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Retro shooter X-Out returns, 35 years later, with new remaster

First launched way back in 1989, Ikaruga and Darius Gaiden style shmup X-Out is finally getting a new remake titled X-Out Resurfaced.

Retro shooter X-Out returns, 35 years later, with new remaster: A cartoon man in a diving suit from X-Out Resurfaced.
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X-Out: Resurfaced 

Over the years, a number of classic shoot ’em ups have made their way to PC, letting players check out retro shmups like Ikaruga alongside more recent takes on the genre, like Vampire Survivors, Brotato, Exit the Gungeon, and more. Now, another shooter from the past is heading to modern computers in the form of X-Out Resurfaced, a newly remastered version of a game that first came out on the Commodore 64 all the back in 1989.

X-Out Resurfaced looks to revive an old game for the modern PC player by reworking and refining the original launch. Its updated blocky pixel visuals appear vivid and colorful in its trailer, and its twist on classic shmups—choosing a deep underwater setting in place of the more common aerial dogfights—remains appealing. Inin Games, the team behind the remaster, is also teasing changes to the source material’s shooting design. Considering that the late ’80s/early ’90s X-Out allowed players to buy new ships and weapons that altered the game’s action, it’s easy to imagine that a ‘modernized’ version could lean into this interplay of upgrading and level difficulty to make Resurfaced more closely resemble current roguelikes.

Regardless, Resurfaced will help make some version of the game easier to check out than it has been in decades. We’re not sure how many still have a Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum hooked up and ready to use, but access to a PC capable of running Resurfaced seems much more likely.

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While we’re waiting for more news on X-Out Resurfaced, check out some of our favorite roguelike games and FPS games for more.

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Reid is a freelance writer and editor who’s written for sites like Wired, The A.V. Club, Polygon, and more. He also co-founded Bullet Points Monthly, a website about shooters, co-edited and co-wrote a book on Metal Gear Solid called Okay, Hero, and, predictably, spends a lot of time playing and thinking about shooters, from Doom to Call of Duty. He’s also a big fan of digging into the historical and cultural context of games and loves those that tell a great story.