A game with a lot of potential bogged down by a plethora of bugs and atrocious dialogue & voice acting. Playable but far from enjoyable.
Get on SteamXEL is a 3D action-adventure game set in a sci-fi fantasy world, where you play as Reid, a shipwrecked stranger suffering from memory loss. Explore the mysterious world of XEL, uncover its dark past, and fight enemies while solving challenging puzzles. By purchasing the Save the World Edition, 10% of the proceeds will be donated to Sea Watch to help refugees at sea.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style and interesting character design, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- Exploration and environmental puzzles are rewarding, providing a sense of accomplishment despite the game's flaws.
- The combat, while simple, can be enjoyable, and the story has moments that draw players in.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
- Controls are unresponsive and poorly designed, particularly for keyboard and mouse users, making combat and navigation cumbersome.
- The overall gameplay lacks innovation and depth, often feeling repetitive and uninspired.
- gameplay42 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it feels generic and unfinished, particularly in areas like crafting and character development. While some mechanics, such as puzzles and exploration, show promise, they are often undermined by bugs, poor design choices, and a lack of depth. Despite these criticisms, there are positive aspects, including charming visuals and solid core mechanics, but overall, the gameplay experience is marred by inconsistencies and a lack of polish.
“I like the gameplay and the principle: easy to learn and hard to master.”
“Charming presentation, intriguing story, and solid old-school gameplay.”
“The game has a lot of positive qualities, including the good voice acting, good dialogue (for the main characters), and decent Metroidvania mechanics.”
“So many things feel unfinished: the crafting, some sort of character development more than gathering max HP and gadgets, active quest tracker/quest log, some gameplay mechanics had more potential.”
“- a crafting system that really doesn't add much to the gameplay.”
“But all the poor gameplay designs make it a chore to play and a bit boring.”
- story33 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story is generally regarded as charming and engaging, with intriguing worldbuilding and decent lore, though it suffers from repetitiveness and some unfinished elements. Players appreciate the character development and voice acting, but find the dialogue can be tedious and the reliance on collectibles for story progression frustrating. Overall, while the narrative has its flaws, it manages to entertain and keep players invested in the characters and their journey.
“Its a cute game, with enough content to be easily 10-12 hours entertained, the story is okay, but the underlying worldbuilding is intriguing.”
“Charming presentation, intriguing story, and solid old-school gameplay.”
“It has good voice acting, a fun-looking environment, and provides players with puzzles to solve as they progress through the story.”
“The story has some decent lore about the world you move in, but it's so empty and most of the time you move back and forth among biomes, which feels repetitive. While there are some puzzles to solve for loot to upgrade your weapons and tools, once you upgrade everything, there isn't much left to do except finish the game.”
“So many things feel unfinished: the crafting, character development beyond just gathering max HP and gadgets, and the lack of an active quest tracker or quest log. Some gameplay mechanics had more potential.”
“The plot is all right, but the dialogue, especially Reid's, requires a lot of patience.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a charming cartoonish art style that many players find aesthetically pleasing, with some praising the overall visual design and fitting music. However, technical issues such as inconsistent texture loading, poor frame rates in busy scenes, and hitbox discrepancies detract from the visual experience, leaving some players disappointed despite the appealing art direction.
“I like the cartoonish art style.”
“Art style is fantastic.”
“Nice art style.”
“For whatever reason, I need to set the resolution to 4K at 60 FPS to see a change in graphics settings.”
“Unity's in-built VSync is pretty bad; it's better handled by the graphics driver/monitor.”
“Frame rate struggles in busy scenes, gameplay and cinematic bugs undercut the game's potential, textures fail to load consistently, marring the visuals.”
- stability17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues that may require players to reload saves. While some players find humor in the lighter glitches, many report that the technical problems significantly detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and even early quitting. Overall, the lack of updates has left the game feeling unstable and unrefined.
“I found it to be so buggy I quit within a half an hour.”
“However, technical glitches in the Switch version make it difficult to enjoy at launch.”
“But the biggest issue with the game is the fact that it has bugs and glitches that force players to replay already uninteresting sections of a level.”
- music8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its pleasant atmosphere and fitting sound design, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the music's ability to complement the art style and voice acting, contributing to the game's immersive world-building. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong asset, adding depth to the gameplay.
“It has a nice atmosphere, pleasant music, and an interesting concept.”
“The art style is very cool, the voice acting is good, and the music is very fitting.”
“At a glance, the world building looks great, the isometric style is great, and the music and sound design are wonderful as well.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally well-received, with users noting that performance on both Switch and PC is comparable, even on older hardware. Players are advised to manage their expectations, as the experience may be more enjoyable if not compared to high-profile titles like Wukong or Elden Ring.
“The performance on my old PC is really good.”
“I have this on Switch and PC, and the performances are nearly the same.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be engaging, as the exploration and environmental puzzles provide a rewarding experience that mitigates the simplicity of combat and control issues. The enjoyable story and character development further motivate players to persist through the grind.
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game features amusing bugs and glitches that can provide comedic moments, these same issues can also lead to frustrating experiences, occasionally requiring a reload of saved progress.
“The game is filled with hilarious bugs and glitches that add an unexpected layer of humor, even if some of them can be frustrating enough to make you reload your save.”
“The humor in the game shines through its quirky bugs and glitches, providing a mix of laughter and occasional annoyance.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its enjoyable atmosphere, complemented by pleasant music and a captivating concept, creating an engaging overall experience.
“It has a nice atmosphere, pleasant music, and an interesting concept.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is perceived as lacking depth, with players expressing disappointment over the limited progression options that primarily focus on increasing health and gadgets rather than offering a more robust and engaging growth system. Many feel that the potential for richer character development remains untapped, contributing to an overall sense of incompleteness in the gameplay experience.
“So many things feel unfinished: the crafting, some sort of character development more than just gathering max HP and gadgets, an active quest tracker/quest log, and some gameplay mechanics had more potential.”
