Uploaded January 2021 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
As written by claudfuen.itch.io/reaching-xylanthia (As of 13/01/2021):
The year was 2073.
"That was close, they were right behind me. I can’t stop now, I must make it to the city before sundown. It’s our only chance.
They said if I can find all the beacons I could activate the gate to the city."
If it were only that easy...
Will you be able to Reach Xylanthia?
More information
Published 3 hours ago
Status Released
Platforms Windows, Linux
Rating 5/5 - (1 Rating)
Author claudfuen
Genre Survival, Adventure
Tags Lo-fi, Sci-fi, Singleplayer, Survival Horror
Download
Review:
Now this game was... Perhaps some would call it special or maybe different... I must admit, innocent little me went in to this game, having only read the introduction, not having looked at the pictures or tags that clearly state: "Survival Horror", thinking this would be another relaxing walking simulator where I would have to walk around, explore the scenery and find a little harmless generator here and there... Oh boy, was I wrong. The: "I better watch my back" line sure was useful when you are not introduced to the threat for another 10 minutes, making me think it is just another tiny addon to the introduction. If you had asked me about the genre of the game throughout my gameplay, I would have gone much like this: "(Walking Simulator) Ahhh, so pretty, what a scenery!... (Threatening Walking Simulator?) Oh boy what is that strange sound I hear after turning off the second generator? I should watch my back? Haha sure thing!... (Straight Up Scary Walking Simulator!) What!? I triggered an alarm in this house somehow, that was kind of startling, better ge- Oh shit!! What the fuck was that!?!?... (Horror Game I Am Out Of Here!) Oh boy, here we go ag- Wait what is that whistling? is that a ma- Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, shit, fuck!!!... (INTENSLY SCARY GAME MY DUDES) What the fuck, What the fuck, What the fuck, there is a fucking transformer chasing me!!!... (SHIIII JUST LET ME FINISH PLEASEEEE!) Run bitch, ruuunnn!!!!!!"
This game is like a cake with all flavors at once! It is like a kid mixed pizza, ice-cake and pepper, yet it somehow ended up tasting pretty fucking good, like What The Actual Fuck! The game builds up this calm and relaxing atmosphere, filled with soothing music, a red and beautiful sunset, shining over the gorgeous silver city of Xylanthia. But suddenly, your ears hear this odd little whistling sound, you get curious and turn to look where it comes from. And with your guard down, due to the tranquil atmosphere, a guard suddenly smacks the shit out of you with a loud alarm, followed up by several mechs chasing you the fuck down. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK!
Nah seriously, jokes aside... This game was actually really fun. I am used to horror games slowly building up a scary atmosphere to present the monster/enemy with a more heavy and impactful sequence (I have played a lot of horror games). But damn, subverting my expectations with at atmosphere like this... is... like... actually pretty god damn genius! Like shit, how come no one has ever really tried this before, that worked really well! (At least in this particular case). I am not sure why, but getting scared this way is actually both scary and fun at the same time, which is oddly enough a good combo!
Now for the real and constructive criticism. First off, when making such a massive an beautiful map, it is really a waste to not reward exploring. I can see how that can be difficult when you are being chased. Perhaps you could make it so that the enemies do not always walk for you, but stay and patrol an area. The map entices you explore, but leaves you with no reward. Not only is this a waste of good map-design, but you make a lot of players waste their time by going exploring needlessly. I am not talking some major game-changing find, more like some small nudges to the player, like a figurine (known or custom) or a funny easteregg. And then there is the map altitudes. The hills are very hard to climb, and the terrain is very rugged, making it hard to run and explore. Invisible barriers are fine when inclines are that steep, which means you could make the lesser inclines less tedious to traverse.
Despite these minor flaws, the game was really well made. The music is great, the graphics, art-style and map-design was definitely above average and the enemies are not too hard, but definitely not easy. Not only are they scary, but they are hard to spot, forcing you to take care and listen for the sound ques (at least for the small ones), which is a great gameplay mechanic. I would rate this game 5/5 despite my criticism, as I had a lot of fun playing it! Great work!
