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Joystiq Weekly: Telltale takes on Minecraft, Xeodrifter review, broken games and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Telltale Games looked at Minecraft's build-what-you-want universe and decided to build an episodic, narrative-driven game instead of a crummy castle like the rest of us. At this point, we wouldn't even be surprised if Telltale Games' next project is a narrative-driven series starring Samuel the rock ... it would probably be well-written, too. There's a bit more to this week's recap beyond Telltale's latest reveal though, including ports of the last two Devil May Cry games, free games for those that own Assassin's Creed Unity's season pass, a review of Xeodrifter and an assessment of recent high-profile, broken-at-launch games. All that and more is waiting for you after the break in this edition of the Joystiq Weekly!
Xeodrifter review: Snacktroid
3DS, PC There's a purity to Xeodrifter that I really admire. The 2D action exploration game is brief, but Xeodrifter explores its simple, well-executed mechanics to a T. It takes the best elements of other exploration-driven action games like Castlevania and Metroid and packs them neatly into a handful of hours. Nimbly rewarding you with health extensions, gun upgrades and special abilities along the way, Xeodrifter plays something like a "greatest hits" compilation of the genre, though not without adding a few B-sides of its own. Before long, you'll be running at turbo speed, soaring into the sky with rocket-propelled leaps and cleaving your way through enemies with enhanced firepower. There's no cruft, no filler – just a competent, compact adventure.
Xeodrifter explores the 3DS eShop next week
Jools Watsham, co-founder of Mutant Mudds developer Renegade Kid, has revealed that the studio's next game, Xeodrifter, will reach the Nintendo 3DS eShop on December 11. It will be priced at $10. For those who missed October's trailer, Xeodrifter is a classically-styled platforming game with light roleplaying game progression elements that emphasizes exploration of a labyrinthine world while relying on aesthetics that are modern but clearly modeled after the pixel-heavy games of the early 1990s. In other words, it falls squarely into the "Metroidvania" subgenre, though it adds a new wrinkle to the well-worn formula by including the plane-hopping mechanic first seen in Mutant Mudds. "I am a huge fan of Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and have always wanted to develop a game in that sub-genre," Watsham wrote earlier this year. "The day finally came where the desire to develop it got too strong and I just had to act on it. Xeodrifter was born." [Image: Renegade Kid]
Mutant Mudds dev's Xeodrifter blasts off in first trailer
Developer Renegade Kid mixes a dash of Metroid with its Mutant Mudds formula in its latest project Xeodrifter, shown in action for the first time in the trailer above. Xeodrifter marries Metroid-style alien environments and exploration with Mutant Mudds' signature background-hopping mechanics, challenging players to explore multiple side-scrolling planes as they plumb nearby planets for crucial supplies and ability upgrades. The trailer above shows off a dash mechanic similar to Super Metroid's, and suggests that environments will hide plenty of hidden goodies for players to discover. Xeodrifter is slated to launch exclusively in the 3DS eShop. A release date is not yet known. [Video: Renegade Kid]
Mutant Mudds dev reveals Metroidvania-style Xeodrifter
Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham has announced that development on Treasurenauts is now on hiatus so that the studio can instead focus on Xeodrifter, an exploratory platformer set in deep space. "I am a huge fan of Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and have always wanted to develop a game in that sub-genre," Watsham writes in a Go Nintendo-exclusive developer's diary. "The day finally came where the desire to develop it got too strong and I just had to act on it. Xeodrifter was born." According to Watsham, players take the role of an "interstellar drifter" attempting to explore desolate planets for the resources necessary to fix their ship. Of course, there are aliens that will need blasting and numerous power-ups and secrets areas to discover all within a labyrinthine, color-coded map, so despite Watsham's antipathy toward the "Metroidvania" descriptor, he admits it really is the most succinct way to describe Xeodrifter. Though Watsham offers no release date or even vague window for when Xeodrifter might debut, he plans to keep fans updated on the studio's progress via a series of weekly developer diaries at Go Nintendo. [Image: Renegade Kid]
