly engaging roguelike that will make you fall in love with its charming woodland creatures while laughing at its absurd violence. Seeing my goofy little AK-xolotl with a giant gun made me grin from ear to ear. It’s the roguelike fever dream I’ve always wanted. Once it gets in the hands of players and additional content is added that can smooth out its presentation of information, I’m confident that folks will enjoy this game.
AK-xolotl Game Cover
72%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
grinding, story
71% User Score Based on 793 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

PCMac OSWindows
AK-xolotl Game Cover

About

AK-xolotl is a single player action game. It was developed by 2Awesome Studio and was released on September 14, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Update Roadmap About the GameAK-xolotl is the ultimate top-down roguelite shooter starring the most adorable amphibian! You're an axolotl armed with an AK, that embarks on an epic rampage, shooting down anything that stands in your way. Slaughter your way through a variety of biomes and conquer randomly generated rooms, all while collecting delicious food and capturing precious baby Axolotls. …

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Skip User Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 793 reviews
gameplay41 positive mentions
grinding49 negative mentions

  • The game features a charming art style and humorous elements that enhance the overall experience.
  • Gameplay is engaging with a variety of weapons and abilities, allowing for different playstyles.
  • The axolotl nurturing mechanic adds a unique twist to the roguelike formula, making it enjoyable to collect and raise different axolotls.
  • The game suffers from a lack of variety in weapons, items, and enemies, leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • Progression can feel grindy and slow, with many upgrades and unlocks requiring significant time investment.
  • Bugs and technical issues, such as hitbox problems and unresponsive controls, detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying its fun and addictive core mechanics reminiscent of roguelike shooters, while others criticize its repetitiveness, lack of character diversity, and various bugs that detract from the experience. Although the game features charming aesthetics and a unique axolotl-raising mechanic, many feel that the gameplay loop lacks depth and variety, leading to a sense of monotony over time. Overall, while some players find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, others believe it suffers from poor design choices and insufficient content.

    • “The gameplay is fun and addicting; the new loot and resource drop/cost rebalancing improved it a lot, and the devs are already working on plenty of our feedback in their roadmap.”
    • “The gameplay is solid: the guns feel good to shoot, the movement is precise and satisfying to weave through the several bullet hells you’re faced with. It’s a game where any veteran of twin-stick shooters will feel right at home.”
    • “The visuals, gameplay, and cuteness of the axolotls come together in an exceptional gaming experience.”
    • “The core gameplay loop just isn't fun.”
    • “The run-to-run gameplay is incredibly same-y, the memes are a weird and forced addition, and the whole 'cute and cuddly seeming thing is actually violent/evil/super badass' shtick is tired.”
    • “The gameplay feels snappy and both graphics and music are great.”
  • graphics
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute, pixelated art style, which effectively blends charm with a darker theme, reminiscent of titles like "Enter the Gungeon." While many players appreciate the aesthetic and character designs, some have noted issues with graphical bugs and limited customization options. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to the game's appeal despite criticisms regarding gameplay execution.

    • “I really enjoy the cutesy art style.”
    • “I like the pixel graphics, and the enemy designs are the perfect blend between 'cute creature' and 'murder'.”
    • “The visuals, gameplay, and cuteness of the axolotls come together in an exceptional gaming experience.”
    • “This mode is riddled with bugs - graphical and gameplay bugs.”
    • “The graphical options are also limited, having only resolution and fullscreen/borderless options.”
    • “The visuals have clearly been made with love, however, the gameplay and game design feels very unpolished and unfinished.”
  • music
    55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its energetic and enjoyable soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some players feel that the fast-paced metal tracks clash with the game's overall aesthetic and pacing, leading to a disjointed feel. Overall, while the soundtrack is often described as "banger" and fun, its repetitiveness and occasional mismatch with the game's themes have drawn criticism.

    • “The music creates a sense of urgency and suggests fast-paced action, while this game is more medium-paced, I'd say.”
    • “The music is absolutely kick-ass, though.”
    • “Ak-xolotl is a cute roguelike with enjoyable gameplay, accompanied by a delightful soundtrack.”
    • “The sprites all seem to mismatch each other and the music is very unfitting.”
    • “Lastly, the presentation: the fast metal music simply doesn't fit.”
    • “The music suffers a lot of the same uninspired feel as the rest of the game.”
  • humor
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its cute and absurd elements, such as the axolotl protagonist and humorous enemy names, while others find the humor forced or overly reliant on dated memes. Many reviews highlight the game's charm and creativity, but opinions vary on whether the comedic aspects enhance or detract from the overall experience. Overall, the humor appeals to those who enjoy lighthearted, meme-inspired content, but may not resonate with everyone.

    • “The added touch of humor in the form of amusing enemy names adds an extra layer of fun to the overall experience.”
    • “Ak-xolotl’s humor never fails to crack me up and keeps things light and refreshing.”
    • “I found myself chuckling at the easter eggs and countless references to popular media presented in the game!”
  • grinding
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players describing it as excessively tedious and repetitive. Many reviews highlight the significant time investment required to unlock items and upgrades, often necessitating the completion of numerous runs and resource farming, which detracts from overall enjoyment. Suggestions for improvement include diversifying unlock methods and reducing the grind to enhance player engagement.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's tedious, and I had to kill more than 1,000 for it to pop.”
    • “The grinding is very heavy for a game with a miserable early game, which practically screams not to play.”
    • “My main gripe with the game is that it feels the developer took some wrong lessons from other games of this sort and decided to make unlocking new power-ups and weapons exceedingly difficult and grindy.”
  • replayability
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews on replayability are mixed, with some players praising the game's variety of unlocks, guns, and gameplay mechanics that enhance replay value, particularly in the roguelike context. However, others criticize the lack of substantial content and challenges, leading to a perception of low replayability despite some enjoyable elements. Overall, while there are aspects that encourage replaying, many feel the game falls short of delivering a compelling reason to return after initial playthroughs.

