Game Review: Ben 10: Power Trip (Xbox Series X)

A game that is aimed at a younger audience is no excuse for shallow gameplay, average visuals, and a non-existent story. So, in that regard, Ben 10: Power Trip is not going to get off easy.

That being said, it is based off a very popular franchise that has been running for over a decade in several different iterations. One that has seen countless games already and most are worth avoiding. That’s not the case with Ben 10: Power Trip, where at worst, it’s middling.

Ben, Gwen, and their Grandpa Max are on vacation somewhere in Europe. Stopping their RV and helping a local ranger, Ben makes the discovery that the evil villain Hex is involved. Hex is able to disable Ben’s abilities to transform into aliens and scatters them across the landscape.

If Ben is to put a stop to Hex’s nefarious plans, he must explore the region and find all his alien transformation abilities. All while helping the locals with their demands.

That’s the story and it’s as deep as rain puddle. Hex is here, Hex is able to disable all of Ben’s alien transformations and wants to take over the world. Maybe. The game doesn’t really make any of this clear.

Which would be at least passable if the open-world gameplay was at least interesting, but it’s not. Control Ben and explore the region which is split into several themed areas (mountains, farms, bustling cities, a ski lodge etc). Find NPCs who give quests that range from ‘fetch and deliver’ to ‘fight alien baddies’ tasks. Ben earning money that can than be spent on items and upgrades that make him stronger overall.

If you’ve played any open-world RPG-lite game ever, Ben 10: Power Trip offers nothing new and nothing with depth. Quests are repetitive and boring, combat is extremely easy, especially when you unlock your full arsenal of alien powers. However, each alien is wholly unique and utilising their abilities to take down enemies is fun.

That’s one area that Ben 10: Power Trip does well. Especially when it starts to introduce fun platforming sections that require certain alien abilities to traverse. The more you have available, the more areas you can explore. Some alien abilities aren’t unlocked until later in the game, so there’s some encouragement to backtrack if you’re planning to complete the game fully.

Although, the repetitive nature of the game, buggy quests, and stupid collectibles are hardly going to keep most playing on. The visuals, while colourful, are incredibly dated and it also suffers from frame rate issues. Which is hilarious when you see just how bland it looks.

The attempt to make this accessible to a younger audience means almost all of this is shallow. Where the developers wanted to make a grander Ben 10 game but were limited by the attempt to make it so easily accessible. It’s a shame because the game had potential and with a bit more effort, time, and willingness to not treat children like idiots, it could have been pretty good. Instead it’s just pretty average.