The "archaic"/old school FPS design and first person platforming is what keeps this from being overly tedious. Also of note is how quaint the linear scripting feels, at times almost being able to be broken with ease. Xen was mostly fine except for when an area started spawning endless enemies, or relying on the floaty platforming that added even lower gravity.

Curious to know how much the Xash3D pathtracing mod changes the visuals up with just lighting alone. One thing I noticed is how rough the lighting is, with the flashlight essentially being a small circle that moves around the environment.