JUST A LITTLE EXO-CALIBRATION
Well, let's have a well-earned break from reviewing trash games (altough I still have to pick and review Galagi Shooter Ultimate Blast, so don't think I forgot my promise).
The 2025 Spring-Summer Showcase of EastAsiaSoft had its dose of shmups, and Joseph Calabro's Exo-Calibre is among them.
Konami fans will rejoice with this game.
It's good to see Joseph Calabro (Takotan: Hoshi no Tako) back in the shmup scene, especially in the indie-shmup scene since he did an amazing work with the Parodius-esque Takotan, which was a love letter to Konami's humorous shooter.
To begin with, we will notice that the character controls are pre-setted in a more "Gun" game more than a basic shmup, and while its easy to learn, you can't adjust them to your likeness. I mean, I don't have a problem with having Square to shoot and X to melee, leaving the boost to the R2. But we can not let this odd decision ruin the game.
There's job to do and modes to unlock.
Once you start the game, you'll have two available options: Story Mode and Arcade Mode. Both Boss and Time Rushes require game completion to unlock them.
Regardless of which mode you pick, now you have to select your character. Keep in mind, they have unique weapons so you've better give each one a try, although you'll have to play with all of them before deciding who could be your predilect character for your casual playthroughs.
EX-Calibre Unit 01 "CALIBURN": The frontal, laser firing character. She utilizes the "Linear" weapon which is a twin laser fire that alternates the beams "Vulcan-style" one before another rather than the basic twin shot. But as it powers up, it becomes a twin shot, then a twin shot with 2 to 4 way diagonal fire culminating in a simultaneous 6-Way shot followed by a twin shot and then a 4-Way shot, addressing her initial full frontal weakness against lateral enemies. For her melee weapon, Caliburn utilizes a green beam sword.
EX-Calibre Unit 02 "GALATINE": Another frontal type. Galatine utilizes the "Burst". This weapon fires three shurikens in one shot pretty much like Hien's FS-X/F-2 Super Kai in the Aero Fighters series. Powering it up will add diagonal fire, later on a fourth Shuriken in the frontal stream and a rate of 2 shurikens on the side and finally 5 frontal ninja stars backed up with 3 on the sides. Like Caliburn, she also has a sword as her melee weapon, being the color the only difference; purple instead of green.
EX-Calibre Unit 03 "ARONDIGHT": The spread fire type. Her main weapon is the "Shotgun" which fires a 9-way spread curtain that dissipates as it moves across the screen. Despite its short range, it is a very powerful weapon, making her the expert player's choice. Fortunately its range increases on each level. On level 3, its firing rate is increased but its firing range is reduced like the level 1 shot, while in level 4 is pretty much the same, and in level 5 its fire rate greatly increases. Her melee weapon is a red sword.
Test her before sending her.
One thing that I liked is the fact that you can test the character and the controls before sending her to the action, or just go down to pick another character. This idea really helps the player to make a more appropiate choice before engaging in combat.
Simple, yet fun shooter with easy-to-learn bullet deflecting skills.
Story Mode is what we can call the "Main" game as it features a storyline with basic lore to keep you reading stories for a while. Fortunately, the game pulls a basic story system for the beginning, in-between the level (acting like a checkpoint at the same time) and before the boss fight (second checkpoint), this is where you will be learning the basics of Exo-Calibre's gameplay. Despite being a simple vertical shooter, the game's moderate bullet hell-paced with basic stage hazards, and this is where do you have to learn how the game works. While your basic shots are your standard weapon, the most important and mandatory of all are both the melee weapon and the Boost.
Pelted with enemy fire?
Bounce them back to your enemies!
The Melee Weapon is not just the "close range" weapon, its the bullet dodger and the "Pass through" obstacles skill. Using the Melee Weapon will push your EX-Calibre unit a bit forward. If you tap the Melee button while holding a particular direction on either D-Pad or Analog Stick, it will move further like if the EX-Calibre performed a dash attack. This is required in situtations where the game tries to corner you with undestructible metal beams or screen wide horizontal lasers. So, learning and mastering this skill is a must. Now, let's go with the boost. Unlike the traditional concept of boost that involves different speeds for your character, this skill allows you to scroll the stage much faster as if you're trying to leave everything behind and you were desperate to reach the boss. Despite that's what it looks like, the Boost also acts as a ramming attack that bounces bullets like the Melee Weapon but the Boost can ram and destroy your enemies by physical contact with them. Sounds overwhelming but here's the catch: It consumes its own energy bar. Fortunately, you can replenish it by killing enemies and then use it again. To put things simple, its "skill mastering" the priority rather than winning through blunt power and strength differing from most shmups because this game lacks of power up items or bombs.
