Xeno Crisis - new overhead run 'n' gun on Kickstarter

how many dogtags are in the game? Can you get all of them in a single play through? There is no saving on the cart, right? So I imagine either, there are enough people to save in the game, that you can theoretically save all the backers in one full run, or it selects all the people to save from a pool of contributor's names every time you play? You don't have like a list of people you've saved that gets saved to battery backup, right?

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

how many dogtags are in the game?

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It will vary every time due to the fact areas are procedurally generated. On average, it seems to be around 30 per area, maybe a bit more.

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

There is no saving on the cart, right?

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I think only the high scores are saved (one per area).

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Originally Posted by Stifu

It will vary every time due to the fact areas are procedurally generated. On average, it seems to be around 30 per area, maybe a bit more.


I think only the high scores are saved (one per area).

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Wait, there is actual battery backup? It saves high-scores permanently?

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

Wait, there is actual battery backup? It saves high-scores permanently?

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I thought so, but don't quote me on that. It's possible the high scores I saw were default high scores, or just due to the fact I had been playing for a while in one standing.

Edit: nope, high scores are not persisted. Sorry.

There are two hidden menus: Modes Menu and Cheat Menu, and two endings. The way to unlock MM you can find after the first playthrough.

What's in the Cheats menu?

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

What's in the Cheats menu?

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- seed - a choice of rooms set
- start area - area choice
- separately infinite health, continues, ammo, grenades and dog tags
- credits - watch them without finishing the game
(by using cheats you won't meet the final boss)

Also there is a third menu called BACKER MENU. You can set there a hostage for chosen area by backer's name.

Update. Modes Menu is in modern version only. Modes for Gen/MD are to be chosen separately without menu.

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Originally Posted by Gryson

That's not really how to change direction in 3-button mode, though (it's more a feature when you need to make a slight shift quickly). In 3-button mode, you cease fire, hit the opposite direction on the d-pad, and fire again.

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That was my first impression and why I had tried 3-button mode originally (it seemed easier to cope with), but I kept firing in the wrong direction so often that I gave up and went with the 6-button setup. I suppose the main difference is that if you misaim with the 6-button configuration it's at worst a split second, while with the 3-button configuration you screwed up for half a second or more until you react and attempt to aim again, and that's more than enough time to get mauled.

This probably really depends on each player :​P

I guess an advantage of the 3-button setup might be when you have weapons which do not have continuous firing, like the shotgun. With the 6-button layout, I find it uncomfortable to hit diagonals in that case, since you can't simply start by holding one button then the second one, it has to be both at the same time.

I play only with 6 butons configuration.
I notice only 1 gameplay weird on this mod. When you shoot in one direction you can't roll without stop fireing before.

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Originally Posted by jymannob

When you shoot in one direction you can't roll without stop fireing before.

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I guess this is a trait inherited from the 3-button layout (as the roll button will not trigger a roll if you're firing).

Edit: got a colleague to buy the Switch version, so we can play in co-op during lunch break. :)
From what I read, the game sounds much easier in co-op. Yesterday, I almost managed to finish the game without using a single elixir, but messed up in the last area. Too much pressure!

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

Was the game designed for the 6-button controls or 3-button?

I hear the devs say they took a lot of inspiration from shocktrooers, smash TV etc. So I don't know if the game is packed more as a omnidirectional shooter or a game like shocktrooers.

For example, Smash TV on the Genesis feels like an omnidirectional shooter that I have to play with Unidirectional controls. You're constantly having to compensate for the controls.

What I've played of XenoCrisis, it feels like a Smash TV style of game.

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There's a common misconception that Xeno Crisis is a twin-stick shooter as it's influenced by Smash TV, but that's not the case - from day one the game was designed around the Mega Drive's 3 button pad, with the strafing and rotating approach being more than adequate to get through the game. It's modelled on Shock Troopers' and also Skeleton Krew's control schemes, and you should have no problem tackling the enemies when you've got used to it. :) In fact I prefer the 3 button approach and can comfortably complete the game when playing on keyboard, although I guess I have been playing the game for a couple of years now! :cool:

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Originally Posted by SEGA-Jorge

how many dogtags are in the game? Can you get all of them in a single play through? There is no saving on the cart, right? So I imagine either, there are enough people to save in the game, that you can theoretically save all the backers in one full run, or it selects all the people to save from a pool of contributor's names every time you play? You don't have like a list of people you've saved that gets saved to battery backup, right?

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Hey Jorge,

Unfortunately we couldn't include battery backup with the cart as that would then cause major complications with shipping. As for dogtags, they are dropped by an enemy every few kills, like so:

PERIMETER / FACILITY - every 5 kills
DUNES / NEST - every 8 kills
FOREST / LAB - every 10 kills
HQ - every 12 kills


These values are reduced by two in 2 player mode. Note also that you can never have more than 3 dogtags onscreen at a time, so try to grab them as quickly as you can so that they don't get despawned by another dogtag dropping. If you're savvy and quick enough in the first few areas you should be able to collect enough dogtags to buy everything you need by the time you reach the lab. Hostage names are chosen purely at random, although you can force a particular hostage to appear in a particular area through the backer menu.

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Originally Posted by Stifu

I guess this is a trait inherited from the 3-button layout (as the roll button will not trigger a roll if you're firing).

Edit: got a colleague to buy the Switch version, so we can play in co-op during lunch break. :)
From what I read, the game sounds much easier in co-op. Yesterday, I almost managed to finish the game without using a single elixir, but messed up in the last area. Too much pressure!

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Yes you should stand a better chance in co-op mode, especially if one of you is particularly good at the game and can drag the other player through. ;)

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Originally Posted by molasar

- seed - a choice of rooms set
- start area - area choice
- separately infinite health, continues, ammo, grenades and dog tags
- credits - watch them without finishing the game
(by using cheats you won't meet the final boss)

Also there is a third menu called BACKER MENU. You can set there a hostage for chosen area by backer's name.

Update. Modes Menu is in modern version only. Modes for Gen/MD are to be chosen separately without menu.

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Ohh, now I want to see the Backer Menu so I can see if my name/alias actually got in the game even though I didn't respond until like a week or so ago.