Xybots

A view from behind the hero's back, a maze full of aliens and pseudo-3D that on a pocket console in 1991 seemed almost impossible — Xybots was one of those titles that make you wonder how it could ever have run in your palm.

It's a maze shooter from the unusual perspective behind the character's back as they push through cramped corridors and eliminate robotic enemies whose styling recalls the aliens from the Metroid series. The game combines action with spatial orientation — you have to track the map, find your way and at the same time react to enemies lurking around corners. In the way it works with perspective and movement through the maze, it foreshadows the style of later 3D shooters.

For 1991 and for pocket hardware this was a technically impressive piece. Creating a convincing impression of real-time movement through space on a portable console was no given, and Xybots was among the titles with which Atari showed that the Lynx could handle more ambitious forms than flat 2D.

Co-op via the ComLynx cable isn't missing either, so you could face the maze as a pair. Exploring corridors together and covering each other's backs added tension and a strategic dimension that solo play doesn't offer.

Today Xybots is interesting mainly as a bridge between the classic arcade shooter and the later era of 3D action — a reminder of the moment when developers were trying to pull the player into space, even before the hardware could do it comfortably. For fans of retro experiments it's a tempting stop.

Why play: A pseudo-3D maze shooter that impresses technically for 1991 and foreshadows later 3D action — with co-op via ComLynx on top.