-BH
As written by claudfuen.itch.io/reaching-xylanthia (As of 13/01/2021):
The year was 2073.
"That was close, they were right behind me. I can’t stop now, I must make it to the city before sundown. It’s our only chance.
They said if I can find all the beacons I could activate the gate to the city."
If it were only that easy...
Will you be able to Reach Xylanthia?
More information
Published 3 hours ago
Status Released
Platforms Windows, Linux
Rating 5/5 - (1 Rating)
Author claudfuen
Genre Survival, Adventure
Tags Lo-fi, Sci-fi, Singleplayer, Survival Horror
Download
Review:
Now this game was... Perhaps some would call it special or maybe different... I must admit, innocent little me went in to this game, having only read the introduction, not having looked at the pictures or tags that clearly state: "Survival Horror", thinking this would be another relaxing walking simulator where I would have to walk around, explore the scenery and find a little harmless generator here and there... Oh boy, was I wrong. The: "I better watch my back" line sure was useful when you are not introduced to the threat for another 10 minutes, making me think it is just another tiny addon to the introduction. If you had asked me about the genre of the game throughout my gameplay, I would have gone much like this: "(Walking Simulator) Ahhh, so pretty, what a scenery!... (Threatening Walking Simulator?) Oh boy what is that strange sound I hear after turning off the second generator? I should watch my back? Haha sure thing!... (Straight Up Scary Walking Simulator!) What!? I triggered an alarm in this house somehow, that was kind of startling, better ge- Oh shit!! What the fuck was that!?!?... (Horror Game I Am Out Of Here!) Oh boy, here we go ag- Wait what is that whistling? is that a ma- Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, shit, fuck!!!... (INTENSLY SCARY GAME MY DUDES) What the fuck, What the fuck, What the fuck, there is a fucking transformer chasing me!!!... (SHIIII JUST LET ME FINISH PLEASEEEE!) Run bitch, ruuunnn!!!!!!"
This game is like a cake with all flavors at once! It is like a kid mixed pizza, ice-cake and pepper, yet it somehow ended up tasting pretty fucking good, like What The Actual Fuck! The game builds up this calm and relaxing atmosphere, filled with soothing music, a red and beautiful sunset, shining over the gorgeous silver city of Xylanthia. But suddenly, your ears hear this odd little whistling sound, you get curious and turn to look where it comes from. And with your guard down, due to the tranquil atmosphere, a guard suddenly smacks the shit out of you with a loud alarm, followed up by several mechs chasing you the fuck down. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK!
Nah seriously, jokes aside... This game was actually really fun. I am used to horror games slowly building up a scary atmosphere to present the monster/enemy with a more heavy and impactful sequence (I have played a lot of horror games). But damn, subverting my expectations with at atmosphere like this... is... like... actually pretty god damn genius! Like shit, how come no one has ever really tried this before, that worked really well! (At least in this particular case). I am not sure why, but getting scared this way is actually both scary and fun at the same time, which is oddly enough a good combo!
Now for the real and constructive criticism. First off, when making such a massive an beautiful map, it is really a waste to not reward exploring. I can see how that can be difficult when you are being chased. Perhaps you could make it so that the enemies do not always walk for you, but stay and patrol an area. The map entices you explore, but leaves you with no reward. Not only is this a waste of good map-design, but you make a lot of players waste their time by going exploring needlessly. I am not talking some major game-changing find, more like some small nudges to the player, like a figurine (known or custom) or a funny easteregg. And then there is the map altitudes. The hills are very hard to climb, and the terrain is very rugged, making it hard to run and explore. Invisible barriers are fine when inclines are that steep, which means you could make the lesser inclines less tedious to traverse.
Despite these minor flaws, the game was really well made. The music is great, the graphics, art-style and map-design was definitely above average and the enemies are not too hard, but definitely not easy. Not only are they scary, but they are hard to spot, forcing you to take care and listen for the sound ques (at least for the small ones), which is a great gameplay mechanic. I would rate this game 5/5 despite my criticism, as I had a lot of fun playing it! Great work!
-BH
