When I first started playing X-Scape, I found myself flying down a tunnel, avoiding walls and shooting enemies. I was like “awesome, it’s classic Star Fox, though without the Fox!” The game uses flat or wireframe polygons, shaded in mostly monochrome colors (the introduction also reminded me of playing Red Alarm on Virtual Boy). After leaving the tunnel, I found myself in a flat 3D field, where I could drive around like a tank shooting down enemies. Okay, this is more like Battlezone than Star Fox, I thought.

Then it struck me. X-Scape is a sequel to X, a Japan-only 3D wireframe Game Boy title, and in the same line as Argonaut’s early Starglider games. Dylan Cuthbert is President of the developer, Q-Games, and was also involved in Star Fox and X while at Argonaut. Unfortunately, I haven’t played a lot of X due to language barriers, but the similarities are obvious, from the game areas to the graphics, and even the throttle and radar-based control.

Thankfully, the touchscreen makes the controls much more approachable than its predecessor. Control is performed using the touchscreen by dragging the stylus overtop of a radar. The farther away the stylus is from the center, the faster the tank will travel, and the angle on the radar controls the direction. The buttons and D-pad are used to fire lasers. Players can also ramp up pyramid-shaped objects to hovers in the air and target enemies from above.

The game begins with a stream of computer console text. Apparently, your character is being awakened after a number of years in cryogenic stasis aboard a starship. Returning home, you find that your former commander (represented by a polygonal head looking like a cross between the SNES version of Andross and M.Bison from Street Fighter), has used the power of the Energy Crystals (found in the first game) to make himself emperor. Immediately hightailing it out of there, players move from planet to planet, completing missions, such as collecting the crystals or taking out enemies.

X-Scape seems surprisingly deep for a DSiWare title. There are a number of mission types spanning 20 different worlds, which are connected by hyperspace gates. Corridors connecting the areas involve navigating fast-paced tunnels. I hope the music in the tunnels is as good as in the original! Throughout the game, you’ll have opportunities to hack information interfaces with your robot companion to discover what happened in the 10 years since your departure.

Gamers outside of Japan never got to experience X, but they’ll get to try the retro-modern sequel, X-Scape. The game’s unique, almost experimental style and design are intriguing, and given the developer’s history, is likely to be a blast. Check the video below for Dan Owsen’s demo of the game.