In a similar way to the bells in the TwinBee series where you had to shoot them to obtain a different color and power, Exo-Calibre features a bolt with a nut called Scrap. This is the currency of the game and it worths 1.0 Scrap Points. But you can double the ammount by shooting them. Each time it gets shot, it bounces back up while the hit sound increases its pitch until it gets shot enough times until it explots into smaller nuts worthing 0.1 Scrap Points, but here's the good news: Doing this will duplicate the value from 1.0 to 2.0 Scrap Points, making this trick extremely valuable in this game, especially considering how random the Scrap drop rate is. You can spend a whole stage without a single scrap (except for the amount dropped by the boss) or get around 10 of them throughout the level.
Kawaii-Mart.
Since there's no power ups in the game, it does upgrade your character in a shop where Vita will grant you the choice of increasing your shot's strength, increase your heart points, increase your speed and even getting 1 more spare life. Like most shmups that involve grinding, the price increases on each upgrade (Except the 1ups), so you will be requiring to exploit the Scrap trick that I've mentioned you before. Keep in mind, you'll want to clear the level without dying once and there's a VERY particular reason. Aside from the R-Type-esque checkpointing respawn, the game discounts scraps per life lost in the style of Borderlands "Hyperion fee" respawn or the infamous Souls-like punishments. Fortunately, Story Mode has infinite lives, so if the mark hits zero and you die, you will be respawining like if nothing happened, reducing the stock life counter as part of the stage clear bonus element.
CASCADIA IS IN RUINS...
THE WAR HAS BEEN WON.
THE DEAL WILL BE HONORED
[CONTRACT COMPLETE]
\\ FUNDS DISTRIBUTED \\
The ending of this game is somewhat bittersweet since the Earth was cracked with the core exposed but "stabilized", and the EX-Calibre weapons were dismantled, but the people's trust is as broken as the planet itself despite hailing the EX-Calibre Knights as heroes. "You win, but they hate you".
*"Yueez" plays in the background*
After saving the now broken Earth, the game throws a sequel threat with the moon cracking in the sky, implying a Moon Entity/Lunar Entity inside it.
Either that, or Exo-Calibre is somehow related to Metal Black.
ENTRY YOUR NAME
After completing the game you can enter your initials, but here's the catch, the same flaw as in Danmaku Unlimited 3: There's no commas, periods, colons, numbers or random symbols like the majority of shmups. So an "S.P" or "R.2" is out of the question, so you can try shmup nods like "RVR", "EDF", "TFV", etc.
As you complete the game, you will be able to unlock new modes and even characters with new weapons. For example: Clearing Story Mode will unlock Boss Rush and Nekoknight as a playable character for all modes. Not only that, you will add a "Badge" on the right side of the character select screen indicating which mode you completed with a certain character, while the main menu has a percent to track your progress.
Let's talk first about the new characters.
Cat-tastic unlockable.
EX-Calibre Unit Commander "NEKOKNIGHT": Unlocked along with Boss Rush after finishing Story Mode. He enters the fray because he gave the EX-Calibre Knights a holiday before the crisis happened and they're unable to join the battle, leaving him on his own. Like River N. White said on Aero Fighters Special: "Some times us bosses have to take out the trash, too". Nekoknight is the "Boomerang" type. His main weapon is a frontal fire that once it reaches a long distance, it goes back to him. On level 2, it will throw two back shots on the sides on a falling arc trajectory, level 3 its back shots are wider and the firing rate is faster. Level 4 is pretty much the same; wide arch, but more powerful shots, and in level 5 is the same arc stuff but far more powerful, making this character an incredibly strong one. It's orange melee weapon is the same as the EX-Calibre swords, but Nekoknight's shaped more like a cat slash.
Undefined (EX-)Fantastic Object
EX-Calibre Artificial Life Form "EXO-AI": Unlocked along with Time Rush after completing Boss Rush. It is an AI-entity who only talks in "Beep" and "Boop" and incredibly, everyone else can understand what it says. Exo-AI is the mix between "Linear Laser" and "Wave Shot" type as it fires a screen-tall laser fire that causes considerable damages and passes through obstacles. Level 2 is a non-stop laser fire, becoming a shortened but more powerful beam at level 3, on level 4 it slightly regains its height and level 5 it gets a higher firing rate but is no longer the continuous beam from level 2. Its Melee attack is different from the others since it is more of a circular barrier rather than the sword slash.
