Xenon 1988

Is it still worth playing?

The Bitmap Brothers' first game, a vertically scrolling shooter written for the Atari ST in 1988 and ported to the Amiga, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX and ZX Spectrum. In the manual's story you are Darrian, a future pilot of the Federation, at war for a decade with a violent alien species called the Xenites. Answering a mayday from Captain Xod, he has to cross Xenite territory. His craft has two modes, a flying plane and a ground tank. That switch is the core of it, and the right mode depends on the threat. It is possible at almost any time, except during bosses and in levels that force one mode. Along the way, some destroyed enemies release power ups that improve the ship. Choosing between plane and tank to fit each enemy still makes every level a plan today.