You can feel the adrenalin rush of XYZ Tear Them Down almost immediately. This first-person, low-poly cyberpunk title gives you the ability to alter gravity while handing you an energy sword. While that already sounds like everything you could possibly need, in action this is a fast, visceral slice of futurism that keeps you on the move, and constantly on the edge of your gaming chair.
We were able to go hands on with the game at Digital Dragons in Krakow, where, incidentally, it came second in the show’s indie game awards. That’s immediately a glowing recommendation from the Polish game industry, and one that, based on our time with it, is thoroughly well deserved.
XYZ is fast. The movement here is sublime, and you can race through levels at lightspeed if you have the reactions and chops to do so. Specific surfaces allow you to change the gravity, making the wall the floor and vice versa, and once you’ve got the hang of it, this is a game that flows.
These sections are what the team term as ‘running’ sections, distinct from the second type which is ‘arena’. Here you get to put that energy sword to use, swinging it with abandon into the metallic bodies of the robot drones that stand in your way.
You can also bounce their projectiles back at them with a well-timed swing, though you have to also aim it with your cursor which takes a little more practice to perfect.
Each arena zone has a large door with the remaining number of enemies to dispatch emblazoned on it, and so you have to search around, utilising the gravity changing mechanic to find where they are in the level. It’s clever stuff, and even here, in its unfinished state, the game has a distinct vision and purpose.
It looks great too. I’d like to see more interactivity with your environment – smashing vases is surely the nunber one feature to put into your game – but the low-poly look works incredibly well here, providing a look that’s basically timeless.
Clearly influenced by games like Ultrakill, Neon White and Ghostrunner, speed and movement lie at the heart of XYZ. The team have absolutely nailed that aspect from the off.
What’s most impressive is that, not only is this their debut title, but they’ve also only just graduated from high school, which is astonishing. I can’t wait to see the finished article, and, on the strength of XYZ – Tear It Down this is a group of developers to keep an eye on.