I am a fan of a twin stick shooter, it has to be said, and luckily Xatrom Command from 9Ratones and Ratalaika Games is such a game. It’s presented in a retro style, just for a change, so can this bring anything new to the table or is it more a case of “seen it all before, bruv”. Strap on your weapon of choice as we attempt to go and shoot all the things.
You shouldn’t be coming to Xatrom Command looking for much of a narrative. Granted, there is an attempt at a story, but it is pretty laughable, the usual kind of guff that is regularly associated with such a game, focusing on a top secret government facility, an experiment that went wrong, and some aliens who have now arrived. Sounds like Half Life? Well, it isn’t a million miles away in terms of the story line, but that is about as far as it goes. Basically, you’ll want to terminate all the aliens with extreme prejudice, then get home in time for tea and medals. What could possibly go wrong?
Xatrom Command is pretty rudimentary in terms of the presentation too as it sees us taking on the role of a blocky soldier shooting blocky spider-looking aliens of different sizes. There are green things dotted around the various levels that we also have to shoot, each stage working as a discrete room, loaded in after the previous room has been cleared of enemies and green things. The action is viewed from a top-down perspective, much like my all time favourite, Smash TV (ask your parents, kids).
And there’s some sound to enjoy too – mainly coming in the form of gunfire (every weapon has a different sound), a few squeaks from dying aliens and grunts as we get injured. The action does move at a fair old pace, but given there is nothing here a PS1 would struggle with, that’s hardly surprising. In a word or two, Xatrom Command is okay, but not wildly exciting.
So what about the meat of the game, the actual way that it plays? Well, Xatrom Command is at its heart, a twin stick shooter. You know the kind of thing – you move your character around with the left stick, and aim with the right, firing with a press of the RT button. Pretty much the same controls as every twin shooter ever made.
But there are three ways to play Xatrom Command – Story mode, Boss Rush mode or Survival. These can all be taken in as solo affairs or in couch co-op, and it plays equally well across both settings. Playing with a friend on the couch is a dying art these days it seems, so it is good to see this is included; it works nicely with two of you going at the alien hordes.
The actual shooting action is pretty good too. The basic gun that you start with has infinite ammo and never needs reloading, which is a plus. However the negative with it is that it isn’t that powerful, and the later enemies and bosses do become a bit bullet-spongey, so it doesn’t cut the mustard for long. Luckily there are a couple of different weapons that can be picked up, most notably a pink spread shot that bounces, or a blue spread shot that doesn’t. Enemies can drop these weapons, or they can be found in the strange green things that we have to destroy as we go, along with first aid kits that will refill health when needed. If anything, there are a few too many first aid kits, to be honest, as I played through the entire game without dying once on Normal difficulty. Even the bosses have such predictable patterns that there is no real danger and no real jeopardy to the proceedings.
The achievements are also given up very easily, but at least Xatrom Command is at least a bit better in that regard than the standard Ratalaika game – you do actually have to finish the campaign to get all of the achievements. Of course, having done that, there isn’t a great deal of incentive to go back for more.
In conclusion, Xatrom Command is a decent twin stick shooter that will provide a hit of short term fun, as well as some 1000 Gamerscore without being overly taxing. It’s pretty easy to play and there are plenty of levels to blast through, but even then, it won’t take long to complete.
Xatrom Command is a decent game, but nothing more, and there are certainly better twin shooters out there.
