Xotic

anyone who thinks video games have felt the same just better graphics since the 360 & ps3 came out should play this because it is quite possibly the most 2011-ass shooter to ever exist.

Thats a funny game and not comparable to any similar existing, sure worth playing if you like this type, pass the tutorial and go acting fast in ever mode you choose but it gives fun to achieve your goals and compare yourself with the board. Perk-up your character and stay alive, I played the story mode and had a 4 hours entertainment so as nearly grabbed half of the achievements but one can do much more to stay with the ball.

I just think this isn't a game for me. I found the play-field extremely cluttered and it was hard to discern what was what (played in 4K). Admittedly, I only played about 10 levels..so maybe things improve, but somehow I think the core game play will remain the same throughout.

The controls feel a little sluggish and weapons provide almost no feedback.

If you want to be constantly shooting at everything on screen and rushed to collect everything, than this is your game. If you are looking for a good FPS...maybe look elsewhere.

I really love this game, even though it can be a little buggy sometimes. Still waiting for the dlc... or remaster :P

Gameplay

The game mostly plays like a traditional First Person Shooter, where the screen is your field of view, with a small proportion of it at the bottom taken up by your weapon (the symbiotic Macroterra bug), and an area at the top of the screen is your H.U.D.. You move around the maze with the usual combination of WASD (PC version) with additional actions using the Space and Tab keys... As is customary now, the game uses mouselook, and the mouse buttons fire your primary and secondary weapons... the scroll wheel is also used to change between different fire modes, and unusually, scrolling up changes the primary by looping through the available attacks, and scrolling down changes the secondary. For me, this took a little bit of getting used to, although I tended to stick with the same attacks.

Where xotic differs from other FPS games however, is the emphasis on scoring points, collecting multipliers, beating the clock and getting a High Score on each level... there are lots of ways to ramp up the points too, with bonuses for killing enemies while in mid-air... collecting Orb essence in mid-air... racking up long chains of scab plant kills.. etc. It also feels like a 3d platform game, as a lot of the time you will be jumping either between objects, or onto platforms that you create.

Another main difference is that enemies are a lot less frequent than in most FPS games, with maybe a dozen or so on each level, in varying combinations of moving humanoid enemies and static gun emplacements. There are also some nasty crawling insects that spawn from hard to spot dirt-heaps. Therefore the main focus of play is in shooting the scab plants, collecting the orb essence and killing the orb brains in the time, though all the enemies need to be killed in order to complete the level, and this can be done regardless of what proportion of the other goals you have completed.

The focus on collecting points over killing enemies makes the game feel a bit more casual for a First Person Shooter, however the time pressure and level design definitely doesn't make it an easy game.

Graphics and Sound

While not the best FPS game graphics I've seen, Xotic certainly has a very distinctive and rather lush graphical style that seems to fit the game rather well... there's also an interesting contrast between the background, which is a decaying technological world, and the bright colours of the plants that you release by shooting the scabs.

The Macroterra weapon is very cool looking, and has some neat animations when you are firing, jumping etc. It does lack the variety of having different weapons that you can change between, like in other FPS games, though the variety of attack types is not lacking, with a total of 8 different primary and secondary weapons.

The sound is well done, with some really nice sounds effects for shooting, scoring points, killing enemies etc. While the background music is good, without being either particularly memorable, or too intrusive... it fits in really well with the game and adds to the atmosphere without being distracting in any way.

Duration and Replayability

I completed the campaign mode in the base game, on easy difficultly, in about 5 hours, which may not sound like much, but is pretty good for the price. There are also 3 other game modes on each level, which are Scab Attack, Essence Attack and Brain Attack, where you concentrate on one type of goal.

There are 3 difficulty levels, which affects how much time you have to complete the level, and in addition to that, on each level you earn a star rating out of 5 for how well you performed, so if you are a completionist, then you can spend a lot more time trying to perfect each level. I have managed 5 stars on maybe 60%+ of the levels so far, on easy difficulty.

I can see myself dipping into this game occasionally, given the nature of the levels and the slightly casual feel to the game, I see it as a good FPS game to 'relax' with.

Really enjoyed this game. It was bright, fun and the controls were all easy. It was quite surreal and got away from many of the pitfalls of first person shooter games. It looks like a FPS, but its way more than simple point and shoot. There is a classic retro 80's gaming feel to the look of the game, with interface sensitivities closer to our time period. I would love to see an xotic 2 one day.

This game "Xotic" (pronounced exotic), although I continually call it zotic for some unknown reason, is a splendid blend of bejeweled meets unreal tournament. The focus here is on scoring and making the most of the multiplyers within each of the many differing score attack levels there are in the game. Usually, there are 3 goals to complete to attain a perfect 5 star rating for your actions during gameplay. Those goals are: gathering all the essence, eliminating all the scabs, and finding all the brains. Essence is a colorful diamond type figure dotted around the levels and can be acquired by running through them. The scabs are red rooted circles in the ground that you must shoot consecutively to form chains which increase your point scoring potential. Finally, the brains are mysterious objects that float and explode once shot and resemble a fireworks effect that is usually fairly awe inspiring. There are also essence, brain, and scab attack modes that challenge the player to complete the level in the quickest time possible. The scoring system for all phases of the game is superb, as well as the leaderboard system. Although this is a challenging game, its a breakthru product as far as first person shooter scoring games go.

