X-Out Resurfaced

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Fans of classic shooters (or shmups, if you’re cool like that) were spoiled for choice in the late 80s and early 90s, though not equally. For US and Japanese gamers consoles ruled the roost, though in Europe the popularity of cheaper home computers helped created a world where Japanese-led productions weren’t the only game in town (pun certainly intended). This meant new games could be programmed directly onto the hardware and distributed without the hassle of getting approval from publishers.

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Among them was X-Out, a classic side-scrolling shmup that debuted on the Commodore 64 in 1989 but quickly made its way to Amiga and other platforms. Developed by German-based Rainbow Arts (Turrican), it’s a shooter that owes much to Irem’s R-Type (Rainbow would soon port R-Type to the hardware), but includes a few gimmicks that felt remarkably fresh: you blast enemies not in space but underwater (water that still looks like space) in submarine craft that’s ridiculously customizable.

35+ years later we have X-Out Resurfaced, a completely remastered version rebuilt from the ground up by Kritzelkratz 3000 for modern hardware with enhanced visuals, some welcome streamlining tweaks, great new box art by Ogan Kandemiroglu (brother of original artist Celal Kandemiroglu), and a completely updated soundtrack from original composer Chris Huelsbeck. But fear not, as this is very much still the same game it was decades ago, for better or worse.

Oh, and just so there’s no argument, it’s pronounced “cross-out”, not “ex-out”. Much like the whole “Mah-rio” and “Mare-io” debate, the game literally pronounces its own name on the title screen, so end of discussion. Right?

Even by 1989 standards X-Out was a fairly barebones shooting experience, even with the added gimmicks. As you make your way through each level enemies come at you in waves, practically begging to be annihilated, and your life bar depletes as you sustain damage; direct impact with an indestructible background means instant death, however. Each level ends with a boss battle, some more challenging than others, but seasoned shooter vets should breeze through this one fairly quickly.

The real fun in X-Out lay in the shop, letting you purchase and customize your craft before heading into battle, and you’ll want to plan carefully as there are no power-ups or nabbable enhancements during battle. Thankfully, there’s no real-world microtransactions here as high scores earned while playing can be used between levels to upgrade weapons, bombs, and even extra craft. These added vehicles serve as your extra lives, so spend wisely.

One nice addition is the ability to choose from three premmade submarines if customizing is getting in the way of your itchy trigger finger, letting you quickly enter the fray. How you gear out your craft will result in slightly different experiences in the levels, adding some welcome replay value to an otherwise straightforward adventure.

The most obvious improvement in X-Out Resurfaced are the visuals, which pay respect to the OG sprites but look much better here. The new parallax scrolling looks great, and I appreciate the fidelity to the original presentation. One issue from the original game remains, and that’s the backgrounds, which can be difficult to articulate at times and lead to unintentional deaths (the most dangerous enemies are the small crevices you didn’t notice until it’s too late).

Also, despite the trailer highlighting the original visuals, this was just nostalgia bait as you’re not able to play using the chunkier C64 or Amiga sprites. I wish there had been an option to play the original game, if only to better contrast it with an otherwise fine remastering job.

While the updated visuals and sound effects (and voice samples) are nice, easily the best aspect of X-Out Resurfaced, much like the original game, is the incredible soundtrack that’s been fully remastered by Huelsbeck (Turrican) himself. The years have been kind to his original compositions, which are appropriately epic, and the new emphasis on bass sounds incredible. I’m not surprised ININ made this remix available on physical media. Purists can always switch between the new soundtrack or the original C64 or Amiga versions, unlike the visuals, though not on-the-fly as you’ll have to restart a level.

I’m going to be honest; X-Out was never the best side-scrolling shooter, even on the C64 (it’s hard to argue Armalyte or Rainbow Arts’ own Katakis weren’t better) but it was a very good one with innovative ideas, solid gameplay, and a killer soundtrack. X-Out Resurfaced retains all those things, adding better visuals, a vastly improved soundtrack, and even 2-player co-op to a game that owes much to classics like R-Type. While not groundbreaking, it remains a fun, albeit short, shmup for both fans and Western audiences who may have missed out all those years ago.