Xyanide

"Not a masterpiece, but still a good game"

If you're a shmup fan (that's shoot-‘em-up) then all you need to know is that another shmup has been released and chances are you'll buy it. For those who aren't diehard fans of the genre, Xyanide is still worth checking out.

Xyanide is a weird game, there is no denying that. However that is where part of the appeal of it comes from. The game begins with a prisoner sent into space, with you as the executioner sent to escort her. Needless to say, she escapes and tries to wreak havoc with the universe, starting with you. She has the ability to create worlds with her mind, and you must fly through her creations to stop her once and for all. Shmups are not known for having plots with any kind of depth (even the two recent ones, Gradius V and R-Type Final, had very little plot development compared to other games), but Xyanide does have one and the developers do a more-than-decent job of explaining it using inter-level cut-scenes, all of which can be skipped if you are so inclined.

Gameplay wise, Xyanide consists of six bizarre worlds of tunnels, alien structures, and massive chambers filled with enemies. While it is technically a 3D game, it plays like a 2D horizontal shooter. While enemies can approach (or even stay) in the background, you are stuck in the foreground, only able to move around the screen on two axis. Most of the shooting will be done on the 2D foreground plane as well and your guns automatically adjust for firing on enemies in the background.

The levels are entirely 3D, and many of the tunnels have branches which you can go through simply by being near as your ship flies into a fork in the path. The paths all have different enemies and powerups in them; some paths are practically deserted and others are swarming with enemies. Each level has a mid-boss, which – while not necessarily dangerous - is very hard to destroy in the limited time you have and is a great challenge for those trying for a high score. The mid-bosses are generally ships or other types of large transports that have tons of guns, launching bays, and weak spots that all have to be taken out. You don't have to destroy the mid-bosses, but you get a lot of points for it and it is quite satisfying. If you don't destroy it fast enough you'll eventually just fly off in a different direction than it and not see it again.

Each level also has an end boss, which you also have a limited amount of time, however if you don't destroy it in time, you get a game over. The end bosses are large, stationary power centers with a shielded core. In order to get to the cores you have to destroy whatever is protecting it – from barriers to shield emitters to massive guns. All boss fights are challenging since not only does it take a lot of time to destroy the core, but you also have to fight off all of the small fighters guarding it.

The levels are long – very long. While one would normally assume that longer levels are good, Xyanide levels are almost too long. There is also no substantial way of telling you how much longer you have to go, and combined with the multiple paths, you are sometimes left wondering if you are going anywhere or just flying in circles.

The minor issue of exceptionally long levels is compounded by the fact that they levels lack originality. The levels are certainly original compared to other games since they are created by the will of a sadistic mind, however there is not much variety between them. Even though you have more than enough enemies to keep you occupied, the endless series of tunnels and rail systems gets stale long before the game ends. It will take well over the typical hour to an hour and a half to finish that is standard for a shmup, which is a very long time since you can't save in game.
In addition to repetitive levels, there isn't much variety among the enemies. There are only a couple of weak enemies, a few heavy cruisers in addition to the bosses. There is a lot of variety in the attack formation, with a nice mixture of light and heavy enemies coming at you from different directions.

The game controls like many other Xbox games – you use one analog stick to control your ship and the other to aim your weapon. Aiming and firing are controlled by the same system – whatever direction you press the stick fires your weapon in that direction.

You have quite a number of weapons to choose from, including two primary weapons, secondary weapons, and a super weapon. Your two choices for primary weapons are a weaker spread gun and a powerful single directional gun. Fortunately most enemies fall into either the strong-but-slow[er] or quick-but-weak categories so your choice of weapon is obvious. Unfortunately you often fight enemies from both categories at the same time so you will have to alternate between weapons constantly (which you can do at the touch of a button).

Your secondary weapon is a set of very difficult to use homing missiles. When you hold down the button a targeting cursor appears, which you position over your target and release. Sounds easy, however it takes a short while for the missiles to load and you can't fire your other weapons in the meantime. It is enough to keep you on your toes at all times. Your super weapon is a standard mega-crush style weapon that hits everything on screen at once, though it does not work on enemies in the background (which includes every mid and final boss in the game). There are also an assortment of strength boosters, shield, and other typical powerups throughout the game.

Xyanide is quite difficult, but that should be expected from a shmup. Even at the normal difficultly people new to the game will be challenged. The differences between difficulty settings is subtle, generally just the basic more enemies that move faster, fire more, and take more damage. The difference is also quite substantial as even if you have mastered the default difficulty, you will still have a hard time on the higher settings.

What really makes the game fun is co-op play, which is handled like it would have been if it were an arcade game. A second player can join in at any time by simply pressing start on their controller. While there is no Live! play, there is an online score board which lets you compete against other players around the world.

Even for a fan of the genre, it can be hard to get into the game. The controls take a fair amount of getting used, your ship's heads-up-display makes little sense, and you have no idea what the powerups are doing. However, after a couple of plays through you begin to understand what is going on, and once you've mastered using two analog sticks at once the game is a lot of fun. This should only take 30 minuets to an hour to happen.

The length of the game combined with the lack of variety can make the game seem to drag on for much longer than it actually does. However, it is still fast paced when you're fighting and not navigating through the level (which is most of the time) and a challenge for both new and veteran shmup gamers. Had the game cost $50 it wouldn't be worth the purchase, but since it was released for $20 you might as well give it a try if you are at all interested in the genre.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/06