Takosuke's clone is back.
Saviour of the Stars "TAKOTAN": Unlocked after clearing Time Rush. Takotan is the main character from Takotan: Hoshi no Tako (formerly Octonaut: Hoshi no Tako). Its the "Exploder" type. Takotan/Octonaut's main weapon is the "Star Cannon" which shoots colorful stars that split into a 6 way burst after a moderate range of distance (Half the screen). On level 2, the star explodes in an 8-way burst, level 3 is a 10 way scatter, level 4 fires a 12 way blast and in Level 5 Its melee attack just makes Takotan spin on its axis with no visible slash.
The "1-Hit Wonder" challenge.
Before talking about the unlockable modes, let's talk about the second mode: Arcade Mode. This is a "Harder" variation of the Story Mode since it drops your initial health from 3 to 1 heart point for a maximum of 5 hearts and removes the infinite lives with a limited stock. Once it hits zero it will be game over. Despite this lack of continues, it has a point in favor: It removes the checkpoint restarting for a more "Sonic Wings-esque" instant respawning, making things a little more easier for you.
Story elements are kept because of...
...GAME LORE! of course.
Curiously, it keeps the Story Mode dialogues which kinda contradicts the "instant action" premise of Arcade Mode (Remember Triggerheart Exelica?). Aside from that, its pretty much the same game.
Engage bosses "Face to Face". No zako's involved.
Boss Rush is like its name implies, a battle with all the bosses of the game. While Arcade Mode sends you with 1 Heart of life, Boss Rush sends you with three like in Story Mode, and that's not all, You can get a free upgrade in the shop per boss fight rather than buying it despite the bosses drop Scraps. All of these sounds perfect, but guess what? Heal your character is sold separately. "Heal You. New from Mattel". For me, turning a courtesy like after level healing its an act of cruelty no one should ever repeat.
The odds and the clock are against you.
Time Rush gives a new twist to the concept of Time Attack since it requires to advance as much as possible without dying before the time runs out, but if you can clear the game, the better. While 5 minutes sounds too much, it actually adds a new item to replenish time: Clocks. Picking one will add 4 more seconds to the timer, and like the bolts, it can be shot at to obtain more time up to 8 seconds, but if you shoot the clock when it has 8 seconds, it will be destroyed and you'll get nothing instead, making shooting more difficult than it should be. This is where you can exploit the boost feature of the game as it will play a greater role in this mode unlike the rest of the game. Apparently, there's an issue with Exo-AI since its laser fire seems to fail to detect a hit to the clock item, making the clock picking to get stuck at 4 seconds only and making the Time Rush more difficult than it should be.
Now that you've finished all the modes with all the characters, ¿What happens once you reach 100%? unfortunately, not too much. The purple sepia used on the selected mode in the menu screen is now orange and the title screen will add the unlocked characters flying with the main girls. Northing short of poetry, but at least Joseph Calabro has the idea of unlockables. He just needs to improve it.
Amazing 3D-style flight effect!
In the graphic aspect, as soon as you start up the game you'll notice how well made this game is. If Takotan was an amazingly made shmup, then Exo-Calibre is an evolution of what Joseph Calabro learned back then. The title screen has a 3D effect on the mountains on both sides implying movement, there's Konami arcade-styled pixel scaling for size change in some enemies, fast perspective changes like the sea-to-clouds in stage 1, parallax scrolling and even Namco System II-styled pixel rotation, becoming a homage to old school arcade in these graphic aspects. One thing worth to notice is the fact that Joseph Calabro/Vampixel homage Konami once more, but this time on a more Twinbee-like approach. This is mostly notorious in Stage 1 which reminds me of both the first Twinbee and Detanna Twinbee/Bells & Whistles.
Family Approved Bodysuits.
Happy now, SJWs?
With a game that broughts influences from the anime-styled Twinbee, it is quite obvious that Exo-Calibre was meant to be anime styled. While retaining the anime style approach, Joseph Calabro decided to make the girls of this game look more appropiately dressed with those athletic biking-like bodysuits, which for present day SJW's and censors seems to be A-Ok, and that's good news since they're not whining like they're doing with Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced because they think their suits are provocative.
