I played Xeodrifter. Impressions and Let's Play below:
If Nintendo asked Renegade Kid to make a Metroid game, Xeodrifter would be it. Everything that makes Metroid great is featured in Xeodrifter.
My Let's Play can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygvew8U9Fyo
Shooting, platforming, areas unlock based upon items/power-ups, and an emphasis on exploration. What Renegade Kid has done is put their spin on it. Please excuse this quick aside but it should be noted that if you were given a bunch of pixel art styles along a police lineup, It would be very easy to I.D. Renegade Kid's animation. So, well done for having a unique and recognizable look with so few pixels. To segue Renegade Kid's previous work in here, if you've played Mutant Mudds or are aware of it's notable feature, the multi-depth parallax platforming works
so amazingly well in Xeodrifter that using the buzzword
synergy is appropriate here. There were a few times that the background just drifted off in the periphery of my attention, but thanks to brilliant game design, there are enemies or objects moving that punctuates the setting to capture your attention and give you that eureka "Ah-ha!" moment to make you feel like a genius. There are also times when you just need to be paying attention because there are power-ups idly sitting.
Speaking of power-ups, Xeodrifter handles weapon upgrades as points to your gun that you can repurpose at will and even create up to three quick-slot configurations to deftly switch in between. There are a few methods to upgrade your gun. You can make your bullets larger, shoot faster, do more damage, spread shot or do a sine-wave pattern. There are certain enemies, like Giant-Eye-Lazer-Death-Cube-Thing that can be dispatched quicker with the sinewave upgrade. So figuring out what works best in a certain aspect and one that is entirely decided by you, works hand-in-hand with the non-linear exploration of the game.
Also I didn't mention it yet, but traversing to the four different areas of the game is done via a small little spaceship. It barely plays any role outside of being a hub, but it's a very nice touch.
One thing that I find a bit lacking is the boss fights. So far there is just one boss that is varied each event. I am conflicted with this because there is enough variety, especially when you consider the parallax battling, and new "tells" that need to be learned to
not feel stale. However, I really wish there were more completely original bosses. I can understand the amount of time to conceive and implement original bosses is non-trivial, so it is appreciated that the one boss continually finds new ways to make use of all of the power-ups. That is essentially the only negative thing I can say about Xeodrifter.
Lastly, the secrets. Yes there is a grid-based map. And yes, after you've revealed a secret it is indicated on the grid-based map via a special indicator. There are also a few easter eggs and funnily enough even though I would call Xeodrifter a Metroidlike as opposed to a Metroidvania game, there are early Castlevania Chicken-in-the-wall secrets to be found.
Also, I didn't know where to fit this so I apologize for that, but even the little details like the bullet particle effects and splashing in the water being dynamic is a great touch. Love the little details.
If you like Metroid or Metroidvania games, Xeodrifer is a no-brainer. You need to buy this. It will make you happy. I don't usually hand out guarantees* but in this instance, I guarantee* it.
*guarantee offered is for humor purposes only. I have no means of offering any sort of guarantee 
.png/800px-Hazama_(Continuum_Shift,_Story_Mode_Illustration,_2).png)
