Xenowerk is rated 12+ on the App Store for Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence, Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence, Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes, and Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes. The rating is warranted. There’s green blood pooling on the cold linoleum of the hospital floors after your munitions mutilate the mutants. There’s some humor poking fun at corporate workplaces in the backgrounds of the game. Keep your eyes peeled to find funny details. The story consists of a few cut-scenes in the lobby. I’d say Xenowerk is less frightening than most PG-13 monster films. The movie Tremors has a similar amount of fake blood. Xenowerk's scariest sounds are gun sound effects, explosion effects, and the bodies do disappear. Once again, you can see the video to get your own opinion on the violence in the game. I’d say if you and your kids can handle a PG-13 monster flick with blood in it (like Tremors, Gremlins 2, or Alien vs. Predator) you can probably handle Xenowerk.
Review:
Remember those flash games where you’d spy from the sky a lone gunman surviving a zombie apocalypse or dinosaur invasion? The only things between your little cartoon character’s victory or demise were a few guns, two sticks to control him, and your ability to spot danger. Xenowerk is a top-notch successor to the genre. The graphics are smooth, the weapons have unique effects (some of them), and the game compacts the levels down so you won’t miss work. Well, probably won’t miss work if you set an alarm to remind yourself not to play the next level. Yeah, bite-sized doesn’t mean you won’t scarf down an entire meal by accident. Plus, no lousy internet will interrupt your gaming. Xenowerk has clean animations, the mini-map is amazingly functional, and the sound effects will keep your ears peeled for danger around the corner. If you can hear anything over the staccato drumming of your bullets striking mutant flesh. The music is background music without too much emphasis. I barely remember any music unless I focus on it. Xenowerk delivers on fast-paced, top-down, dual stick shooting action. It streamlines the experience and gives the player the option to purchase powerups and new weapons. Alongside the main draw of the mechanics, Xenowerk manages to include a nominal story between missions. The missions are re-playable and continue to increase in difficulty. Can you defeat your previous time or find the perfect strategy for a continuous killstreak? Defeat your previous scores and your Gamecenter friends’ for bragging rights. I recommend playing Xenowerk when you are ready for some pulse-pounding action with a bit of strategy.
Time: Xenowerk isn’t energy-based, and you can play as much as you want.
Pros and Cons: Xenowerk is fast to teach you the basics with a short tutorial and simple gameplay. Your powers and options expand as you gear up with better equipment. The strategy and tension of when and where to shoot are what make the game fun and trying to beat your old score for the three radiation symbols will keep you playing Xenowerk. If you want a fast-paced action shooter with a top-down view, then Xenowerk scratches the itch. There’s a reason this game is an editor’s choice pick. It’s extremely well put together. The only nitpicks I have are the camera and the powerup wheel selection. As a touchscreen game, the powerup wheel makes sense, but it takes precious time to select it. It could be the difference between sweet victory and death in the middle of combat to move your index finger away from your gun, and then need to tap on the power you want to activate. The camera is similar. I think they were trying to make it difficult to see around corners to add suspense to the game. The mini-map has your back though! Generally, point your gun in the direction of red dots on the mini-map and you’ll be fine without resetting the camera. It’ll take time to build up your heroine, unlock equipment, and reach for greater rewards. Thankfully, you’ll enjoy every minute. As long as you don’t get lost as much as I do. Yeah, commentary is hard to combine with map awareness when recording.
Overall Impression: If you love shooting games, action, top-down third-person views in games, or simply well-made games, then Xenowerk is in the App Store waiting for you! If you don’t enjoy pay-to-play games, shooters, mutants, blood, or top-down shooters, then Xenowerk may not be for you.
Tips:
- When in doubt, shoot until the heatsink appears – Xenowerk’s penalty for shooting too much is a cooldown on your gun. As soon as the overheat bar appears, switch guns. This cuts down the wait time for your gun to cool and lets you fire blindly until you are comfortable with a deserted mini-map. Although, you could just wait and see if there are any doors leading to the next area before shooting. The doors enforce separation of combatants and waves of mutants.
- Keep your distance– Episode 2 of my Xenowerk Let’s Play has some great examples. Some of the mutants in Xenowerk can kill with one hit. You can see it happen to me tomorrow. The shotgun is mostly for firing in a cone. You really don’t want to get close to your enemies. Especially if you forget about the explosive background objects. Usually, they are green or red vending machines, oxygen tanks, or radioactive waste bins. Spray and pray while running is generally the best strategy. This will also give you time to activate the speed or healing power-ups before the mutants close with you.
- Don’t waste money on power-ups – The starting equipment is quickly outclassed in Xenowerk. Power-ups at the start of levels will take a significant chunk of change when you are starting out. Save your money for big guns like the ricochet. Once you have some decent armament, consider getting power-ups for tough levels.
I hope the review and tips help you out, dear reader! Time to make some money in Xenowerk, you merc!
Links: The App Store link is at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/xenowerk/id969447496?mt=8.
Disclaimer: I’m not being paid by Pixelbite or anyone else to write these tips. The only money I could make would be through advertising on this site or on YouTube at this point in time. I don't take responsibility for the content on sites linked to from this article.
by Brian Petrilli AKA Jalinon