Looks like EastAsiaSoft loves Genzoman.
Like most shmups published by EastAsiaSoft, Genzoman (Double Dragon Neon, Project Starship series) made the promotional artwork, and like always, he never disappoints with the choice of colors and the anime-styled character design.
Thought a Super Hornet in space was weird?
Exo-Calibre brings a girl in space combat.
While space stages are common in shmups and we've saw all kinds of crazy things like an F-14, a P-38 or just the standard space fighter like the R-9A, Exo-Calibre goes further on that aspect sending a normal girl in space. Yeah, she is in space, without an appropiate space equipment, no helmet or anything that provide her oxygen. But you know what's even stranger? A girl that explodes when she dies. Once your EX-Calibre Unit loses her last heart, she will fall down with explosions like in Thunder Dragon 2. Yeah, a girl that goes down in flames, it's like ¿Who made this game, Michael Bay?
The music of this game takes a turn from the common themes in shooting to embrace a more happy, upbeat, jazzy and sometimes slow-paced cartoonish beat as if the game tries to make it fit with the Twinbee-esque graphics this game has more than the stage they're playing in. Although there's themes that fit the mood more than others (Stage 4 boss for example). Speaking of the boss themes, they have "Sinister" variations of the stage theme in the style of Axelay. The only unfitting sound is the "ugh!" heard when you take a hit. For a female cast of characters, the grunt sounds masculine. Aside from that flaw, the sound department is quite great.
EXO-TRIVIA
Safer worlds through superior firepower.
- The opening sequence was made resembling a PIF (Public Information Film) for Exo-Tech more than a common game introduction (Remember "I'm doing my part!" from Starship Troopers?).
- Caliburn shares the same name as the Mini-Con/Decepticon Micromaster from several Transformers continuities.
- This Transformer-related coincidence is reminiscent of Zarak from Wings of Bluestar, whose name is the same of the Nebulan Headmaster of the Decepticon Scorponok.
- Continuing with the Transformers references, the premise of Earth cracking due to an entity born on its core mirrors Unicron from Transformers Prime who almost destroyed Earth during the "One Shall" Arc comprised by the episodes "One Shall Fall" and the three parter "One Shall Rise".
- It is possible that like Unicron in Transformers Prime, the Earth formed around the World Entity (and the ending-hinted Moon Entity), and the AI drones were trying to dig a hole into the Earth to destroy the Entity, just like in "One Shall Rise, Part 1" when William Fowler suggested they could destroy Unicron by finding the hole he crawled into the Earth and "Fill it with explosives".
The EX-Calibre Knights crushed Sigma's plan once again.
But many questions still occupy their minds......
- The sunset/sunrise gazing is very similar to the ending of Megaman X3.
- There's few instances of engrish in the game. "Artifical" instead of artificial is one of those.
- For make the "Destabilized Earth" premise work, it is possible that the massive cracks take place on the boundaries of Earth's major tectonic plates. Although it will cause the rules of geophysics such as continental drift and supercontinent cycle cease to exist for a long time, if not permanently. It is also unknown how does that affect Earth's rotation, but judging by the game's ending, the day-night cycle remains the same.
- Other planetary effects would be the complete destabilization of the oceanic currents. First off, the separated fragments have well defined mountain ridges to prevent water spill into the mantle (wrongly called core). While this maintains water on its place to sustain life, the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt will go off. Without thermohaline circulation/ocean currents, weather will go nuts killing life in a gradual period of time and storms would gradually drop water (as rain) into the mantle. Thus, the epilogue of this game would be a "No-Win scenario".
An incredibly fun indie adventure.
Overall, Exo-Calibre is more than just a bullet hell shmup, its a well made, fun packed, fully enjoyable for everyone indie bullet hell shmup that evokes Konami quite well, and the return of Takotan is a well received surprise. It might look simple, but requires some mastery and its pretty much fun to play. Even if the achievements/trophies are unlocked after the first playthrough, the game cares to give you more modes to try and play. Perhaps this game is the best what EastAsiaSoft offered in this year's Spring-Summer Showcase.
The EX-Calibre girls aim high and reaches the perfect score in the R-Scale: 10 R-9's. You can count them if you want to.
First we have a Parodius clone, now a Twinbee clone, I think Joseph Calabro should try to do a clone of Otomedius Excellent or Axelay. There's a lot of Konami shmup fans that will definitely appreciate that.
Eda knows you should give this game a worthy try.