It doesn’t look like the Metroid series is going to get another official entry any time soon. (EDIT: Since this post, Metroid Samus Returns came out. review here) I say official because there are many Metroid style games out there and Xeodrifter is one of them. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing but I have to point out the obvious inspiration.
Xeodrifter has some clever mechanics and much like Renegade Kid’s Atooi’s previous title Mutant Mudds it takes advantage of the 3D on Nintendo’s handheld not just for the visuals but as a gameplay mechanic as well. You start out journeying through space when all of a sudden you collide with an asteroid scattering your ship’s power core between four worlds. As you probably guessed, it’s up to you to scour every inch of each world to find all your power core pieces so you can finish whatever journey you were taking. You start out with basic movement, jumping, and shooting with no ammo limit—so feel free to shoot until your pixelated heart is content.
Four worlds doesn’t sound like a lot but you’ll be revisiting each one multiple times as you play through the story, because even though you can travel to all of the worlds at the start of the game, you won’t be able to get very far since majority of each world is locked off to you. These areas will only open up as you gain new abilities by beating bosses and unlocking upgrades. Each boss grants you a new skill like teleporting between the foreground and background or having the ability to turn into a submarine and explore the watery depths. You won’t find much variety in the bosses you encounter since it’s the same boss each time, but they do all have different abilities and attack patterns. Luckily Renegade Kid’s Atooi managed to switch it up just enough to make the repetitive encounters not feel dull and cheap and I found myself really wanting to beat him again and again. With each encounter the boss progressively gains more HP and forces you to use your abilities in tandem to guarantee success, but don’t be surprised if it takes a few attempts to bring him down. To help ease your defeat, there is a checkpoint and HP replenishing system before each battle so losing doesn’t mean starting the entire level over. I like the weapon upgrade system in Xeodrifter. Instead of gaining new weapons tied to one or two abilities you find upgrade units for your sole gun scattered throughout each world which you use these to upgrade five different properties whichever way you like. This style upgrade system allows you to mix and match different combinations in order to find a weapon style that suits you at any time. I favored spreading my upgrade units between “rapid fire” and “higher damage”, but you may find a different combination that works for you.
So do I think you should get this game? Sure! Especially if you’re into Metroid style gameplay and if you’ve never played a Metroid title but want a fun action/adventure platformer you can’t go wrong with Xeodrifter. The overall campaign length is on the short side, about a few hours, but there is a lot to love and a lot more hidden passages to discover and upgrade units to find and equip. You’ll likely find yourself revisiting these four planets time and time again. It’s a game that reminds me why I fell in love with games.
