AX:EL - Air XenoDawn | Game Brain — video game discovery

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AX:EL - Air XenoDawn is a single player and multiplayer simulation game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Alex Piola and was released on December 4, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"AX:EL - Air XenoDawn" is a space combat simulation game that features fast-paced aerial dogfighting and strategic decision-making. Players take on the role of a skilled pilot, tasked with defending their home planet from an alien invasion. With a variety of customizable ships and weapons at their disposal, players must master advanced maneuvers and tactics to emerge victorious in large-scale battles.

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 374 reviews

story10 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of aerial and underwater combat, providing a fresh experience compared to other shooters.
Customization options for aircraft are extensive, allowing players to build and modify their ships in various ways.
For a free game, it delivers enjoyable gameplay and nostalgic arcade-style action reminiscent of older flight simulators.

The controls can be frustrating and unresponsive, making gameplay feel clunky and difficult to navigate.
Many missions are repetitive and lack variety, leading to a sense of boredom over time.
The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and performance drops, which can detract from the overall experience.

story
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
80%
5%
The game's story is described as a mix of decent single-player plot elements and frustrating mission structures, with a non-linear narrative that allows for some choice. While some players appreciate the nostalgic arcade feel and the variety of missions, many criticize the execution, citing issues with mission clarity, difficulty spikes, and a lack of engaging content. Overall, the story is seen as generic and forgettable, with some redeeming qualities in its atmosphere and mission variety.
- “The story mode is cool; I particularly like the 'ambience' it conveys.”
- “There is a solid solo campaign, complete with a good story and a pretty cool report you are given for each mission.”
- “I liked the whole concept, and although the story is a bit generic, I have no major complaints.”
- “The premise behind the story may seem fine as a concept; however, the dialogue and grammar leave a lot to be desired.”
- “You cannot finish campaign missions as the landing is required yet this is impossible.”
- “This game is nowhere near finished, the menu is awkward to navigate with nothing really explained, and it crashed and hardlocked my computer during the first mission.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
46%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the decent visuals and art style, while others criticize them as outdated or lacking polish. Many users note that the graphics are not top-tier but are acceptable given the game's indie development background, and some enjoy the overall aesthetic despite technical limitations. Overall, while the visuals may not impress everyone, they contribute positively to the arcade-style flight experience.
- “The graphics are cool, and the action is intense.”
- “Maybe it is not the highest quality graphics, but considering that the game was created by one man, it looks really good.”
- “The game itself, the water and air visuals are very nice; the entire feature of it looks great.”
- “The graphics are not beautiful, the controls are bad, there is no variety.”
- “Graphics look like something from the 80's....”
- “The effects are not that impressive and the graphics are a little dark.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
45%
11%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its unique mechanics and fun controls, while others criticize it for being repetitive, hard to learn, and plagued by optimization issues. Despite these drawbacks, many agree that it offers a solid experience for fans of flight combat simulators, especially with recent updates improving its functionality. Overall, while the gameplay can be enjoyable and addictive, it may not appeal to everyone due to its learning curve and occasional technical problems.
- “Its transformable aircraft and creative gameplay make it a fun, unique indie experience that stands out despite its small scale.”
- “Looks beautiful and offers different gameplay settings and features various mechanics and nice storytelling.”
- “Gameplay is surprisingly fun and somewhat addictive.”
- “Personally, I find the gameplay boring, and I couldn't even figure it out fully.”
- “It's a solid dogfight/vehicular combat game, although it has optimization problems and repetitive gameplay. It's still good to play in short bursts.”
- “Lame gameplay, hard to learn.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with users noting significant performance issues such as long pauses, stuttering, and the need for manual adjustments in graphics settings. While the dogfighting and vehicular combat elements are enjoyable in short bursts, the overall experience is hampered by a lack of hyper-optimized campaign design and repetitive gameplay.
- “The optimization of map layouts enhances gameplay flow and player engagement.”
- “The performance improvements significantly reduce load times and enhance the overall experience.”
- “Missions feel thoughtfully integrated, contributing to a well-structured campaign that keeps players invested.”
- “It's a solid dogfight/vehicular combat game, although it has optimization problems and repetitive gameplay. It's still good to play in short bursts.”
- “Not optimized for Optimus; needs to be manually set from the NVIDIA panel.”
- “Lots of long pauses and stuttering with the framerate throughout the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users appreciating its relaxing qualities and replayability. While some find the soundtrack potentially annoying, others highlight the quality of the original compositions by the author, which enhance the overall experience. The music contributes positively to the gameplay, despite the challenge of completing levels in a single attempt.
- “You might think about the annoying soundtrack...but otherwise it seems promising - until now.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “While the number might seem a bit small, they are highly replayable, fairly long, include their selection of music (also composed by the author, really nice music, too.) and feature no lives, meaning you'll have to do them on one try, which adds to the difficulty but doesn't make them especially frustrating.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences notable stability issues, including glitches such as disappearing sea floors and various lighting bugs. While these problems are prevalent, developers have indicated that a patch to address them is expected within a week.
- “The sea floor sometimes glitches and disappears.”
- “One of the most buggy games ever.”
- “Some small lighting bugs and glitches that will be patched within a week.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews suggest that the grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with some users feeling it functions more as a crypto farming tool than an engaging gameplay experience.
- “This is not a game; it's a crypto farming tool disguised.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious, making it hard to enjoy the actual gameplay.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize it was all for nothing.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game offers a casual yet engaging replay value, with content that, while limited in quantity, is highly replayable and lengthy. The inclusion of original music enhances the experience, and the absence of lives adds a challenging element without leading to frustration.
- “While the number might seem a bit small, they are highly replayable, fairly long, include their selection of music (also composed by the author, really nice music, too.), and feature no lives, meaning you'll have to do them on one try, which adds to the difficulty but doesn't make them especially frustrating.”
- “However, there is a lot of replayability within the confines of the available content.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the game's immersive atmosphere, noting features like sonic booms, a first-person cockpit view, and varying atmospheric densities that enhance the overall experience.
- “The game features sonic booms, a working in-cockpit first-person view, and varying atmospheric densities that create an immersive experience.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly rich, with dynamic weather effects that enhance the overall gameplay.”
- “Every location feels alive, thanks to the detailed sound design and environmental effects that draw you into the world.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with users expressing feelings of dizziness and frustration due to poor controls, leading to an overall dissatisfaction with the experience.

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AX:EL - Air XenoDawn is a simulation game with science fiction theme.

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn is available on PC and Windows.

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn was released on December 4, 2015.

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn was developed by Alex Piola.

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Sky Rogue, Project Wingman, Hidden Deep, Strike Vector, Cortex Command and others.

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn

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