AiRace Xeno is the fourth entry in the AiRace franchise and the sequel to AiRace Speed, which was released on the 3DS eShop in September of 2013. The game takes place in a futuristic world where players pilot one of three high speed jets through nine tunnel-filled tracks. Well, technically there are nine tracks, however they are separated into sets of three which share assets and look so similar it feels like there are three tracks further adding to the title’s lack of variety. Each track has three different times to beat, which will earn the player a bronze, silver or gold medal depending on their run time. Unfortunately it doesn't feature competition against other racers, which is only the first of many frustrating issues with the game.

AiRace Xeno does check off one of the racing game must-haves boxes with a flourish:, speed. Obstacles come up quick and are difficult to avoid. This is perfectly fine as it creates challenge, although when a crash is brought on by a dropped frame it is hard not to feel cheated. During my playthrough I crashed frequently. A crash forces you to start over from your most recent check-point, and adds three seconds to your overall time. The approach to the game quickly boils down to slamming the breaks around obstacles and flooring the gas when the tunnel looks clear. It feels like one of the iconic Death Star trench run missions from a Star Wars flight simulator, without Darth Vader and his squad of tie fighters to keep things interesting.

Developer QubicGames took advantage of the features of the platform when making AiRace Xeno. The 3D effect looks great in races and does a decent job of making the games bland, and redundant visuals seem intriguing. AiRace Xeno also features online leaderboards. Controlling the ship feels natural with the CirclePad and the ability to quickly jump in and out of a race (assuming you do a good job of avoiding the obstacles) is a good fit for the platform.

I love the idea of an arcade style space racing game on the 3DS. I went in to AiRace Xeno thinking it would be right up my alley, however the game feels soulless, as if it is a concept for a more complete racing game. The lack of in-race competitors and visual variety in AiRace Xeno make the title difficult to recommend.