Final Exerion (Steam, Switch) - City Connection, out September 21st

[FunktionJCB]

City Connection just announced Final Exerion, showing at TGS 2023, and releasing on September 21st (currently announced platforms: PC/Steam and Switch):
https://twitter.com/claricedisc/status/ ... 0413538534

It's supposed to be the first title in a new "Final" series of games. More details are surely coming next week, but it appears this series will consist of enhanced remakes/reimaginings of titles from the Jaleco catalogue.








Some gameplay footage was just shown live, on the following stream (a few minutes past the 1h mark):

https://www.youtube.com/live/notMC-gU97 ... rqbBZkQb47


UPDATE:
The Steam page is now up, showing some further details and screenshots:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2553 ... l_Exerion/

Quoting some details from it:

«★What is "Exerion"?
Exerion is an arcade game developed by Jaleco and released in 1983. It was one of JALECO's most popular titles, with its three-dimensional scrolling ground that pops out from the background, and its gameplay in which the player shoots at enemies while controlling the inertia of the fighter.This title is the first in the "Final" series. With a new original story, new gameplay and remade graphics, this title is co-produced by City Connection and Happy Meal. It also features a manga made by mangaka U-Watari. The battle between space invaders from outer space and Earth's special forces is about to begin! »

[xxx1993]

So what's the "final" supposed to mean? Are we also gonna get a new Game Tengoku game? I hope so, I've been wanting to see Yuki Ito again for a long time now...

[FunktionJCB]

So what's the "final" supposed to mean? Are we also gonna get a new Game Tengoku game? I hope so, I've been wanting to see Yuki Ito again for a long time now...

If I had to guess, they are using "Final" as in "Definitive". Meaning, the "definitive" versions of these older games, enhanced/remade.

Either way, they stated in all media I saw that this is the first in a series, so other games are getting this treatment.
I'm curious to hear which ones.

By the way, City Connection has been announcing the games they are showing at TGS 2023 one by one, and this was the 6th. They still have one more unannounced game.

[BulletMagnet]

this title is co-produced by City Connection and Happy Meal.

I'd attempt to see if this developer has ever done anything notable before this, but no way I'm wasting an afternoon filtering those Google results.

[xxx1993]

What were the other four titles?

[FunktionJCB]

I'd attempt to see if this developer has ever done anything notable before this, but no way I'm wasting an afternoon filtering those Google results.

They have several titles on Steam (some Japanese only), and I happen to own two of their English titles:

One is Retro Mystery Club Vol.1: The Ise-Shima Case, the first entry in a series of mystery adventure games inspired by the Famicom Detective Club titles (this is the first one translated to English, but there's a total of 3 games available on Steam, with 2 of them only available in Japanese at the moment)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2265 ... hima_Case/




The other is a fun 2D action platformer called Retro Revengers:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2445 ... Revengers/

[FunktionJCB]

What were the other four titles?

You can find the full details of their line-up, including trailers, on a website they have just for TGS 2023:
https://city-connection.co.jp/tgs2023/en/

The titles they announced so far are:
-30 Days Another
-FZ: Formation Z
-WiZmans World Re:Try
-Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute
-OMEGA 6: The Video Game
-Final Exerion

I made a mistake in my previous post, though: it's the 6th title announced of a total of 7, and not the 5th in a total of 6.

[xxx1993]

Apparently Final Exerion is part of a “Sci-Fi Multiverse Trilogy”. The first of it also. Wonder what the other two will be? And will they be shmups also?

[BulletMagnet]

They have several titles on Steam

Appreciate the clarification; on the Exerion page they're listed as "Happymeal Inc" instead of just "Happymeal" so none of their existing games show up when you view the profile. Assuming this is indeed the same company (and frankly I'd be very surprised if two different entities decided to claim that particular name).

[FunktionJCB]

Assuming this is indeed the same company

They are.
If you click on their name on the Final Exerion page, all 3 games in what is called in English the "Retro Mystery Club" series appear (you may need to disable the language filter on the search bar, which hides some results from other languages than your own).

It's something that frequently happens: different publishers write the name of the developers slightly differently (incomplete, with an extra dot or coma, ...), and that makes some of their previous games not show up when you click on "Developer".
Experience Inc., for example, the dungeon crawler developer, has their work appearing under 4 or 5 names, because some are listed as "EXPERIENCE", others as "Experience Inc.", and so on.

