From 2BAD Games, which I’m hoping isn’t a indicator of the quality of game, is 3XTINCTION, a new twin stick shooter.
Slightly dodgy name aside, what we have here is a cross between a shooter and a light RPG, in a way. Can these two genres co-exist, or will it all end in tears? Let’s go shoot some infected…
Now, the story of the game is the usual kind of throwaway nonsense that we find in this genre. After a series of experiments on spiders went wrong, there has been an outbreak of infected people, who resemble zombies, as well as a host of giant mutated spiders running about the place. This is not a game for arachnophobes, but the traditional response to any kind of outbreak is to grab the nearest gun and start shooting, and this is perfectly captured here.
Presentation of 3XTINCTION is pretty straightforward. The whole game is viewed from a top-down perspective, like straight down – none of this isometric nonsense here. As a result, we see the top of our character’s head, and their arms, and pretty much the same for the enemies that assault us. Each level that we load into is displayed from the same perspective, and has various rooms and corners that we can try and tuck ourselves away in to stay safe – a trick that comes in very handy on later levels of some of the modes.
The audio works pretty well, while the music fits the action perfectly, with thumping bass lines as the screen fills up with infected keeping you on your toes. The gunfire noises work really well, and in the single player mode at least, the banter from your AI companion keeps you entertained. At least that is for a while, as it isn’t long before the phrases begin to repeat… Yes, I am sure I completed the tutorial, stupid robot!
So how does 3XTINCTION handle the gameplay side of things? Well, the first thing to say is that this game has obviously been built up as a co-op experience, and if you have no mates and choose the single player option from the main menu, the second player is controlled by an AI. However, should you have a friend to play with, there are a number of ways that you can play – the traditional shared screen couch co-op, where you both run around on the same screen and shoot enemies together, as well as online cooperative play. Be sure you understand that communication is key in 3XTINCTION and getting your partner to cover one side while you cover the other seems to be a decent strategy.
Speaking of strategy, there is a bit of that in here too. In certain game modes, when you complete a wave, it appears that shooting the infected is pretty lucrative, with a decent amount of money being acquired in a short period of time. Thanks to this, you can go to the market. Or at least to a box where you can buy stuff. This is full of the simple things like ammo or health kits, even kits to repair your armour or a serum to heal you if you get infected.
However, the more interesting elements are the construction materials you can buy. There is barbed wire, which slows the infected down; decoys that attract their attention and let you kill them while they are distracted; and turrets and sentinels that take down any infected that get too close. Finding a nice area and sealing either end off with turrets and decoys works a dream for the “2urvive” game mode, where you have to survive 10 waves of enemies.
Other game modes include Zone, where you have to stand in a certain place to score points – no building is allowed, so you need your wits about you. There is also Infected, where you have to survive while infected; this one is the hardest.
As you work through levels and gain some in-game currency, there are various new mercenaries and bits of kit to unlock. Some characters need certain requirements to be met, such as killing a set number of the infected (10,000 for the last character!) amongst other things.
But mostly 3XTINCTION comes together really well. The blasting action on offer is simple but effective, and while a sense of deja vu will set in, play with friends and you’ll discover a lot of fun can be had.
