Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has long been full of great shooter games, and all the more so with the additions of the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises in recent years. Plus, you have everything from Fortnite to Xbox original classics like Halo and Gears of War. But if you’re looking for something new and unique, Xbox Game Pass has 3 new, unique shooter games to offer.
Whether you’re a fan of odd metahumor, fast-paced reactions, or a tightly designed indie adventure, Xbox Game Pass has a great new offering to satisfy your trigger fingers, dual-stick thumbs, and hand-eye coordination thanks to Aerial_Kight’s DropShot, High On Life 2, and Minishoot’ Adventures.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
Aerial_Kight’s DropShot
Publisher: Aerial_Knight
Developer: Aerial_Knight
A solid addition to the fast-paced shooter games genre, Aerial_Knight’s DropShot challenges you through five levels at a time to master your timing and aim. The premise is simple: You’re dropped from a plane and have to shoot a certain number of targets before you reach the ground. Your ammo is limited, although you can accrue more as you fall. But most importantly, if you don’t fall at exactly the right pace, you won’t hit all of your targets.
When you first start Aerial_Knight’s DropShot, things seem pretty simple. You just shoot the enemies one by one, sometimes using explosives or special upgrades to help you out. You’re given a score and a grade after each level based on your timing and the number of bullets you have remaining, but you can only truly pass the level if you hit every target. As the levels advance, however, it becomes clear that your fall speed has to be very strategically governed to succeed.
The fun of Aerial_Knight’s DropShot, therefore, is figuring out when to speed up and when to slow down. If you go too fast, you’ll fly right by the targets and miss them. Go too slowly, and you won’t even encounter all of the enemies before you reach the ground. Sometimes you need to collect falling coins to speed up at a slower pace, and sometimes you must catch a slipstream for rapid acceleration. Sometimes, you need to leave the stream early and then catch the back half of a coin group. Each level slowly ramps up the formula to satisfying gameplay results.
Aerial_Knight’s DropShot is available now on Xbox Series X|S via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and on PC via Steam and Game Pass.
High On Life 2
Publisher: Squanch Games
Developer: Squanch Games
High On Life 2 starts by taking you to a human zoo, prominently features a smart-talking gun, and is filled to the brim with metahumor, including a trip to a Spencer’s Gifts. Basically, this first-person shooter action-adventure game is ridiculous. And that ridiculousness makes for a grand ‘ol time. As you take on big pharma to stop aliens from turning humans into pills, every line of dialogue, every colorful shot and exploding enemy—basically every concept the game throws at you is as elevated as a shooter game gets.
“High On Life 2 is comedy gold… [It’s] an improvement on the first [game] and one hell of a time. The humor shows just how in-tune the writers at Squanch Games are with their players.
With dynamic traversal via sick tricks on a skateboard and fun combat mechanics unique to each gun, there is a lot to learn and a lot to play with in High on Life 2, making it a good time even through its complications.” –Kate Sanchéz in her High On Life 2 review.
High On Life 2 is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
Minishoot’ Adventures
Publisher: Seven Studio
Developer: SoulGame Studio
Minishoot’ Adventures is a darling of an indie twin-stick adventure shooter. As a spaceship searching for your lost brethren after the Unchosen has torn the world asunder, you must navigate a dangerous world to reclaim lost powers and save the world and its inhabitants. Using a classic Zelda-like structure, you explore an overworld full of danger while diving through dungeons to gain new powers and upgrades that let you explore the world further.
The power scaling feels just right, the controls are tight, and the difficulty options allow you to choose just how much a death will set you back. No puzzle is too tough to crack, but neither is Minishoot’ Adventures too easy to solve, either. Bosses are fairly tough, and while proper upgrades help, you can’t necessarily grind your way to being overpowered. You’ll just have to take sidequests to acquire extra upgrades or slowly level up your basic stats, like firepower and speed.
Every corner of Minishoot’ Adventures is a great time, and the aesthetic and audio design only add to the charm. If you are looking for a low-key adventure with a scalable challenge and plenty of bonus exploration to sink into, this is a great choice via Xbox Game Pass.
Minishoot’ Adventures is available now on Xbox Series X|S via Xbox Game Pass Premium and Ultimate, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Game Pass.
With the addition of Aerial_Kight’s DropShot, High On Life 2, and Minishoot’ Adventures, Xbox Game Pass has 3 great new shooter games for fans of every angle of the genre.
