The main mechanics of Xeno Fighters R are similar to the Raiden Fighters games, so fans of those games should feel right at home here.
Stage branching[]
In Story Mode, your gameplay choices affect which stage you go to next.
Fighter weapon modes[]
There are three types of weapon modes for the fighters of Xeno Fighters R.
- M/L: Fighters use either their Missile weapon or their Laser weapon at one time. The weapon is changed by collecting the appropriate power-up item. Most M/L fighters have a main shot. Examples of M/L fighters include the Amada Vipros and the P-38 Lightning.
- M+L: Fighters use their Missile and Laser weapons simultaneously. Each needs to be powered up individually. Examples of M+L fighters include the Raiden mk-II and the Judge Spear.
- Single: Fighters have only their main shot and a subweapon. They require only 4 powerups to reach maximum power. Examples of Single weapon fighters include the X-36 and Michelle Heart.
Scoring system[]
There are two scoring systems depending on which game mode you select:
- Story Mode and Path Mode: Your bonus score is calculated based on the length of your chain and is awarded after your chain breaks.
- The formula for the chain score is:, where is your chain length.
- Conquest Mode and Boss Rush: The chain bonus score is recorded from when you begin a chain until you break that chain. A score multiplier that is equal to your chain length is applied to all scoring opportunities (exceptions are medals, excess powerup pickups, and shooting the enemy). Another multiplier, which starts at 1x and is increased by 1 for every 25 chain count-ups you get, is applied to your chain bonus score when your chain breaks.
Combo system and scoring bonuses[]
The combo system relies on you constantly killing enemies in a short time span, but various factors affect it as well.
These are the common scoring bonuses that extend the combo chain:
- CHAIN EXTEND! - Destroying certain enemies will extend your combo chain.
- QUICK SHOT! - Kill a big enemy before it has a chance to fire at you.
- DESTROYED AT A TIME! - Destroy two or more special targets within one second of each other (i.e. boss turrets).
- DISCOVERED THE FAIRY/MICLUS! - By simply discovering their hiding spots, they extend your chain.
There are other scoring bonuses in certain stages.
Bonus items[]
Some stages have hidden Micluses and Fairies, which can give you big scoring bonuses, just like in the Raiden Fighters games.
Micluses are small, dragon-like critters, that hide in various spots and are revealed by hovering over said spots. Shooting them down makes them spit out nine medals, on top of giving the player 100k points, which are multiplied, depending on current combo.
Fairies are a bit different in how they are discovered, but they drop one Bomb icon for you, with 100k points by grabbing them, multiplied by current combo as well. Unlike Raiden Fighters, the fairies cannot be killed. In the Story Mode and Path Mode scoring system, Fairies behave like in Raiden Fighters, dropping a Bomb icon after reaching the top area of the screen. In Conquest Mode's scoring system, Fairies do not drop a Bomb icon and fly away until after your combo chain breaks. The player must decide if they want to collect Fairies with an active multiplier, or sacrifice the multiplier for a Bomb icon.
Medal system[]
The medal system is a simplified version of that found in Raiden Fighters and Raiden Fighters 2. Medal values are increased by collecting every visible medal on-screen. Slaves are not used in determining medal values like in the Raiden Fighters games.
Medals include 10pt medals (10-90 points), 100pt (100-900), 1000pt (1000-9000), golden 10000 point medals, and X-Medals (10000-100000 points). X-Medals that are dropped by leaving the screen will reset all future spawned X-medals to their base 10000 point value.
Collecting a certain amount of these grant players additional lives.
Slaves[]
The Slaves are a gameplay mechanic that comes from the Raiden Fighters games. They behave mostly the same in this game. See the Slave main article for more information.
Rank system[]
The rank system is your difficulty curve and it is affected by your chosen difficulty and how well you play. The rank system operates on a scale of 0 to 50000. The rank value dynamically adjusts itself depending on how long you survive between deaths, completion of stages, picking up of medals/fairies/Micluses and other factors. Rank increase rate depends on the number of stage clears since your last death or game start, whichever is shorter.
Rank tiers[]
The rank scale is divided up into 6 tiers. The rank tiers are used to make changes to enemy attack densities or patterns.
- Tier 0: Rank value less than or equal to 5000.
- Tier 1: 5001 to 12500 inclusive
- Tier 2: 12501 to 20000 inclusive
- Tier 3: 20001 to 27500 inclusive
- Tier 4: 27501 to 35000 inclusive
- Tier 5: Greater than 35000. This is the maximum tier.
Difficulty levels[]
The game has six difficulty settings. These settings change the initial, minimum and maximum rank values for the rank system:
Novice[]
- Start=1, Min=1, Max=1
- Rank tier is always 0
- Enemies fire with the sparsest patterns and slowest bullet speeds. This difficulty level is recommended for players who are completely new to shmups, or to players who want to learn a stage's layout as practice for higher difficulty levels.
Easy[]
- Start=1, Min=1, Max=22500
- Rank tiers 0 to 2
- Enemies attack with sparse patterns and slow bullet speeds. This difficulty level is recommended for players who have passing familiarity with shmups, or those who want a less frantic gaming experience.
Normal[]
- Start=7500, Min=5001, Max=30000
- Rank tiers 1 to 3
- Enemy attacks are balanced, so they aren't too overwhelming. This difficulty level is recommended for the average player.
Hard[]
- Start=30000, Min=27501, Max=50000
- Rank tiers 3 to 5
- Enemies attack with denser patterns, sustained rate of fire, and higher speed. Rank can reach the maximum of 50000, giving stronger players a challenge. This difficulty level is recommended for players who are comfortable with shmups.
Expert[]
- Starting/Min/Max=50000
- Rank tier is always 5
- Since the rank is always at maximum, enemies attack with the fiercest attack patterns, fastest bullet speeds, and bullet density at all times. Bullet speed is at 110% of their maximum speed, and most airborne enemies return fire when destroyed (similar to Raiden Fighters 2 and Raiden Fighters Jet's Expert Course). This difficulty level is recommended for experienced shmup players.
Arcade[]
- Start=1, Min=1, Max=50000
- Rank tiers 0 to 5
- This difficulty mode is not available in Conquest Mode or Boss Rush. This difficulty level spans the entire rank scale, simulating the dynamic difficulty found in the Raiden Fighters games.
| Game mechanics | ||
| Game modes | Story Mode ● Path Mode ● Conquest Mode ● Boss Rush | |
| Core gameplay | SP Ability (Xeno Overdrive) ● Miclus ● Fairy ● Slave ● Fighter weapon modes ● Combo system and scoring bonuses ● Medal system ● Rank system and difficulty levels | |
| Lore | BRES ● ATHENA ● The Keto | |
| Game information | Game development history ● Public release history | |