Sci-fi roguelikes are a nice change of pace from the usual fantasy games, and Xenocide is a pretty good one. The first thing you’ll notice is how developed the UI is. Exploring has never been easier, thanks to intuitive menus and various shortcuts. I especially like the “Explore” command, which automatically hunts out new passageways, until something interesting pops up. The tutorial mode is much appreciated, as well!
The game is in no way easy, though, and even the weaker enemies pose a serious threat to your health and happiness. Weapons and ammo, I’ve noticed, are pretty scarce, too, at least in the earlier levels. Actually, it would have been nice to see more useful items appear in general.
There are four classes you can start with: Combat, Medical, Scientist, and Mechanic. The Mechanic is my personal favorite, as it lets you build robots to help you in battle, by combining robot CPUs and other items. You could probably build an entire game around this idea alone.
Xenocide is a solid Roguelike that could definitely benefit from some more development, but it’s already a pretty slick package overall. I was pleasantly surprised by how much the sound and music added to the atmosphere.
If you’re interested, check out a more thorough review at the Rogue Temple.