    • “Incredibly fun, satisfying gameplay, and hours of replayability.”
    • “The replay value is gold.”
    • “Wide variety of items and guns provide plenty of combos to have fun with and take advantage of - good replayability.”
    • “This game fails at having any inch of replayability; the only time I've ever put into it was 20 hours and never came back to it since.”
    • “To start, there is absolutely no replayability.”
    • “For a roguelike/rougelite, I would expect a game that has a lot of replay value, or a grand challenge that takes a lot of effort, but I didn't find much of either.”
  • story
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally perceived as minimal and simplistic, often overshadowed by gameplay elements. While some players appreciate the charming and humorous cutscenes, such as a nature documentary-style introduction, many feel that the narrative lacks depth and could have been more developed. Overall, the focus seems to lean more towards gameplay mechanics rather than a compelling storyline.

    • “Anyway, very deep and moving story, right?”
    • “The game opens with a rather cute story-board style animation complete with a faux 'nature documentary' narration.”
    • “As for the story here, think John Wick’s revenge tale but instead of a tiny dog, food and babies, but more importantly food, were taken.”
    • “Narrative: no big story, just rescue your children and steal back your stolen food.”
    • “The background story is simply explained.”
    • “This game is very cute and is very similar to a game like Hades, but doesn't really have a story after the silly beginning cutscene (which I love).”
  • stability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting significant bugs that affect gameplay, particularly in co-op mode, which is described as janky and difficult to use. While some players still find the game enjoyable, persistent issues like freezing, unresponsive UI, and unbalanced mechanics detract from the overall experience. Despite being out for nearly two years, many of these bugs remain unresolved, leading to frustration among the player base.

    • “Too buggy, and co-op is janky, not fun, and overall difficult to use.”
    • “To put things into perspective, when your partner opens a chest, your game completely freezes and a text box appears that says 'wait for player 2 to finish.' You cannot see their options to select from, you can't even run around the room.”
    • “I really want to like this game, but it's been out for almost two years at this point, and it's still crazy buggy, vastly unbalanced, and super short.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance on platforms like Steam Deck and desktop PCs, others experience significant issues, particularly in online co-op modes, leading to stuttering animations and lag. There are calls for improvements to ensure a more stable experience, especially given the game's reliance on multiplayer gameplay. Overall, the optimization needs further attention before it can be widely recommended.

    • “Optimized well, and the references and humor are enjoyable.”
    • “Performance: no issues on both Steam Deck and desktop PC.”
    • “Several other situations that are either due to personal lag or because the game is definitely not optimized to handle online co-op yet. As this will likely be the prevalent method of enjoying the game with friends, I highly suggest that this gets the fixes it needs before I can recommend it to others.”
    • “Lasers will just keep flooding the screen until the whole thing starts stuttering before your computer explodes (only a mild exaggeration).”
    • “I got this to play couch co-op, but partway through every single run, my character does a stuttering animation and sound and can't move or shoot at random intervals.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its engaging art style and soundtrack, contributing to a captivating experience. While some users feel that certain elements may lack depth, the overall ambiance is described as lovely and enjoyable, enhancing the game's appeal.

    • “Great soundtrack and atmosphere.”
    • “I wanted to say I really like this game... the art style, the atmosphere... everything's flawless.”
    • “Lovely atmosphere, funny game, great style.”
    • “Just busywork that requires no skill nor adds atmosphere.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a mix of frustration and emotional engagement with the game, highlighting a lack of meaningful progression and challenging gameplay that feels more punishing than rewarding. The emotional weight is particularly felt in moments where players grapple with moral dilemmas, such as sacrificing their character's happiness for power, which adds a layer of depth to the experience. Overall, while the game may not deliver on traditional emotional highs, it effectively evokes feelings of guilt and frustration.

    • “It’s amazing how guilty this game made me feel for thinking about sacrificing my baby's happiness to power my character up!”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highlighted as a key aspect of the game, with players enjoying the cute character designs that enhance the overall experience and foster bonding during gameplay.

    • “Most of all, it's just really fun, and my wife and I really bond playing this together. Thanks to the cute character design, it wasn't hard to get her to try it.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game is not directly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on gameplay mechanics rather than financial elements. Therefore, no specific insights on monetization can be derived from this information.

Skip Critic Reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy AK-xolotl

13h Median play time
14h Average play time
10-23h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like AK-xolotl

Games Like AK-xolotl

Blazing Beaks Image
Bloodshed Image
Neon Abyss Image
Nomad Survival Image
Gatekeeper Image
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

AK-xolotl is a action game.

AK-xolotl is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 14 hours playing AK-xolotl.

AK-xolotl was released on September 14, 2023.

AK-xolotl was developed by 2Awesome Studio.

AK-xolotl has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

AK-xolotl is a single player game.

Similar games include Blazing Beaks, Bloodshed, Neon Abyss, Nomad Survival, Gatekeeper and others.