Platform: Xbox Indie Games (Xbox 360)
Price: 80 MSP / $1 USD


At a first glance, this is yet another Robotron clone and when it comes down to it, indeed it is but with a couple of new additions.

Gameplay:
The object of the game is to gun down every enemy in sight using the right stick while moving your futuristic soldier-looking character with the left stick as expected from a Robotron clone. While that might sound rather dull, there were some new elements introduced that made it a bit more interesting. For one thing, the game has a nice collection of weapons* (shotgun, rocket launcher, flamethrower, and ray gun just to name a few) and items (poison gas, robot minions, and a couple of other cool things) to use against enemies. Weapons/items can be changed at any time so you can switch back and forth by pressing the appropriate button (you'll start out with only one weapon/item but as the game progresses you'll unlock the rest). Another nice feature is the "RPG-like" stat upgrading system. Rather than relying on experience points to level up, a "+1" green power-up will often appear in the playfield that once collected would enable you to level up one of many stats which would enhance the character's abilities such as making their weapon power stronger (applies to every weapon), increasing their health or speed amongst other things. There is also a health meter (no need to worry about dying from a single hit from an enemy) along with an energy meter (which is reduced every time an item is used and regenerates automatically). In addition, power-ups often appeared that would replenish health (red cross) and energy (blue can) along with a few others such as one that would provide a temporary shield while another would increase the amount of lives left by one. A cool thing about the power-ups is that they automatically move towards your character but even then, you have to be careful as waiting for them to come to you could lead to your demise as enemies will be charging towards you as well amongst other things.

*According to the developer, each weapon has a different strength but after upgrading the weapon power stat after a while, it's not as noticeable. This is something that I wondered as I was trying to determine which weapon was the best to use (I ended up sticking with the ray gun most of the time).

Speaking of lives, once they've all run out, it's game over. While you don't have to start from the first level again (unless you never completed the first chapter), you do lose all your stats and instead are limited to a certain amount of stat points to add from the start depending on what chapter you were on.

As for enemy spawning, enemies tended to spawn very close to your character and as such, you had to be prepared for their spawn in order to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed which was often frustrating. This is where I found the items to be the most useful especially the poison gas as I'd release it all at once to thwart the incoming wave while I picked up some power-ups.

That pretty much sums up the basic mechanics of Krisotron, I'll now get into the available game modes:

The story mode offers a total of 20 levels, 5 per each chapter (total of 4). I honestly didn't pay much attention to the actual storyline but it basically seemed to revolve around rescuing the princess from some evil dude. Each chapter contained one boss at the end that upon being killed, led to the completion of the chapter as expected. None of them were really tough to kill, it was all a matter of taking them down without becoming overwhelmed by the other enemies which was actually the hard part since it was never a one on one boss fight. All the power-ups along with the other elements described earlier on are all included in this mode.

The survival mode, as the name states, is all about surviving. There is an never ending amount of enemies you must take down and it basically has all the elements found in the story mode minus the actual storyline, bosses, and multiple lives. So you'll have access to power-ups, different types of weapons/items etc. It's rather difficulty at first but with a bit of luck and proper timing, you should be able to last at least 3+ minutes.

None of these modes supported multiplayer however, they both did support high scores.

In regards to the difficulty, there wasn't a difficulty option but for the most part, I found the game to be slightly harder than the standard normal difficulty which means it's not quite easy but it's certainly not that hard. At this point I've played/reviewed A LOT of similar games though so keep this mind as I probably don't represent the "dual stick shooter n00b" anymore.

Graphics & Audio:
The graphics were retro-styled and seemed to be hand-drawn for the most part. While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, the fact that the game did NOT support HDTVs made it look rather horrible on my TV. The sound effects and music on the other hand, were a lot sharper. The announcer's voice saying "COMBO" was rather cool and despite it getting a bit old after a while, I at least did not find it annoying.

Replay value:
I found the story mode to be only somewhat enjoyable during the first playthrough. The survival mode on the other hand, was a lot more fun and as such, carried more replay value. High scores will also keep you busy if you're fond of them.

Overall:
If you're a fan of Robotron and are willing to give some new concepts a try, Krisotron is worth looking into. The stat upgrade system along with weapon/item variety will offer a new perspective on the genre. However, if you're sick and tired of Robotron clones, then this probably won't be as appealing since even though these new elements make it more interesting, the core gameplay is about the same. Also, the lack of HDTV support might discourage some from giving it a try as like I said, it's not the prettiest sight although if you're fond of real retro graphics, it won't seem as bad.

If the game seems like something you'd be interested in but simply can't stand the graphics in the 360 version, I recommend giving the PC version a try instead (free demo) which essentially is the same thing with the exception of the controls and graphics quality, go HERE.

Pros:
+Weapon/item variety
+Survival mode (good replay value)
+Retro gameplay & appearance
+High scores
+Reasonable difficulty
+Great price

Cons:
-Story mode wasn't too enjoyable
-No HDTV support (doesn't look very pretty)
-No multiplayer (survival mode with a friend would have been awesome)
-Despite it's new features, still felt like a Robotron clone rather than it's own game

Krisotron gets a 6.75/10 rating as the developer definitely had a good idea going on with the stat upgrades and weapon/item system but ultimately, the cons addressed brought down the game's overall quality. Another issue is the vast amount of dual stick shooters available in the Xbox Live Indie Games section, this game doesn't stick out too much from the crowd in terms of innovation although to be fair, it is a tough market at this point. With that said, I still recommend it (assuming you're not entirely bored of the genre) and while it's not the best dual stick shooter out in the service, it is a pretty good Robotron clone that's rather affordable at only 80 MSP. The survival mode will be sure to make your one dollar investment worthwhile as well.

This game was obtained from the developer rather than purchased, for review purposes.