Eisenhorn: XENOS

54%
Game Brain Score Based on 183 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Eisenhorn: XENOS Game Cover
Starting at $114.35Buy now
Get on Steam

In "Eisenhorn: XENOS," based on the Warhammer 40,000 novel, players step into the shoes of Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn to protect the Imperium of Man. Experience full 3D exploration, utilizing agility, tech scanners, and psychic powers while choosing party members to enhance Eisenhorn's skills. The Steam version includes all future DLC, offering a rich, immersive journey in the grim, dark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

54%
Audience ScoreBased on 183 reviews
story48 positive mentions
gameplay21 negative mentions
  • The game captures the atmosphere and lore of the Warhammer 40k universe well, making it enjoyable for fans.
  • Mark Strong's voice acting as Eisenhorn is excellent and adds depth to the character.
  • The story is engaging and closely follows the narrative of the Eisenhorn novels, providing a good experience for readers.
  • The gameplay is clunky and repetitive, with simplistic combat mechanics that can become tedious.
  • Graphics and animations are dated, resembling a game from a previous generation rather than a modern title.
  • The voice acting for minor characters is often poor, detracting from the overall immersion of the game.
  • story156 mentions

    The story of "Eisenhorn: Xenos," based on Dan Abnett's novel, is widely praised for its depth and adherence to the source material, making it a compelling experience for fans of the Warhammer 40k universe. However, many reviewers note that the game's execution is flawed, with clunky gameplay mechanics and poor voice acting detracting from the narrative experience. While the story itself is engaging, it often feels rushed and lacks the interactivity that could enhance player immersion, leading to a recommendation primarily for those interested in the lore rather than gameplay.

    • “The story is great, the environment is great, the graphics are pretty good.”
    • “I love how well the developers adapted the source material into the storyline.”
    • “The story is fascinating and is what keeps me playing the game.”
    • “The storytelling in the game itself is quite mediocre; it is lacking smoothness and is not deep enough, as if you're rushed forward.”
    • “However, between various cut scenes and playable sections, fairly pivotal plot points are skipped over, making the story (the only real redeeming feature here) difficult to follow for anyone who hasn't previously read the source material.”
    • “The narrative is treated quite poorly, and several important plot points are not explained or expanded on to allow them to be understood by a person unfamiliar with the source text.”
  • gameplay86 mentions

    The gameplay has been widely criticized for being clunky, simplistic, and filled with bugs, often feeling like a poorly executed port from mobile devices. Many reviewers noted that the mechanics are basic and repetitive, with combat lacking depth and exploration feeling tedious, reducing the overall experience to a series of filler tasks to progress the story. While some appreciated the variety in gameplay elements, such as stealth and mini-games, the consensus is that the gameplay detracts significantly from the otherwise engaging narrative.

    • “The gameplay is varied with mini-games regularly thrown in for good measure.”
    • “Its gameplay can be divided into three main sections: exploring the level (this includes running, jumping, breaking doors, some QTEs, etc.), combat (that reminds me of the Batman: Arkham series), and some simplistic puzzles that you need to solve (in order to advance the plotline, open doors, disarm traps, activate portals, etc.).”
    • “The combat gameplay is simplistic, yet engaging, and the graphics are suitably moody (grimdark) and grand.”
    • “The story and Eisenhorn himself are good, but the gameplay is a badly made buggy mess with poor graphics, simplistic gameplay, and tons of pointless, frustrating padding.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely clunky; controls often respond too late or not at all.”
    • “The entire gameplay is just filler material to progress the story, and the gameplay that is there is probably only included to avoid making it a walking simulator with cutscenes.”
  • graphics82 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for being outdated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles, with many reviewers noting that they appear to be a port from a mobile game. While some appreciate the art style and atmospheric elements, the overall visual quality is described as subpar, with issues like poor animations, graphical glitches, and a lack of detail that detracts from the experience. Despite these shortcomings, a few players find the visuals acceptable within the context of the game's narrative and lore.

    • “The story is great, the environment is great, the graphics are pretty good.”
    • “For something that was originally made as a budget title for iOS/Android by a small developer, it has genuinely good 40k vibes to it - lore has been inputted into the game nicely and the artistic style is most definitely 40k.”
    • “The combat gameplay is simplistic, yet engaging, and the graphics are suitably moody (grimdark) and grand.”
    • “The graphics remind me of some kind of early 2000 Tomb Raider debauchery, and the gameplay is enough to make you put a hole in the drywall.”
    • “The art style pleases the emperor, but the graphics are dated; it shows that it is a port from a tablet game.”
    • “The graphics are underwhelming, to say the least, probably because this is yet another game in a long list of awful 40k console or mobile ports to come to the PC.”
  • atmosphere22 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its immersive qualities, particularly in capturing the dark and gothic essence of the Warhammer 40k universe, with well-designed backdrops and a compelling story. However, criticisms arise regarding the dated graphics and repetitive sound effects, which detract from the overall experience and immersion. While many players appreciate the atmospheric elements, they feel that technical flaws and lackluster audio can pull them out of the game's intended ambiance.

