Since I'm unable to discuss the Super Nintendo's early days without mentioning Xardion, it was only a matter of time until it received a proper blog post. I want to clear the air. My previous posts about ancient rentals gave the impression that Xardion has an infamous reputation. Well, perhaps it does, but not to me. I view it as a functional product; a 4 out of 10 that'll kill a couple of hours. Players who don't know what else to do with themselves may uncover a compulsion to see this inoffensive sci-fi adventure through.
Wait. You're still here? Does this mean I actually say something about the game? Ah hell. It's inoffensive! That one word says every- oh right. The way I use it is rather uncommon. Basically, inoffensive games are mundane, mediocre, or just plain bad. What sets them apart from the filth is that they're easy. Failing to prevent a galaxy-ending war just means getting kicked back to the map screen. There are nine stages in total, but hardly any of them take more than a couple of minutes to complete. However, replaying them is required, because each playable character starts at level pathetic. Grinding that first stage for experience and ammo/health refills is how every playthrough goes.
Mankind's fate rests in the hands (and paws) of Triton, Alcedes, and Panthera. Besides the one instance that requires his narrow body, Panthera can be safely ignored until the story decides to kill him off. Actually, I take that back. He can destroy those enemies placed very low to the ground in stage 2. Just don't expect results from his meager special weapons. Alcedes has a time-stop ability that's good for a few occasions but expect Triton to carry the trio through 80% of the adventure. He's the only decent boss-killer and can fire upwards. It doesn't hurt to spend at least a little time leveling everyone for the extra health though.
No Xardion write-up is complete without a mention of the annoying platformer stage. It's a series of small platforms that are accompanied by moths and boomerang-tossing gremlins. Naturally, missing a jump or getting knocked off a ledge means restarting the stage. It's not nearly as bad as I remember. My most recent visits - as of less than a few hours ago - went restart-free. Having to go through it a second time just to get one part of the ultimate weapon is something I'd still dock points for. Maybe it was done because somebody drew a cool rose and the dev-team thought it'd be a waste if it didn't have any significance.
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| Goodnight, sweet Panthera. |
The last 20% of the adventure is spent with the titular mech. Sadly, it means there's really not much to do besides grinding levels and assembling the ultimate weapon. I kind-of wish that bosses would respawn, just to see Xardion annihilate them. One positive is that final stage's tunnel maze is extremely easy. When the choice comes up, pick the center tunnel to arrive at the last boss. Another game would've tried to create something a little more complex, but not this one. All that levelling took up enough time anyway.
I'll conclude this post by stating that Xardion isn't terrible. It's not good, but I've tolerated much worse. Asmik could've tried putting out a standard action game, limited continues and all, only for me to despise its entire existence. Making 2/3rds of it a repetitive grind was actually the better decision. Annoying platformer stage aside, nothing about it provides a memory that lasts more than a few hours. Oh well. Being forgotten isn't really such a bad thing, at least from my perspective.
The funny thing about Xardion is that while I fully recognize it as an utterly unimpressive game, I also have to give it credit for the attempts at storytelling and creating unique level concepts. A hollow-Earth stage, a pillar into the center of gravity, a living sentient planet. I really like how you encounter weird stuff in your first trek through that only makes sense once you have Xardion, especially that gross octopus thing in the water planet stage. I also think that the story exposition you get at the end of the game is kind of great and I wish they had been able to do more with the narrative for this game. This game truly isn't very good, but I really like its gumption.
ReplyDeleteLot of great points here. The game embraces that weird science fiction, especially with as you said the living planet, the other that's hollowed out, etc. It's not just another excuse to mash giant robots together. These elements just never got enough screentime.
ReplyDeletePlus, yeah, the ending is really interesting. It reminded me a little of Magnetic Rose in how the living planet and its involvement in the war was in service of a long-deceased person's image.