X Invader
- August 12, 2024
- AllafGames
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"X Invader" is a challenging 2D pixel art shoot 'em up game. Blast through hordes of alien invaders, collect power-ups, and dodge their projectiles in fast-paced action. With multiple difficulty options and a survival mode, there's plenty of replayability for both casual and hardcore players.
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style and creative character designs, making it visually appealing.
- Gameplay is fun and addictive, with a variety of builds and synergies that keep players engaged.
- The developers are active in addressing bugs and improving the game, showing commitment to the community.
- The game can become repetitive quickly, with limited levels and content leading to a lack of variety.
- There are performance issues, including lag and crashes, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Some mechanics and controls are unclear or poorly designed, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- gameplay21 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its fun and engaging mechanics, with a strong gameplay loop that evolves with difficulty levels and offers creative weapon and leveling systems. However, some players feel that it lacks long-term replayability and meaningful innovations compared to similar titles, while also experiencing issues with bugs, glitches, and balance. Overall, the fast-paced and polished gameplay, combined with appealing aesthetics, contributes to a positive reception, though some players note areas for improvement.
“Gameplay loop: 10/10 - changes with each difficulty and there's enough variety to keep going back in.”
“Good gameplay loop, definitely creative on how you level up and weaponry, etc.”
“From a gameplay point of view, it's a bullet heaven rogue-lite with a power scaling method similar to Hades, where you receive upgrades from hackers and having different upgrades from the same hacker or two different hackers can give you synergetic upgrades.”
“After just maybe 12 hours of gameplay, I feel like there is really no point in me continuing to play.”
“I've had my fill of the core gameplay system and with no other levels to mix things up, there's really nothing else here for me to do.”
“Even worse, the gameplay experience is marred by numerous issues, from bugs and glitches to unbalanced mechanics.”
- story10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story is heavily front-loaded with lore up to level 6, but becomes less significant as gameplay progresses, with many players finding it irrelevant to their enjoyment. While the narrative is simple and not particularly deep, it has potential for development, especially as the game is still in early access. Overall, the story garners mixed reviews, with some players intrigued by its progression and others feeling it does not impact the overall experience significantly.
“There is a simple plot that develops as you clear levels, 5 distinct weapons to pick from with their own in-run upgrade trees, a very large number of costumes with passive effects, equippable gear to upgrade select aspects, and an appreciable cast of supporting characters who offer interesting skill trees to you during runs.”
“They've recently added in some story to the game as well, which is interesting.”
“It's heavily front-loaded on lore/story up to level 6 of each stage, but once you get past that point, the whole game basically opens up.”
“Okay, maybe it's not exactly about rescuing slime waifus, but the game is currently in early access, so the story is incomplete.”
“The story is fine; don't expect something deep, though.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant cyberpunk-inspired pixel art style, which is complemented by smooth controls and a variety of references to other games. Players appreciate the aesthetic and find it visually appealing, contributing to an engaging and addictive gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Catchy music and sounds, amusing parodies, lots of homage and references to other great games, smooth controls and pleasing graphics.”
“Has a vibrant cyberpunk-ish pixel art style filled with references.”
“I love the aesthetic and the gameplay.”
- stability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report minor visual glitches and slow level loading, others experience significant issues such as unresponsive gameplay and freezing. Despite these problems, many users find that the game runs smoothly without lag during play.
“Levels load a little slowly, but the game runs great and doesn't lag at all.”
“The game is incredibly stable; I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs.”
“Performance is solid throughout, providing a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.”
“Even worse, the gameplay experience is marred by numerous issues, from bugs and glitches to unbalanced mechanics.”
“I finished every run by stopping the process with task manager because the game simply wouldn't respond whether I won or not. If it is minimized for too long, it freezes completely. Some elements seem to be made without any thought put into them; for example, the second map is pretty much impossible to complete with rockets, and the translation is, at best, okay.”
“There are some visual glitches, but those have yet to impede my playtime.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy tunes and amusing parodies, featuring numerous homages to other classic games. Reviewers highlight the quality of the sound effects and stage soundtracks, noting that they enhance the overall experience with smooth controls and pleasing graphics.
“Catchy music and sounds, amusing parodies, lots of homage and references to other great games, smooth controls, and pleasing graphics.”
“I think the soundtrack for the stages is done well.”
“Good soundtrack.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability through its accessible "pick up and play" mechanics, featuring unlockable characters and upgrades, as well as three distinct main levels to explore.
“This game is not as grossly complex as some of the other top-down horde shooters, but it offers a lot of 'pick up and play' replay value.”
“Unlockable characters and unlockable upgrades (soul codes) add to the replayability.”
“Replayability: there are 3 different main levels to choose from.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its cleverness and the amusing interactions, such as the funny moments with the pelican. However, some find certain elements, like the first boss's laughter, to be grating and repetitive. Overall, the humor complements the game's strong art direction and encourages replayability through diverse character and weapon combinations.
“And you can walk off the map behind the pelican, it's quite funny!”
“The art direction is amazing, the humor is just right, and the selection of perks, characters, weapons, and their combinations are outstanding and makes me want to try multiple runs with different setups.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is negatively impacted by frustrating mechanics, such as inconsistent hitboxes for projectiles, which can lead to feelings of unfairness and annoyance among players.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While players have reported performance issues, the developers are actively addressing these concerns with frequent patches and are responsive to community feedback through discussions and Discord.
“The developers are highly responsive to performance issues, frequently patching the game multiple times a day to address concerns.”
“I appreciate how the devs actively engage with the community on discussions and Discord, ensuring that optimization is a top priority.”
“Despite some initial performance hiccups, the ongoing updates and optimizations have significantly improved the gameplay experience.”
“There are some performance issues, but the developers are responsive in both the discussions and Discord, and they keep patching the game (sometimes multiple times a day) to fix issues.”
“The game suffers from significant optimization problems, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
“Despite the frequent updates, the optimization remains a major concern, as the game often struggles to run smoothly even on high-end hardware.”
