Hexodius
Overview -
While the technology that makes the twin-stick shooter an easy possibility on any gaming system is relatively new, the concept of the twin-stick shooter has origins that stretch many years back to the days of 'Space Invaders.' The modern concept though is more prominently recognized by the Bizarre Creations series, 'Geometry Wars,' which to date has spawned no less than 4 spin-offs/sequels. Enter 'Hexodius,' at its core a very basic twin-stick shooter that sets out to pull in genre fans and newcomers by the promise of dungeon-crawling.
Video Review
The visuals of 'Hexodius' are nothing special, harkening back to the early days of XBLA releases, even looking a bit lacking for last generation. Colors are vibrant but the overall palette is limited and the equally limited animations of both you and your enemies can result in a graphical blur of undefined shapes and hues. To make matters worse, design variety on the levels is extremely limited and the game lacks the on-screen pop one might expect.
Audio Review
Reaching even lower depths are the repetitive "retro" sounds of the game, with the flat accompanying score being the biggest offender and the laughable effects only heightening the level of sheer disappointment. If such a bare bones approach was intentional, then someone on the design team needs a lesson in minimalism, because the concept doesn't have to equate to tacky and cheap.
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I truthfully had fun with 'Hexodius' for a good 45-minutes before I realized it was a case of a digital "Emperor's New Clothes," trading on the goodwill of gamers familiar with "Geometry Wars" and its ilk. Overly long, shallow in every way, and sub-par on a technical sense, 'Hexodius' is even more an insult with its steep $10 price tag; even at 10% of that cost, I'd struggle to find anything done well enough here to justify a purchase when a tidy selection of superior genre entries have been available for a few years. 'Hexodius' is a huge step backwards and entirely incompetent as a whole package.
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