Official Score
Overall - 80%
80%
Even in the hectic year that is 2023, I still enjoyed AK-Xolotl. With a demo on Steam, AK-Xolotl is a no-brainer to try for action roguelike fans.
After being announced earlier this year, AK-Xolotl has finally arrived. Is the game worth checking out during this insane year, or should you spend your time elsewhere? Check out this review and find out.
AK-Xolotl Review
AK-Xolotl starts like a nature documentary, complete with a David Attenborugh-type voice-over. The Xolotl are enjoying their time in a pond, eventually falling asleep. While asleep, the other forest creatures come and take the Xolotl eggs and food, which is unforgivable. You grab your AK and set out to take the fight to your enemies. The playtime will vary from player to player, but I’d estimate most people will be done in about 12-15 hours.
The gameplay in AK-Xolotl is very similar to Enter the Gungeon and, to a lesser extent, Hades. You enter a small room, clear the enemies out, and collect your reward. Since it is a bullet hell and roguelike, you are expected to die often, but the further you get, the better your rewards. Things like guns, health upgrades, item buffs, and money disappear after you die or complete a run. On the other hand, cookies, diamonds, and Xoltol eggs get returned to your camp regardless of whether you beat a boss or die.
It’s a tricky system but one that is well-balanced. If you try to focus on bringing back materials to the camp, you won’t make it far. If you focus on buffing yourself for the current run, you won’t get as much stuff to bring home. I’ve found that focusing on getting as far as possible will net you the best rewards as long as you choose some camp items to bring home. That being said, an average run is around 10 minutes, so it’s no big deal either way.
In between zones, you run into a camp with a fishing hole and a campfire to heal up at. You can’t actually fish, but you can shoot the fish bucket and steal fish from the other anglers. You can find fish, and other materials can be found while you are going through the levels. Back at camp, you can use these materials to cook food and give it to your smaller Xoltol to grow them. Certain recipes provide the Xolotl with new skills or different classes, allowing for various play styles. The Xolotl never dies forever, but you can use the others you raise on your level runs.
Your camp is home to a few different NPCs and shops that will slowly make the game easier for you. With the gems you collect during your adventures, you can buy new guns and gear that can drop while you are doing your runs. You have snipers, assault rifles, shotguns, lasers, melee weapons, pistols, and explosives to choose from. The cookies you bring back will let you upgrade an Xolotl to have a tiny buff toward certain weapons. So, if you make a shotgun Xoltol, it will have more shotgun damage, and those are more likely to drop.
Your camp is also home to some dark magic. As you raise your tiny Xolotl, you must nurture and keep them happy. When they reach maximum happiness, you can grow them into fighters you can use in battle. If you want to use that happiness for your own gains, you may also do that. Bring a couple of baby Xolotl down to the dark crystal and steal their happiness. You can get permanent buffs from Xoltol happiness, like new rooms, or more main weapon damage. The baby Xolotl doesn’t die, but you can’t nurture them for a few runs afterward.
During my playthrough, I didn’t run into any tech problems or frame drops.
Even in the hectic year that is 2023, I still enjoyed AK-Xolotl. With a demo on Steam, AK-Xolotl is a no-brainer to try for action roguelike fans.
