Game Review: Santa’s Monster Shootout (Xbox One)

Snowy valleys, Christmas bells and Santa Claus is preparing gifts for Christmas. A normal December. Really? No, something is different this year…Monsters and Zombies from all the world are trying to steal the gift packages, they want it all and they want it now.

It’s time to lock and load. Those monsters and zombies need taking out and only Santa Claus, with his arsenal of weapons, can save the Christmas gifts.

Another one of these ‘mobile’ style games that made their way to the Xbox One platform, Santa’s Monster Shootout has about as much longevity as your standard free to play mobile game. Although this particular game costs a nominal amount if you really, really want to play something Christmassy.

It’s level after level of wave after wave of enemies coming from in front and behind. Your task is not to kill everything (infinite waves) but to keep moving right until you reach the boss, defeat it and get to the exit. Along the way you’ll have to blast your way through a lot of enemies, all while picking up money to buy new weapons, health and ammo. Although the latter isn’t needed for the primary weapon, which has infinite ammo.

You’ll be relying on this until you have enough money to buy a new weapon which will help get through the increasingly difficult but incredibly repetitive levels.

After only a short amount of time, it becomes clear that it’s not going to hold the attention for very long. Visually, the game might look sharp and colourful but there’s nothing actually going on. It’s just screen after screen of the same thing with the same enemies coming at you on masse with the same handful of bosses also repeating.

Most will be bored senseless after about half an hour of this inane monotony and even the Christmassy feel won’t save it.