Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 66 | 9 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 87% | 80 | 72 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (28)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 85
“I felt like the enemy variety and the boss battles/design could have been improved, but other than that, Xenoraid is a really solid shoot'em up. If you're looking for a great multiplayer shoot'em up game to play with friends, Xenoraid offers a lot of customization and fun!”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Although Xenoraid does nothing to shake up the genre, changing spacecraft in the heat of battle and using different weapons on the fly tries to add spice to an otherwise solid but unspectacular top-down shooter experience. The characters, dialogue and locations are neither varied nor dynamic enough to be very engaging, and the gameplay, while serviceable, will satisfy but certainly not impress anyone who has already played one of its ancestors or contemporaries, either on Switch or elsewhere.”
read full review ↗ - 71
“I like Xenoraid and appreciate what it has set out to do, but at the same time I'm not blown away by it...”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Xenoraid is just not very much fun. It has some interesting ideas, and some that are just confusing, but for the most part it's the same space shooter that has been seen time and time again. It's like the Expert mode of an old shooter, where things have been tweaked, but it largely feels like the exact same game. While the upgrade system and loadouts are pretty interesting, they feel like an exciting game leading into something much less appealing.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Xenoraid does do a lot to try and stand apart from the deluge of similar games out there, and it should be commended for that effort. But with its lack of refinement, progression resetting, and fairly bland overall presentation, it's unlikely we'll be looking back on this one a year from now.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The problem is all the bulk surrounding it. Poor checkpointing, being unable to carry tech upgrades forward, and the persistent wish that I had more control over my own aiming all sort of dampen the experience. I like where this game's head is at, but I've got a list of things they can improve if Xenoraid gets a sequel.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Xenoraid is yet another shoot ‘em up that brings something new to the table. While it has aspects of a roguelike and the progression of an RPG, it still sticks to its guns as a shooter. It works and works well in that part. The shooting is tight and when learning the proper way to aim, it felt very satisfying. It has a few issues here and there, and while the look is not really fantastic, it offers up a rather fun experience, if even for a few hours.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Xenoraid is good. It's neither excellent nor terrible, but it's good. The presentation feels low-budget, and the reset in gained upgrades after every major stage feels like something done to artificially boost the difficulty level. However, the actual gameplay is solid, and the new mechanics make the gameplay feel fresh even if you may not necessarily want all of it in other shooters. It's certainly worth checking out for genre fans, so long as you remember to temper your expectations a bit.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Xenoraid is a solid and enjoyable scrolling shooter that feels tight and responsive to play with plenty of roguelike options and content throughout. If you are looking for your next Nintendo Switch purchase, this may be it.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Xenoraid is a shoot'em up that does not fully abide by the classical rules of its counterparts. If the shooting action works fine, the game's structure feels like it's too constricting on the player with its insistence on purchasing every element for the ships, which creates unnecessary burdens on the players.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“There is some satisfaction to be found in slaughtering the alien forces that are hellbent on attacking Earth in Xenoraid, but the experience fails to ever be more than distinctly average. Even throwing in the chance for friends to fly alongside you as wingmen seems a flawed move, a couch co-op experience that comes at the cost of removing the best idea that the game has going for it. There are better games in the genre to spend your time with on Nintendo Switch, then, meaning that it’s best to leave someone else to defend mankind in this one.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“This is a shoot-'em-up catered to players who don't want a frantic & flashy game and would rather play something that's more chill while playing with minor simulation elements. The game's smooth controls are attributed to that.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
Worth Playing
GameGrin
FNintendo
Nintendo Insider
Switching Worlds…and 16 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- DYSMANTLE 1.0 Now AvailableNov 16, 2021
- Skeletal Avenger Full Version Launched on Steam!Sep 29, 2021
- Player feedback update 1.1.2 now live!Mar 13, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Player feedback update 1.1.2 now live!Mar 13, 2017significant · resets scoring window