X-Out Resurfaced review for PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, PC

As many know, I am a huge fan of classic and retro Video Games. Everything from remakes, to compilations and even spiritual successors of classic games are always on my radar. This one, however, was something that I never would of expected. X-Out is a classic horizontal shooter for the Amiga A500 and the Commodore 64 that has now been given the remake treatment. I must admit, I knew nothing about this title until I sat down and played this remake, let’s dive in.

When you begin, you have the option to play with original Commodore / Amiga soundtrack or the new remixed tracks. Outside of that, there are options for difficulty and controls and then you are thrown into the game. You will begin in a shop where you buy and attach your weapons to 4 kinds of submarine/ships. These ships act as your lives in the game, so if you only select 2, you will have 2 lives until you make it to shop again. Your score is your currency so the more you score, the more you will have to spend in the shops. You can set it up anyway you wish, from loading the best weapons on one ship and blast through to the next stage or you can get all ships and load them with basic weapons and try to make it out alive.

There are no weapon or health upgrades during gameplay, so what you get at the shop is what you have until you beat the level boss. Sounds easy, but you will take fire from many enemies at once, and you also cannot touch any walls or the ground as you will face instant death if you even scrape by. Once you make it through all the levels, the game ends. Overall it feels very arcade like and simple, yet offers a nice challenge.

Control is tight and responsive. Some may have issues navigating tight spaces and dodging every bullet, but you do have a power meter that can take several hits. Just do NOT hit a wall or the ground or, like I stated before, you’re finished. They also added a nice rapid fire feature that makes taking down alien hoards much easier on your trigger finger!

The visuals here have been stepped up from the original in just about every way. While the original game was impressive, especially on systems like the Amiga A500, here they are all redrawn and reanimated. The backgrounds are now animated and look way better than the originals static screens. Everything looks great when compared to the original game, however when compared to other horizontal shooters that have been released in recent years, the graphics look very cheap and outdated. That’s not to say they don’t look great, and I do believe the developers wanted to keep the main look of the original intact. So, while it doesn’t look absolutely stunning, it does have tons of charm.

Audio is really good, especially the remixed music tracks. The original music is here too like I mentioned, but I have to admit that these tracks were a little grating on my ears.

X-Out Resurfaced is a very simple, no frills shooter that provides a moderate to steep challenge for even the toughest players. Its presentation and gameplay doesn’t try to compete with the bigger releases and it really doesn’t have to.  It stands on its own as a fun action shooter game that many will find charming. Don’t expect a mind-blowing story, quirky characters or any wild plot twists with this one, but do expect a fun and challenging ride that will stay with you for a while.

Note: ININ provided us with an X-Out Resurfaced PS5 code for review purposes.