by Matt Maerowitz

Created on: July 04, 2008   Last Updated: July 08, 2008

Game: Xeno Sola
Publisher: XenoClone
Rating: 3/5

Xeno Sola is a game of tile placement, where four players take turns to draw tiles which are then placed on the game board. Players are responsible for constructing space stations based on the tiles they have received. Points are awarded based on the bets that are placed as well as well as how intricate the space station is that gets constructed.

This game definitely has a unique concept, but is not very fun. First, the game is very simple; the tutorial alone speaks to this. I took the tutorial and instead of getting a walk-through of what to do or a training mission, the tutorial is simply a page that names the three types of tiles as well as the point values of each tile. Even though this game features a few more features that can only be understood while playing the game, such as how to lift and rotate tiles, overall there is not much to Xeno Sola.

Additionally, there is an overwhelming amount of luck that takes place in the game. You as the player, have no control over what tile or even type of tile that you can draw. In a way, the luck element is not so bad just because if you could pick the type of tile you drew then it would be way too easy to form an ideal space station. However, there still seems to be a bit too much luck which allows for immense point disparities. For example, one of the first times I played the game, I was able to garner 236 points while the next highest competitor only had a score of 109 and the other two were still in double digits.

The game has some strategic element in that tiles have to be placed in strategic locations and you should bet accordingly. For example, if you place a five point bet (the highest bet) in a poor location you can be punished because it may take a long time for it to cash out if it ever does. Also, once you place a bet, you may not place the same bet until that bet gets cashed out. In other words, someone who places a bet of five must get that bet cashed out in order to be able to place another bet of five. While this is not the easiest concept to explain, it is a good one in that it makes Xeno Sola a somewhat strategic game.

The graphics and music of Xeno Sola are solid. The characters use cool anime designs. The game also uses techno music, which This seems to fit well with the space station theme. Nonetheless, the graphics and music cannot make up for the game play itself, which I found a bit boring.

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