In the case of HappyMeal, it's curious, but take the first game I previously mentioned of theirs (Retro Mystery Club Vol.1: The Ise-Shima Case). The Japanese language version is published by Flyhigh Works, and has their name written as "Happymeal Inc.". The English language version has a different publisher, Shinyuden, and they list the developer as "Happymeal".

---

On a side note, Happymeal has a really cool-looking retro adventure game in the works, that I have been following for some time, and City Connection is apparently also publishing it.
It's called Omega 6:
https://city-connection.co.jp/omega6/en/


And this is their official website:
https://bonusstage.net/

Their work is basically very much "retro inspired", they have stuff of various genres done in 8-bit/16-bit style (some never left Japan).

It's no guarantee that Final Exerion will turn out well, of course, but their passion is clearly on "old school" gameplay sensibilities, so I'm hopeful the end result will be worth it.

[kid aphex]

I’m really into this graphic style. It’s weird AF and we could all use more weirdness when it comes to the aesthetics of STGs.

[xxx1993]

Wait, it’s on sale already?

[hamfighterx]

Yeah I bought Final Exerion this morning on the US Switch eShop. 10% off until 9/30.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products ... on-switch/

The above mentioned Retro Mystery Club (Vol. 1) and Retro Revengers both hit the US eShop 1 week ago - published by Shinyuden though for the US releases.
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products ... se-switch/
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products ... rs-switch/

[null1024]

Hmmmmm... as someone who likes Exerion a lot, this looks kinda screwy in motion, especially how the farthest background element scales vertically in. Super distracting. It doesn't look like something coming over the horizon, it just looks like the background is being created right in front of you.
It seems like it could be neat, but I can't shake the mid-2000s doujin game feeling that every second of footage is giving me. Some of the graphics are nice, some just look really... wrong. It's all over the place.

How's the ship handling? Arcade Exerion takes ages for you to change direction, how does it feel here?

[jehu]

Hmmmmm... as someone who likes Exerion a lot, this looks kinda screwy in motion, especially how the farthest background element scales vertically in. Super distracting. It doesn't look like something coming over the horizon, it just looks like the background is being created right in front of you.
It seems like it could be neat, but I can't shake the mid-2000s doujin game feeling that every second of footage is giving me. Some of the graphics are nice, some just look really... wrong. It's all over the place.

How's the ship handling? Arcade Exerion takes ages for you to change direction, how does it feel here?

The inertia is very pronounced, yeah. There's a boost that can help mitigate some of the sluggishness, so it's kind of a tug-of-war between the slippy-slide movement of the original and the sharper maneuvering possible with the new system. It feels okay. I was never a big fan of the original Exerion, and I don't absolutely love this game. It was a fun afternoon jaunt through each individual stage. However, I'm certainly not in for a clear. Also worth mentioning: there are a number of elements of randomness that will likely frustrate scoreplay.

The game does have major doujin vibes, but it works. I actually like the stupid pop-up-book way the background is generated - like cardboard scenery taped to a treadmill. It's an ostentatious, charming styling of the classic. Something like Sol Cresta, which - visually speaking - is still tragically misunderstood.

[soupbones]

Really digging this! Was always a fan of the original - and this expands on things nicely. I’m even into the weird ass aesthetic.

The inertia certainly takes some getting used, especially if your new to Exerion. But once you get used to using that boost, it all clicks.

LOVE that the boost causes damage- it’s saved my ass too many times to count now. Really my only complaint is the lack of graphic options - no scan lines, or a way to remove the anti-aliasing.

Really impressed overall!

[FunktionJCB]

The game is now (finally) available on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2553 ... l_Exerion/

[-Fish-]

The game is now (finally) available on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2553 ... l_Exerion/

This shmup is very good and unique but on PC there are unfortunately some issues:

1. Normal difficulty online leaderboard ranking order is reversed.
2. Normal and Hard leaderboards both only take the players first score entry and will take no consecutive entries.
3. There is no Keyboard support only controller support.

I have contacted the devs here in regards:

https://bonusstage.net/global/contact/
https://city-connection.co.jp/contact.html

[-Fish-]

All leaderboard issues are fixed for Steam version!

Still needs keyboard support in a future patch though.

[EmperorIng]

That's good to hear they are listening! I've been curious about this game even if the graphics look, unique.

[-Fish-]

That's good to hear they are listening! I've been curious about this game even if the graphics look, unique.

I spoke too soon. Some players cannot view the leaderboard now even though their scores upload. I will send the devs another email in regards.