X Invader is an action roguelite where you hack into big corporations' servers. Use add-ons from fellow hackers to defeat monsters. Powerful, cute bosses guard these servers!
You take control of the hacker protagonist, X, and must navigate through procedurally-generated levels filled with enemy hordes to reach and defeat powerful boss characters guarding corporate servers. The core gameplay revolves around a twin-stick shooter, roguelite formula.
You can choose from four distinct weapon types, each with their own unique playstyle and upgrade trees. These include a power glove-styled semi-automatic, twin blades with spinning attacks, a mortar launcher, and a laser cannon. As you progress through runs, you can pick up various add-ons and upgrades from fellow hacker characters. These dramatically alter and enhance your equipped weapon's behavior and abilities, allowing you to transform a basic weapon into a radically different tool. Reviewers praise the depth and creativity of these weapon and upgrade combinations, stating that they enable a high degree of build customization and replayability.
The twin-stick shooter experience requires you to skillfully dodge and weave through dense enemy bullet patterns while positioning yourself to maximize your weapon's effectiveness. The procedurally-generated levels and increasing challenge from wave to wave create a consistently engaging and replayable horde shooter experience. Reviewers highlight the game's comfortable "15-minute session" length, making it well-suited for quick, addictive play sessions. The blend of weapon variety, upgrade synergies, and challenging enemy encounters is praised as creating a compelling, skill-based gameplay loop.
The game's bosses, described as "powerful, cute" characters that guard the corporate servers, provide a satisfying challenge and narrative payoff to your progression through each level. Defeating them requires mastering their unique attack patterns and effectively utilizing your accumulated upgrades. Reviewers note that these boss fights stand out as a particularly well-designed and memorable part of the experience.