I got confused and stuck pretty quickly into the game. I found the whole time-attack nature of the game stressful and unpleasant. It probably gets better with practice and progress but if you think this is just an indie FPS with pretty graphics, you shold check your expectations.

It's a strange game. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. I love it more for the style (weird, alien, different). Otherwise, its mainly a confusing score-based shooting game. I could see it being more fun if I had more friends to compete with and replays to watch from top scorers. Other than that, there's really no huge encouragement to learn this somewhat deep system.

Grab it if you want something extremely different in the FPS genre. Otherwise stick with your Half Life's and Call of Duty's.

This game reminds me a lot of Sanctum for some reason; not cutting edge, but superbly finished, and extremely playable. There isn't much you can say about it, other than buy it! It's not going to change your world, but it certainly is a game you can visit again and again when you have a moment to spare.

This is slightly less a FPS than a time-trial racing game that happens to have the occasional mobile enemy and ranks of power-ups to shoot, grab and chain-react together. I found the controls to be floaty and the game less than exciting, but I'm the sort of person who never got within fifteen minutes of par on Wolf3D maps.

Not so much an FPS as it is an arcade style score-fest played in the first person...with shooting. There isn't really any story or danger, just sets of stuff to shoot and points to acrue by shooting said stuff. Not bad if you're feeling like honing your skills in a noncompetitive environment.

Like any good arcade game, it doesn't take very long to get used to the game mechanics but it DOES take a decent amount of skill to rack up high scores. There are rewards for being attentive and thorough and awards for being fast as possible, but to earn the most points you'll have to do both. On the highest difficulty it can get quite challenging to survive the combat levels, but if you're easily frustrated or just like looking around, on easy difficulty you can focus purely on exploring and getting 100% on every level.

An interesting twist on the FPS genre, Xotic introduces some new mechanics that reward observation and timing over run and gun tactics. For those who enjoy a solid FPS challenge, with an emphasis on tactics and creativity, Xotic is a rewardlng gameplay experience. 4.0/5 Stars.

Very nice. Very relaxing. Its like an Unreal-setting, smooth ambient music and sounds, you have a gun you can upgrade and your avatar. You try to get as high score as possible.

You get bonuses by triggering chain reactions. This is pew pew-The Game.

I'm looking foward to a sequel!

An enjoyable little first-person puzzle/shooter/collection game. There are other aliens to shoot, geometric "brains" to shoot, crystals to collect, red plant "scabs" to explode that allow the native plant life to grow and pop out bonuses (they explode in a chain, and keeping the chain going is even better), hard hologram platforms to lay down to let you reach out-of-the-way places and experience points to collect and upgrades to select.

It's not just completing the levels, but completing them WELL. It means being thorough, fast but making sure not to get hit. I found my best runs were to go and take care of the aliens and turrets and mop up at leisure.

Slick and well-done. Would love a good DLC for it with more levels and upgrades :)

Pretty game with nice locations, weapons & upgrades.
Game made to challenge you @ ALL levels.
Cool that you can use a controller but i find it tad unresposive, too slow for aiming & BEST played with a KB/M.
Initially i was gonna get it @ full price but was short on cash.
Game is worth full price but if in need of a drop you definitely can NOT complain @ 5$ or less.
Support this dev team cause i bet you they'll be making more cool stuff.
I give the game about a 75-80/100 mainly cause it is original & a steal deal if you want something new.I would rate it higher but ther are a few flaws & seriously, this game is worth every penny ifn ur a penny pincher like me.

A really entertaining shooter with an arcade approach. The game combines aspects of Shooting Galleries, Speed Running and Platforming. The usual issues of platforming in 3D/FPS are handled quite nicely by the "Hard Hologram Technology" that allows you to summon a platform right beneath your feet for a meager energy cost. Collect awesome powerups, fight interesting enemies and upgrade your weapons and abilities over multiple regions full of levels. The graphics and music round this out with a really vibrant and fun presentation, full of color and interesting art design. Also the developer support for the game has to be mentioned. They listen to their audience and are constantly tweaking and improving the game at every level, from options and technical issues to the gameplay and maps.

A sci-fi first person shooter that puts your skill to the test. A game that requires finesse, patience and lots of skill to jump, shoot and collect points as you work your way up the leaderboards.

Although the game itself is not very long, you will spend a lot more time trying to improve your score. A very addicting game that has made me struggle to be #1 on the global leaderboard and I have finally achieved it!

This is what happens when you let creative people be. shit gets weird. Your a very wierd lil alien dood with leaves growing out of him with a giant fly that u have your hand up its ass thats actually a gun, aaaand u can shit solid hovering holograms.

On top of this there is this huge orb thing that basicly destroys planets, and you and your fly are going to go kick his teeth in.

riiiight..

I'm still not really sure what to make of xotic, i am although constantly finding myself enjoying it.
I can see where the developers are coming from after watching the videos on the game store page, they wanted the 80s arcade shooter feel focusing on time, points and a chain scoring system. And to be honest they did that quite well, the game play mechanics are very solid although i would probably feel more pumped during levels with better more spacey (ala super stardust) music going on.

8.3 for me. (yes i know thats quite high, im shocked too)