Ludography
X-Scape cover

2010 · Q-Games · First-person shooter · Shooter

X-Scape

Nintendo exclusive

A DSiWare-exclusive sequel to the Japanese-only GameBoy shooter X, by Q-Games.

Released
31 May 2010
Platforms
Nintendo DS
Genres
First-person shooterShooterVehicular combat
Developers
Q-Games
Publishers
Nintendo
Series
X
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
First person
Themes
ActionScience fiction
Country
Japan
Age ratings
PEGI 7ESRB E10+
Languages
English
Entry
#2 in X
Directors
Dylan Cuthbert
Composers
Kazumi Totaka

About

X-Scape, known as X-Returns in Japan and as 3D Space Tank in PAL regions, is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Q-Games and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare service. It is a sequel to Nintendo and Argonaut Software's 1992 Japan-exclusive Game Boy title X, which Cuthbert had designed before founding Q-Games.

Keywords

  • vehicular combat
  • action-adventure
  • time limit
  • abstract
  • tank
  • vehicle combat
  • digital distribution
  • polygonal 3d
  • upgradeable weapons
  • deliberately retro
  • unbeatable enemies
  • escape from exploding building

Media

X-Scape screenshot 1

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Players control a commander who has returned to his home after a decade-long tour of duty. However, an evil warlord has taken control of the entire planet, forcing the commander to take control of an enhanced version of the mobile spacecraft from the game's predecessor, VIXIV. The commander will visit 20 different planets as well as completing a number of main missions and side missions.

X-Scape is seen in a first-person perspective with virtual reality aesthetics. It uses the Nintendo DSi's top screen to show players' surroundings, while the bottom screen acts as a means to control the game and a radar. Moving the stylus to the top of the bottom screen causes the tank to move forward, while moving from side-to-side allows players to look around. Pushing any of the d-pad or face buttons causes the player's tank to fire.

Development

X-Scape was developed by Q-Games and published by Nintendo for the DSi's DSiWare download service. Its lead designer, Dylan Cuthbert, explained that the development team wanted to return and make a sequel to X. It was chosen to be released for the DSiWare because of its visual style, which designer Kazuyuki Gofuku explained would be difficult to sell as some would not be receptive towards the style. Cuthbert added that the service allowed developers to experiment more than they could in retail games.

When asked why this and fellow Q-Games video game Starship Defense were not included in the Art Style series, Gofoku explained that the Art Style games were about visuals and sound, and that it would not be right to force a visual or sound gimmick into a game if it is not necessary. After submitting it for testing to Mario Club, a Nintendo playtesting group, they found that most of them did not understand the motivations of some characters. In response, they added flashbacks scenes to the game to explain the series' plot. This was also done to help English players understand the series' plots, due to the fact that X was not released outside Japan.

Reception

The review aggregate site Metacritic gave X-Scape an 82 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews". Nintendo Life said that the game's controls are awkward and imprecise, especially when using the all-button option instead of the touchscreen, and also criticized the absence of a fast-travel feature and the sometimes painful to look at color schemes. However, the reviewer praised the techno soundtrack and gave the game nine out of ten stars, concluding, "Loaded with content, ambitious and borderline experimental in aesthetic, it's got enough meat on its bones to rival a lot of retail releases and certainly stands tall on DSiWare."

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Nintendo DS31 May 2010North America · Japan 16 July 2010 · Europe 16 July 2010

In the same series

Games like this

Collections2 collections

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.