Adam Ferrando and Ralph Barbagallo are back with a new dose of pinball with XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION on Nintendo Switch. Come check out our XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION review!
Adam Ferrando and Ralph Barbagallo are back with a new dose of pinball with XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION on Nintendo Switch. While the prequel was a clear homage to the excellent Demon’s Crush from Compile on the TurboGrafx-16, this new release takes one step back and pays homage to the excellent Alien Crush, also on NEC and Hudson Soft’s console. As was the case for the 1988 classic, XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION goes for a more sci-fi experience, with a dash of cyberpunk and a lot of respect for the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.
I previously had a chance to work on a DEMON’S TILT review on Nintendo Switch back in 2020, and it’s now time to dive back into some fast-paced pinball action on Nintendo’s console for the sequel. As a heads-up, even if, at times, the screens and trailer for this XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION review make you think this one might be Rated M for Mature, as was the case for DEMON’S TILT – which was Rated E10+ – XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION is also sliding into that Rated E10+ territory.
As was the case last time, you’ll be taking on a three-story-tall pinball table, with different challenges and objectives to complete as you play on each layer. You can play this one by choosing one of four different options: Normal Mode, Ex-Mode, Hardcore Mode, and Crisis Mode. Normal Mode offers a table with classic rules, balanced to challenge you without making you feel overwhelmed. Ex-Mode has new rules and bonus sub-tables, giving you access to the full XENOTILT experience. You’ll get to work on rescuing Ex Survivors, and will then be able to spend your hard-earned Survivor Tokens to hire them for a bonus skill. You could hire G. Graxxen, who will increase max turret ammo by 50.
Another option will be choosing the Hardcore Mode experience. If you go with the Hardcore Mode, the game will considerably bump up the challenge, since the difficulty is increased, and you’ll only have a single ball to play, leaving no room for error! As for Crisis Mode, it will send you into a time attack, so you’ll need to stay alive for as long as possible as you collect time medials and crisis targets.
Once you launch the ball into play by pressing and holding down the A button to bring back the plunger and releasing it, you’ll be using the L and ZL or R and ZR buttons to control the flippers on the left or the right side of the screen, respectively. By craddling the ball on the flippers, you’ll be able to scan for targets, so that the turrets fire at enemies when they have enough ammo. With this one being a pinball game, nudging the table every now and then to keep the ball in play will be a must. Just be careful that you don’t end up going into full tilt territory!
Lock balls in the multiball matrix so that you can activate it once you’ve stacked three balls. Each slot in the multiball matrix will have a unique perk for you to take advantage of, such as, for example, getting two ammo for every ammo that you collect, activating a piercing shot that can cut through enemy bullets, activating a chain reaction on enemy bullet hit, giving your turrets incendiary rounds that have a critical hit bonus, or making the airock suck in enemies on entry.
Adam Ferrando and Ralph Barbagallo are back with a new dose of pinball with XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION on Nintendo Switch. While the prequel was a clear homage to the excellent Demon’s Crush from Compile on the TurboGrafx-16, this new release takes one step back and pays homage to the excellent Alien Crush, also on NEC and Hudson Soft’s console. As was the case for the 1988 classic, XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION goes for a more sci-fi experience, with a dash of cyberpunk and a lot of respect for the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.
The game offers you the chance to activate TATE Mode for this one. That means that you can twist around the screen to a vertical position, making this feel closer to a classic pinball table. And if you’re the lucky owner of a Flip Grip, you can place your Nintendo Switch console in there and enjoy a portable pinball experience in style. XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION is out on Nintendo Switch with a $19.99 price tag, and it’s a must-play on Nintendo’s console.
Disclaimer
This XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by FLARB.