    • “The level design, while oftentimes criticized by others, nails the atmosphere I expect from this dark and straight-up depressing universe pretty much perfectly in my opinion, as I never felt like I was not in the 40k setting.”
    • “The main selling point are the story and the atmosphere after all, and those are spot on.”
    • “Some of the backdrops and levels are supremely well done and really hammer it home that you are in the 40k universe; you just have to stop and absorb the atmosphere.”
    • “The sound effects used are from websites where you can get them for free, or from games a decade old, and are used in so many that when I heard them in this, I was directly taken out of the atmosphere, and that is really the only thing this game has going for it, the atmosphere.”
    • “It's true that graphics don't make a game but it feels like there is no atmosphere at all.”
    • “- lack of atmosphere through ambient sounds”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches, bugs, and freezes that often require players to reload checkpoints. While some aspects like visuals and story are praised, the overall gameplay experience is marred by janky mechanics and frustrating technical problems, leading to a lack of enjoyment. Players should be prepared for a buggy experience that detracts from the game's potential.

    • “Fair few glitches that required alt + F4 to crash exit.”
    • “It is a buggy game sadly, so go into it knowing that you will have to reload checkpoints from time to time.”
    • “Freezes while moving, missed triggers for story-related events, and a very strange combat mechanic makes the game with a great story the most unwelcome game I have played for at least five years.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising it for its emotional impact and atmospheric qualities, while others find it repetitive and forgettable compared to soundtracks from other titles in the franchise. Although the voice acting is generally well-received, the overall sound design is criticized for being incomplete or lacking depth, detracting from the experience.

    • “Also, there was some pretty good music; it gave me chills a couple of times.”
    • “The music is sometimes atmospheric, sometimes epic, a tad repetitive at times, but overall a good surprise.”
    • “Personally, I liked the story a lot, found the voice acting generally to be very good (with some exceptions), and I think the soundtrack is probably one of the best I've heard in any video game.”
    • “The music is bland and boring.”
    • “The audio design is deplorable or just straight out missing; most of the voices sound like they are read to a laptop microphone from inside a cardboard box by a bored teenager, and there is mostly no background noise, just the music (mostly forgettable) and the voices of the characters.”
    • “The music.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players noting issues such as stuttering and inconsistent performance across different action modes, which disrupts gameplay. While some characters perform adequately, the overall experience is hindered by the need to frequently adjust to varying control schemes.

    • “So the game isn't terribly unoptimized.”
    • “It's supposed to be some Batman: Arkham-like action-adventure game optimized for mobile, but with different modes of action having sometimes vastly different control schemes, you're stopped in your enjoyment to readjust to the new mode you've just entered.”
    • “You can get stuttering out of nowhere.”
    • “There's barely a single decent performance among them, bar Eisenhorn himself.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game often arises from its technical flaws, with cutscenes frequently bugging out and creating unintentionally funny moments, such as misplaced characters and awkward animations. While these issues can detract from the overall experience, they also lead to some hilariously bad scenarios, particularly during combat and puzzle-solving, making for a mix of frustration and amusement.

    • “Some of the cinematics leave you scratching your head and probably laughing... unintentionally!”
    • “Most of the time, it feels just bad - other times hilariously bad.”
    • “The combat is barely working (I died with full health after a single swing one too many times from a bog-standard enemy, was hilarious though).”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding elements of the game to be tedious and immersion-breaking, particularly during conversations and exploration, which feel artificially extended and detract from the overall experience. The lack of innovation in certain aspects, like the character kcx-1288, further contributes to the frustration.

    • “This detracts from the good work put in by Eisenhorn's voice actor and brings any possible immersion to a grinding halt every time a conversation takes place between the main character and anyone else.”
    • “I was really hoping that they would do something special with KCX-1288; unfortunately not, instead it's the most tedious part of the game.”
    • “The exploration part will get annoying in the end, when it's getting absurdly tedious - artificially extending the longevity of the game.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for being underwhelming, with users noting a lack of depth and poor animation quality that detracts from the overall experience. The character design is described as minimalistic and lacking in detail, contributing to a sense of incompleteness.

    • “Feels like a beta version, with poor animation, combat, and character development.”
    • “Very bare character design and animation that is painfully bad at times.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional impact of the game is undermined by inconsistent voice acting, particularly when comparing standout performances like Mark Strong's as Eisenhorn to less compelling supporting roles. Additionally, the lack of meaningful character interactions diminishes players' emotional investment in the story and its characters.

    • “The voice acting is outstanding, especially Mark Strong as Eisenhorn; it evokes a deep emotional response that makes you want to cry.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters is lacking, which diminishes the player's investment in their journeys.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game's on-rails design significantly limits its replayability, resulting in an exceptionally low value for players looking to revisit the experience.

  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization approach of the game is positively viewed, as the small start-up team chose to focus on delivering a quality experience based on a beloved Warhammer 40k story, rather than resorting to typical free-to-play models or cash grabs. This decision reflects a commitment to authenticity and storytelling over aggressive monetization strategies.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Eisenhorn: XENOS

Play time

9hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
9-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games