• Platform: Arcade
• Release Date: 1986

Game Description

The namesake hero of X'ainD SleenA is on a mission to destroy "the Empire" (that's as much nomenclature as they get) in this side-scrolling platform shooter. Within the scope of the game the Empire holds sway over five planets, as well as its own mechanized home planet. Xain, who appears simply as a blaster-wielding man in an armored spacesuit, must destroy the Empire's base on each world. He must first travel to the base on foot, defeating a variety of creatures, soldiers, and war machines, before facing a powerful level boss. Xain then escapes in his spaceship, but before he can move on to the next world, he must blast his way past hordes of enemy fighters.

The game's controls feature a standard joystick and two buttons. On the planetary stages, the joystick moves Xain back and forth. Tapping the stick downwards once causes him to crouch, and tapping it again causes him to go prone. Tapping it upwards gets him back on his feet. As for the buttons, one allows Xain to shoot (which he only does horizontally in the direction he is facing). The second button allows him to jump, and a second tap during a jump allows him to double jump. Xain may change direction in the air during a double jump.

In the space scenes, the joystick moves Xain's spaceship in whatever direction the player chooses (although the ship's bow always faces to the right). In this mode, one button makes the ship fire laser beams, while the second causes it to emit three balls of energy that spread as they travel.

The game opens with a simple star map of the five occupied planets. The player may choose any one of them to begin the game. Each planet has its own individual terrain type; there's a volcanic world, a desert world, a swamp world, etc. After a planet is cleared, the game returns to the star map, allowing the player to choose his next mission. When all five planets are cleared the map can be scrolled to the left, revealing the Empire's mechanized home world (the game's final stage).

The game supports two players, who take turns each time a life is lost. During the planetary stages, Xain has an energy gauge at the top of the screen that must be depleted before he dies; in the space scenes, one hit immediately destroys the ship. One life is lost in both cases. Each player starts with two to five lives, depending on the game's dipswitch settings.

Some versions of this game were released with the title Solar Warrior. In this variant, the alien names of the planets are changed to the more familiar Saturn, Mars, Venus, etc. Solar Warrior also removes the star map, moving the player from stage to stage in a prescribed order. Otherwise, the games are identical. ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

An honestly fun game that lays on the challenges at the end. Once

you get really good you can win it on one credit, which is always a nice

addition to a game. ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Did X'ainD SleenA set the world on fire or establish a new standard in gaming when it was released? No. Did it blow the public away with jaw dropping graphics and effects? No. Is it fun? Definitely!

While Xain'D is pretty much a standard scrolling shooter, it gets big points for having its heart in the right place. Good control, cool looking enemies, and some very creative settings combine to make this game work. It is one of those rare titles that tackles two mini-genres (platform shooter and side-scrolling shooter, in this case) and does them both right.

For starters, Xain himself is a mountain of firepower. His rapid-fire blaster can plow through scores of enemies, and it is frequently called upon to do just that. There is something inherently satisfying about going through the early bad guys like a chainsaw through chopsticks. Xain is also pretty tough; the average enemy shot only takes about ten percent of his life gauge. In addition, Xain has a few good moves...or, to be more accurate, one very good move: the double jump.

While Xain's walking speed isn't exactly Olympic caliber, his ability to make a second jump in midair (complete with change of direction, should he desire) gives him some serious flexibility of movement. Mastering the double jump is absolutely imperative to good gameplay, but it's so intuitive you won't have to spend much time figuring it out.

On the negative side is Xain's rather phlegmatic ability to crouch and go prone. Going prone is necessary to avoid certain threats, but Xain must complete his useless crouch animation beforehand. Why he must crouch first before hitting the ground is beyond me, and it makes the maneuver terribly slow.

Xain's ship has no control drawbacks. It's fast and very maneuverable, and its weapons can punch through anything that gets in front of it. Its tendency to explode on one hit is a little annoying after Xain and his sturdy life gauge, but the superb control makes up for this.

The game also includes a few interesting twists in the level design. Some of the planets feature surprise mid-bosses and intriguing bits of architecture, and each one has a different set of indigenous creatures to menace the player. The space scenes occasionally throw in asteroids, mines, and one gigantic enemy mothership that must be destroyed. I like little touches like these; they show that the designers put an effort into making the game interesting at every turn.

My favorite part of the game, however, is the backgrounds. The different planets have a groovy sort of old-school science-fiction feel to them, hearkening back to the days when people thought Venus was covered in alien swampland and Neptune was an ocean world. The graphics are clean and atmospheric, and full of nice added touches like the jets that shoot from Xain's boots when he jumps and the way his sleek spaceship tilts to one side or the other when you move it vertically.

The characters are a little on the small side, admittedly. However, they are fairly well detailed, and their lack of size allows the screens to be quite large by comparison. Some of the boss characters are enormous! With so much screen around you, you also have plenty of time to react to most threats.

The sound effects are clear and appropriate to the action, if not necessarily inspired. For instance, the flat bang of the exploding spaceships is adequate, but perhaps could've used a bit more pitch. The background music, on the other hand, is very nicely done, very science fiction; it runs unobtrusively and complements the scene quite well.

In overview, X'ainD SleenA is a fun game, if not precisely revolutionary. It has a few control flaws, and the small characters might be irritating to some; however, its fun setting and overall playability make it worth your time and effort. ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Small characters, but nifty backgrounds and good detail work. Lots of

atmosphere. ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Nothing special, but nothing terrible. The music is kind of cool, though. ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

It continues to be challenging on repeat play. Just because you've

beaten it once doesn't mean you'll beat it the next time! ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

Standard how-to stuff on the cabinet, nothing extraordinary. ~ Michael W. Dean, All Game Guide