XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION
- November 12, 2024
- FLARB LLC
Get on Steam"Xenotilt: Hostile Pinball Action" is a fast-paced pinball game set in a sci-fi universe. Players must navigate through hostile environments, battling enemies and bosses using pinball mechanics. With various tables, upgrades, and abilities, it offers a unique twist on traditional pinball gameplay.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- XENOTILT is a visually stunning and chaotic pinball experience that builds on the success of Demon's Tilt, offering more mechanics and depth.
- The gameplay is fast-paced and engaging, with new features like turret mechanics and a matrix lock system that enhance the overall experience.
- The soundtrack and sound design are excellent, contributing to the immersive and energetic atmosphere of the game.
- The game can be visually overwhelming at times, making it difficult to track the ball amidst the chaos on screen.
- Some players have reported issues with the camera not following the ball quickly enough, leading to frustrating moments.
- There is a lack of comprehensive tutorials or explanations for new players, which can make the learning curve steep and confusing.
- gameplay81 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this title is praised for its innovative mechanics and depth, offering a blend of traditional pinball elements with fast-paced, arcade-style action. Players appreciate the variety of gameplay options, customization features, and the engaging, chaotic nature of the mechanics, which include shooting and unique scoring systems. While some find the learning curve steep and the tilt mechanics less consistent than its predecessor, the overall experience is described as visually stunning and highly enjoyable, making it a standout in the pinball genre.
“The gameplay has even more variety than before, as well as freedom to customize the scoring to your playstyle with the matrix lock.”
“The graphics, sounds, music, and insane amount of targets, features, and gameplay loops make this quite possibly the best pinball game on the PC.”
“I've had a few performance problems with this game and generally have found the tilt mechanics less consistent (they worked everywhere in the other game, and only in specific places in this one) and the board and callouts more difficult to interpret, so I recommend anyone debating between the two play Demon's Tilt first both to learn and explore the mechanics they have in common and for a generally more stable, complete experience, however I do enjoy this one!”
“One of the core mechanics of the game involves utilizing a catch, so not being able to do this easily is very frustrating.”
“It takes everything great about pinball and cranks it up into absolute face-melting gameplay with a ton of replayability.”
- music59 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its engaging and retro-inspired soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience with its vibrant and thematic compositions. While many players appreciate the quality and artistic integration of the music, some express a desire for a larger soundtrack and have noted issues with sound mixing, particularly with voice clarity during intense gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and atmosphere.
“The music and art alone make this a moving work of art, worth having in your library.”
“Music is awesome (waiting for that soundtrack to be released), the audio in general fits the vibes and everything that goes on in the game so well.”
“They nailed the 16-bit Mega Drive feel and what an amazing soundtrack.”
“My only complaint is that I wish there was a larger soundtrack.”
“The sound mixing is still strange; the announcer still sounds like you're hearing someone with a strange accent or lisp talk to you through a 2-way radio; clear enough without music but often garbled and lost when the soundtrack is really pumping.”
“It's worse than Demon's Tilt in every aspect -- soundtrack, table design, visuals, ball physics.”
- graphics54 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in this pinball game are widely praised for their vibrant visuals, intricate designs, and immersive aesthetics, creating a captivating experience that enhances gameplay. While many players appreciate the stylish art direction and detailed animations, some note that the busy visuals can occasionally obscure gameplay elements, making it challenging to track the ball. Overall, the combination of stunning graphics and engaging soundtracks contributes to a highly enjoyable virtual pinball experience.
“Amazing visuals, sound effects, and overall virtual pinball experience only rivaled by the feeling of physical tables.”
“The graphics are beautiful; the presentation is filled with small details, and every tier of the table feels like a living organism with endless moving parts - this is something I feel Xenotilt, if anything else, truly succeeded at: creating a living, breathing (and, of course, beautiful) pinball machine.”
“Its vibrant visuals and immersive soundscapes create an otherworldly experience that keeps me enchanted for hours on end.”
“It does take a while to adjust to the crowded graphics, but I found turning on scanlines and messing with the settings a little alleviated that.”
“The graphics can get rather busy a bit too often, making it hard to see the ball, and the ball trail is no help. It's kind of ugly and does not really match the rest of the aesthetic.”
“This just was annoying from the start where in the main menu you can't change any graphics settings before entering a game.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is highly praised for its replayability, featuring excellent pinball action, diverse subgames, and a well-designed three-layer table that encourages repeated play. Players appreciate the variety of mechanics and the opportunity for self-improvement and leaderboard competition, enhancing the overall replay value.
“Brilliantly designed and super replayable with awesome aesthetics.”
“A lot of new mechanics -- and as per usual the replayability for self-improvement and climbing the global leaderboards is still there.”
“A lot of new mechanics -- and as per usual, the replayability for self-improvement and climbing the global leaderboards is still there.”
“It takes everything great about pinball and cranks it up into absolute face-melting gameplay with a ton of replayability.”
“As others have said, this game manages to expand on Demon's Tilt in many ways, from sound design to game objectives to even replayability.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while it runs smoothly on the Steam Deck and is visually appealing with numerous effects, some users have experienced performance issues and inconsistent mechanics. The game appears to demand more graphics power, which may affect performance on lower-end systems, but options to reduce effects are available for those needing better performance.
“Everything else is great, it even runs smoothly on the deck while still being clearly readable, despite the lower resolution screen.”
“It runs smoothly on the deck and I had no issue whatsoever.”
“The game is also a ton prettier with loads more effects going off (though these can be turned off for lower performance rigs) along with the new weapons system, which can be used to both clear up the table of enemies as well as reset your tilt meter while keeping your hit combo active.”
“I've had a few performance problems with this game and generally have found the tilt mechanics less consistent. They worked everywhere in the other game, and only in specific places in this one. I recommend anyone debating between the two play Demon's Tilt first, both to learn and explore the mechanics they have in common and for a generally more stable, complete experience.”
“Performance-wise, this game seems to require more graphics power to run.”
“The game is also a ton prettier with loads more effects going off (though these can be turned off for lower performance rigs), along with the new weapons system, which can be used to both clear up the table of enemies as well as reset your tilt meter while keeping your hit combo active.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, including frequent freezes, black screens, and bugs affecting gameplay elements like leaderboards and menu functionality. Users report that these problems can disrupt the experience, requiring reinstallation to resolve some issues. Overall, while the core gameplay is enjoyable, the technical stability leaves much to be desired.
“Edit: Now the screen just turns black and freezes up when I open it sometimes, and I just have to reinstall.”
“Great pinball but still buggy: your leaderboards are not working, also menu buttons, ball focus sometimes failing, sometimes the ball gets stuck forever, and sometimes it is fired out of the table.”
- story2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The story of this pinball table revolves around a three-tiered board where players complete missions and defeat bosses to achieve high scores. Players can pursue various quests to earn 'wizard' points and can replay them in different sequences for additional scoring opportunities.
“The story unfolds beautifully across the three tiers of the pinball table, with each level presenting unique missions and challenging bosses that keep you engaged.”
“Completing all the protocols and quests not only enhances the gameplay but also adds depth to the narrative, allowing players to earn 'wizard' points and experience the story in different ways.”
“The ability to loop quests in various orders adds a layer of replayability to the story, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Character development is minimal, leaving the player with little emotional investment in the outcomes.”
“The quests are repetitive and fail to build a compelling storyline, resulting in a dull experience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting that it exceeds expectations and creates an engaging and immersive experience, likening it to an adventurous journey into space filled with excitement.
“Knocked it out of the park so far; it left the atmosphere and found some angry space monsters to play with.”
