XEL

"A game with a lot of potential bogged down by a plethora of bugs and atrocious dialogue &a; voice acting. Playable but far from enjoyable."

"Tiny Roar was too ambitious while making XEL. The scale of the game should have been smaller so that the team could make a more polished product. Instead, they’re in over their heads. Maybe with time and further updates or …"

"XEL paints a beautiful picture but fails to produce anything notable beyond this. Between one-dimensional characters, uninspired combat, and rampant progression barriers, I found very few things to enjoy here. If you are a starved Zelda fan looking for a …"

"XEL is a game that understands its genre, but the development team fails to see that solid innovation is required to compete, given how crowded it is. The basic exploration and combat work well and the time stuff is an …"

"At many times, XEL doesn&s;t seem like a title that is really ready, showing flaws that could have been avoided with more careful and optimized development for Switch. That so, I carry the hope that the game will receive updates …"

"Xel hasn’t had the best launch on Nintendo Switch. The idea of a new contender to the Zelda like genre with a more futuristic feeling is something I have wanted to see for quite some time. But Xel isn’t quite …"

"At the end of the day, XEL is a game that is competent, has some good ideas, and enough gameplay elements to keep you playing. The sound design is well done and I do enjoy the simplistic art direction and …"

"This review is a rough one for me, as there are aspects of XEL that make me wish I could be more positive in my ultimate opinion of it..."

"XEL will keep you entertained for a while, but it’s also a little too clumsy at present. It&s;s an underwhelming adventure game that probably needed more time in development."

"A new game that combines classic Zelda-like gameplay design and sci-fi story. While the adventure part is enough to enjoy, the lack of convenience feature makes it hard to believe that the game is released in 2022. Also, the bugs …"

"XEL isn&s;t a great game. It&s;s not even a mediocre game. It&s;s a half-finished mess that shouldn&s;t have been released in this state."

"XEL has the potential to be a great game, but too many elements are left unpolished. Hopefully, a patch will be able to fix these issues, and then it may be a solid adventure game."

"Ultimately, XEL currently has way too many issues for me to seriously consider suggesting it, which is a shame considering the promise it shows. While updates are being made, at the moment it can be an absolute struggle to get …"

"XEL looks great on the surface, but unfortunately it has too many bugs and technical issues to warrant recommending it to anyone. The framerate drops and slow-loading zone transitions alone can cause some frustrations, but add in an uncontrollable camera …"

"I think there’s a solid game here under all the technical issues, but it’s hard to say. XEL’s combat and time-based puzzles are satisfying, the setting and narrative are engaging, and its aesthetically charming. But until those issues are addressed, …"

"XEL takes many of its cues from the Zelda franchise, with combat and puzzles that keep things interesting throughout as well as a charming, fun cast of characters. However, technical glitches in the Switch version make it difficult to enjoy …"

"XEL is a highly discouraged title. We are faced with a product that, under "normal" conditions, could have achieved a barely passing grade, and nothing more. In its current state, however, it is a testament to the developers&s; lack of …"

"XEL has little character to enjoy, there&s;s no story to keep you fully engaged, and gameplay feels contrived and repetitive. And that&s;s before we get to the frankly abysmal state that this game was released in. I was holding off …"