2019's Demon's Tilt was one of the best pinball games we'd seen in a long time. Pitched as a spiritual successor to Compile's PC Engine / Mega Drive classic Devil's Crush, it boasted amazing visuals, a fantastic soundtrack and enough challenge to keep you coming back again and again.
Now, Adam Ferrando (AKA WIZNWAR) – the genius behind that game – is back, and he's picked another Compile pinball game as inspiration for his next title, Xenotilt.
Alien Crush arrived on the PC Engine / TurboGrafix-16 back in 1988 and quickly became a cult classic. Devil's Crush is actually the sequel to Alien Crush, so Ferrando is working backwards through the series when it comes to inspiration – but it's no less amazing.
Just as Demon's Tilt was packed with occult enemies and a brooding, gothic atmosphere, Xenotilt is all about alien aggressors, lasers and other sci-fi elements. Ferrando tells PC Gamer that the table you play on is taller than the one seen in Demon's Tilt, and it will have some "screen-filling bosses" for you to fight against. One of the big new additions is a pair of turrets on the flippers, which can be used to clear a path or damage bosses – but you'll have to keep an eye on your ammo stock.
The game is nearly complete, and Ferrando just has to decide if he's going to put it on Steam Early Access, as he did with Demon's Tilt. That title would eventually end up on consoles, too, so here's hope the same route is taken by Xenotilt.