XType Plus (Wii U) Review

XType Plus embodies the spirit of classic top-down shooters in the sense that on-screen story is out of sight and out of mind; it's strictly the player, a tiny ship with bucket loads of fire-power, and the giant enemy monsters that appear one after another. As primarily a high score title that demands repeat play and practice, the game fits the mould of a pick-up-and-play title, something to whittle down five or ten minutes going spare, coupled with the hardware's handy Quick-Start function.

XType Plus offers two main modes of play, both of which utilise the same base mechanics. Controlling a small blue ship, the player must navigate with the left stick and shoot a stream of bullets with the right stick, fending off a monster that returns bigger and meaner after each defeat until the screen is practically filled with bullet hazards. Each monster part that can be destroyed individually fires off its own stream of bullets, but the core of the monster wipes out the entire thing, giving a degree of strategy to the game in figuring out the best way to clear each round.

Classic Mode is essentially the above, with three lives given and no time limit. Plus mode mixes it up a little, with unlimited lives and three bombs given that clear the screen and set up a temporary shield when used. This mode does use a time limit, which recovers a little after each monster's defeat. Both modes make excellent use of the online leaderboards, which not only track scores from worldwide, region, and friends list rivals, but allow gamers to watch the entire replay of each score upload, showing how it was done. These uploads are seamless and quick, done in the background with no loading times at all.

Visually XType Plus is a treat, making use of superb neon lighting and particle effects. There is never a bullet that can't be seen, and no matter how many fill the screen at one time, the game never crawls. The techno-beat soundtrack provides an appropriate backdrop to the action, and the smooth controls ensure it is never the fault of the game when the ship gets caught out.

Owing to the fact that the game relies on twin-stick precision, three control options are supported: the Wii U GamePad, the Wii U Pro Controller, and the Classic Controller Pro, all of which work as intended. One strange omission - and one the developer has even acknowledged to be included at a later date - is Off-TV play, which would have benefitted the game's pick-up-and-play nature greatly.

XType Plus is strictly for the solo player, and its one base concept may seem jarring to those looking in from the outside, but what it does, it does better than a vast majority of digital shooters on the market today. It is yet to be seen what the promised update will add to the game in the future, but what there is now is certainly worth the asking price.