Zaxoid, a new twin-stick shooter from solo developer Steve George at M80 Games, is out now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One through the ID@Xbox program. The game draws direct inspiration from golden age arcade titles and aims to recreate that high-score-chasing rush for a new generation.
The core mechanic wraps precision twin-stick shooting around a spherical battlefield — a deliberate nod to classics like Asteroids, Defender, Star Castle, and Geometry Wars. Zaxoid also borrows the pod/option system from shoot-em-up series like Gradius and Thunder Force, reimagining it as a drone mechanic. Ships start with limited drone capacity, but upgrading the vessel's CPU core unlocks more drones that trail behind, adding both firepower and defensive coverage. An original soundtrack rounds out the package, going for that energetic retro feel with modern production values.
Zaxoid is a solo passion project — George built the game he says he's been dreaming about since childhood, explicitly not chasing trends or market data. That kind of single-developer arcade revival sits in a well-worn but beloved niche: Geometry Wars itself started as a small project inside Bizarre Creations before becoming one of the original Xbox 360 launch highlights, and the twin-stick shooter genre has seen consistent revivals from indie developers ever since.
The game is available now on Xbox. No pricing or Game Pass availability was mentioned in the announcement.
Sources (1)
AI-assisted summary, reviewed by our editors — how we work.
Get the daily digest
Top gaming news in Lithuanian — every day at 9:00.