X-Out: Resurfaced

Why are the fish so angry? Originally released for the Commodore 64 in 1989, X-Out was a shoot 'em up filled with various sea creatures, monsters, and ships that all woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It was a very difficult game, especially for beginners, where a single hit could mean game over and a return to the first level. This tough level of challenge remains in the remake called X-Out: Resurfaced developed by German Kritzelkratz 3000.

The graphics have been given a good polish, although they are still reminiscent of the 1989 style. I imagine this is what the game looked like in our heads when we played it and similar titles back in the day. The developers have also previously said that it was their goal to preserve the pixel look from the original, however, no matter how good the look is, it could also be the game's biggest weakness. The colour palette is... let's say... gloomy, just like it probably is deep down in the ocean. The colours have a tendency to blend together and make various obstacles not stand out enough from the background. Most of the times I died, which was a lot of times, were from colliding with the environment and not from projectiles. The difference is that projectiles, or running into enemies, takes a chunk out of your health bar while a collision with a rock means instant death. When I have to keep track of enemies, projectiles, steering to avoid them, a minor obstacle in the same colour as the background is easily missed.

In addition, there is no save system in the game, so if you die on, for example, level three, you are sent back to the beginning of level one with all your upgrades removed too. Before each level, you can buy new vehicles and add different weapons to them, where these also act as your lives in the game. If you only have one ship, it's goodbye when it sinks. If you have built up a fleet of four ships, that's how many lives you have. It's always a balancing act between how many ships to buy versus how much gear to outfit them with, as each ship costs a certain amount and each weapon, shield, etc. also costs money. The customisation part is one of the strongest aspects of the game where it's possible to tailor how you want to play. This can be done by buying one of three pre-created options (a novelty in this version) ships or building your own. It's your choice if you want to go full-on offensive with lots of damage options, or a little more defensive with a radar.

This system also allows the first expeditions to be a bigger challenge. Your score from one level is added as money for the next, so if you accumulate a lot of points you can create really dangerous ships. You always start the first level with very little money, which only provides a basic machine, where you can choose between four different models where the only difference is the appearance, the price, and that the more expensive ones can have more weapons (from three with the cheapest to ten with the most expensive craft).

In terms of game mechanics, games from the late 80s are usually not something that revolutionises the game world in the 2020s. The main weapon is fired continuously by holding down the R2/RT button while there are then sidearms that are either fired automatically or with the press of a button. Then it's the classic movement, up and down, here and there, and so on. There wasn't much room for anything more than that on a Commodore 64 joystick.

While the mechanics could do with more variety, the same cannot be said for the music. There are three different versions to choose from: classic (the Amiga version), new (a remix of the classic bits and also four brand new tracks from Chris Hülsbeck), and the Commodore 64 music. Either of the first two is recommended, but you may need to lower the level of sound effects as they are set far too high in comparison to the music.

Continuing the classic theme, it is possible to unlock cheats. After dying a number (and I mean lots) of times, you're treated to a cheat that removes damage from colliding with environments, leading to most of the deaths in the game. Six cheats are available to unlock, which makes the game much, much easier, but it also turns off the ability to unlock Trophies/Achievements if you like collecting them.

X-Out: Resurfaced is faithful to the original in most ways, both good and bad, and does what you would expect from a remake of this type of game. The game mechanics won't blow you away, but it's a classic, difficult shoot 'em up that won't leave fans of the genre dissatisfied.