XERA: Survival was released via Steam (PC) with early access on 24th May 2019. It’s an online survival game that has been both developed and published by Spotted Kiwi Interactive. The game is still in development at the moment, and it is clear on the XERA: Survival website and on Steam that it could change depending on player feedback.
Survival of the Fittest
XERA: Survival is set in the year 2022. Artificial Intelligence has become a bit a problem, and it is down to you to compete against others in containing the artificial threat. The game is set across one map that is completely open world. You can do what you want and go where you want. It is player vs player vs enemy (or environment). You can play the game in either first-person or third-person, depending on your preference.
XERA: Survival presents players with a harsh and unforgiving environment. Not only do you have to survive, but you have to look out for enemies everywhere you turn. You will fight against the robot enemies whilst fighting against other players and facing the real struggle of survival. You will have to search through each area because you will need to obtain food, water, clothing, protection, weapons and more. As you become a stronger survivor, you will grow in level. This will unlock more abilities for your survivor, like crafting different items.
Working as a Team
You can take on the world of XERA: Survival by yourself in an effort to face it with more difficulty or to prove that you are the toughest survivor out there. Another way to play would be online with friends so that you can team up together and beat the odds. When you meet people online in the game, their first instinct is to attack with their full force. However, if you get the opportunity, you could convince them to join you. This will make your team stronger against the robot enemy and rival groups of other players.
Across the map, there are regular drops of supplies that normally offer you and your team an array of gear, food and water. Every so often, there is a larger drop where a large amount of robots congregate. These situations will take at least two or three people to overcome the robots. There are also other players to consider. I have no shame in revealing that there were times when I and another player were just about to defeat the last few robots when a team of other players attacked us. They took us out when we had dropped in health from our fight against the robots. After they successfully defeated us through their surprise attack, they proceeded to steal all of our rewards from the fight we had undertaken beforehand.
Stronger in Numbers
Xera: Survival is definitely best played with others. It is great as a game that you can enjoy with your friends. I found it much more difficult to play alone and, even though it is more challenging alone, I found it a little bit boring when I wasn’t able to enjoy it with a friend. Plus, I found it much more frustrating trying to defeat groups of other players when I was playing alone. I felt like the other players were putting extra effort into hunting me down and seeking me out.
What Works with XERA
XERA: Survival has some great aspects. First off, the graphics are pretty good. When I was playing, I didn’t find any glitching or loading issues, and the surroundings, especially in the forest areas, are quite beautiful. The only part of the game where the graphics seem to lack slightly are the robots. They don’t look great, and the way they move is quite cringe-worthy. That being said, it is extremely fun to destroy them. Another great aspect to the game are the safe zones. There are two safe zones across the game’s map, and in these zones you can store items that you won’t need whilst you are going out to scavenge for more.
Limitations of XERA
One of the biggest issues with XERA: Survival is the disappointing number of weapons and gear items. No matter where you go on the map, it is the same few items that are sprawled out: The same types of guns, head gear and melee weapons, which is very limited. Another issue is that, after you have explored the map, it gets quite repetitive and boring. It would have been better if the map was small but also had other maps to supplement it. This would make it feel like there is more to explore.
At the moment, there is a great distance in between areas on the map, and it can get frustrating when travelling from place to place because there aren’t many vehicles. There is a helicopter that moves from safe zone to safe zone, through which you can hitch a ride from one side of the map to the other. You can also drop out of the helicopter at any point to parachute into an area. There are also small quad bikes, but they are very scarce. Other than those options, it is quite difficult to get around, especially in a group of people because it’s not like you can share one quad bike.
Another issue that the game has is that it starts you off in a random area of the map. Even if you are playing with friends, you could be unlucky and start off on opposite sides of the map. This means having to arrange somewhere to meet and making sure you don’t die along the way.
XERA: Survival Overall
XERA: Survival definitely has some good qualities. The graphics are fairly decent, with the odd exception here and there. The map is huge, but that can cause a few frustrations. It is very fun to play with friends, but it can get boring when playing alone. It also kind of feels like you are being hunted or that the other players are ganging up on you if you are alone. There aren’t any glitching or loading issues that I found when playing the game.
XERA: Survival feels a bit like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite with the addition of robots and without the restrictions of the area getting smaller or a time limit counting down. It gives off a real sense of teamwork. The game is not without its limitations or issues which mainly lie with the weaponry, gear and actually getting around the map, especially in a big group. Once you have explored all of the areas, it can become a bit boring and repetitive, but I like the fact that it is player vs player vs enemy. It feels like a true fight for survival because it offers players a brutal and unforgiving environment.
Developer: Spotted Kiwi Interactive
Publisher: Spotted Kiwi Interactive
Platform: PC
Release Date: 24th May 2019