Don't Hold Your Breath For Oxyjet

Oxyjet sounds like either a component you purchase for your jetski or something to do with teeth. Wrong! It’s a game and the reason why I’m writing a review about it for the PC and, once again, the Xbox Series X. 

Though you can play this sci-fi title as a solo outing, relying on the A.I., I’d highly discourage it as the fun lies in the multiplayer side of things. As an advocate of solo play and reserving multiplayer to local only (mostly), you’ll want to opt for the latter; otherwise, consider skimming over this game from Upstairs Digital.

The game is a physics type similar to Asteroids; only you have to secure an area for longer than your opponent in order to win. Simply standing your ground isn’t enough as they’ll not only ram you, but through the multiple game modes, you’ll find yourself blasted at by all manner of horrible lasers and explosive things. The core game is challenging as you have to navigate your ship by damaging and repairing it.

Oxyjet Review

Yes, Oxyjet is peculiar, as you have to burn holes in your ship to propel it forward. Insert holes to the left, and the ship will move to the right, but bash into any other obstacle, such as an enemy ship, and you may have to create entry points along the top and/or bottom. The more holes you have, the faster you’ll move, so to counter them, you need to make holes on the opposite side or patch them up. Sounds complicated? In practice it isn’t, but as it’s physics-based, it can be frustrating as the spaceship doesn’t go where you want it to.

Your spaceship has two members of crew: one to make the holes, the other to patch them. Alternatively, you can go solo and create and destroy your ‘strategy’. I wouldn’t recommend it, though, as despite all the game modes and difficulty settings, playing alone is quite… boring. In its defence, Oxyjet encourages multiplayer gaming, which is where it shines as, depending on who you play with, it can be a lot of fun.

Up to four players can join locally and online – two players to each ship. At the game’s start, you must race to the inner circle and hold it for as long as possible. Over-egging, it will have you hitting the walls and taking damage. Additionally, you will lose oxygen, too (it’s in the title), but power-ups throughout keep you in the game. It is a very quick-fire experience, though, so best played as a party game until you get bored or fall out with one another.

Oxyjet is an entertaining game with the right company, but not the type I’d recommend playing on your own. Sure, there are multiple arenas and game modes on display, but they’re a bit samey and only add a fresh lick of paint to the core gameplay. The latter is decent once again in local play (my experience), but it wasn’t enough for this to be my go-to game, rather another title to add to the playlist when I have a party session. Though it wasn’t reviewed, I’d say this would be great fun on the Switch (tabletop mode and whatnot…).