Let me get this clear, I'm writing a review because this is a game that's special to me, it deserves to be spoken about by many.
You can expect typos here and there, the chances that your eyes may bleed from this are still lower than your chances of bleeding by playing Touhou on Lunatic no damage.
Triggerheart Exelica... how could I live without you?
This game is the shmup you might want to give to someone if you wish to introduce them to the genre, it has everything in it to introduce a beginner to the hardcore / manic style of gameplay, while retaining the basics of containing a variety of difficulty levels that hardcore / maniac players might want. Enough of this lazy introduction, let's get on with the review.
GRAPHICS :
Gorgeous, or however the hell you spell that word. That graphics won't disapoint you, even if they are not that important to make a good shmup to the core, you're in for a treat with Triggerheart Exelica, the version I played is the XBOX 360 port, and it does live up to the word 'HD port' if that matters to anyone. I see nothing to complain about graphics wise, you are gifted by delicious visuals and ass kicking artwork on both sides of the screen ( which also has a variety for you to select your favorite character artwork and / or default background(s).
Nothing (visually) looks wrong or out of place, and if the one introduced to the genre is a beginner, it might draw his attention even more.
GAMEPLAY :
Still reading? I love you.
Time to get to the most interesting part, the gameplay.
It's very basic, yet has its unique mechanics to make it hardcore, as many of you are obviously familiar with shmups, you have
- Move
- Shoot
- Bomb
However this game introduces its own cute mechanics called
- Grab
I've never had so much fun in a game -EVER- grabbing big enemies or small ones, spin them around like my breakfast and life depends on it and see them crash into each other, just to blow up into pieces of deliciously rewarding score for you to absorb and bring that smile of sadistic satisfaction on your face. It makes the game more addicting than you can think, and gives you a feeling of empowerment you've probably never experienced in a shmup before.
- Attach
Attach yourself to your enemy, works a lot like '-Grab-' except you hold up to your enemy from a distance and all your bullets are aimed instantly and directly to the target until it dies or that you take a hit.
Sadly, the game only has 3 difficulty settings
- Easy
- Normal
- Hard
Being familiar with the genre, I did my first playthrough on Hard and thought it was all cool and fun, however I still considered it too easy for my tastes ( Think I'm boasting? play it for yourself and you'll see )
The issue of easiness for advanced players is easily solved through the achievements that comes with the game, some are downright easy, some are just crazy and painful, which is why I think I love the game so much, it's a relation built on fun and pain, it feels like everytime I try the hardest achievements I become the game's bitch or something, while I can tame the hard mode like I want, the achievements will keep any player busy for a satisfying and ridiculous amount of time.
Another flaw is that it has no online play, I won't write a paragraph on that, just make some friends and get them to play, hence why I mentioned introducing someone to the genre, and why this game is just so perfect for it
SOUNDTRACK
While I mentioned being the game's bitch a few phrases earlier, this game's soundtrack is pure consensual sex, I often get frustrated whenever I kill a boss, because I don't want that awesome and over the top soundtrack to stop, this is also why I'd love for there to be a higher difficulty mode so it can last longer. Don't believe me? Go check the soundtrack on youtube and just see for yourself, it's as good as the DeathSmiles soundtrack in its own merits.
Here's a link showing you guys an example, yeah, it's the boss theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2JIBKIBjH4
OVERALL
If you expect some great conclusion to this review, damn I'm happy to deceive, I can't do this game justice with a review, I'm not saying this is the best game ever made by mankind, it has its flaws at some point such as
- No very hard mode and higher
- No online play
- No unlockable character ( that I'm aware of )
However, other than these 3 flaws, everything else about this game kicks ass, it should NOT be missed by anyone who likes shmups, it can be played casually or even hardcore, depends how you'll go with the game. In life, nothing's perfect, which is why I can only give this shmup a 9.5/10
How bias is that? You tell me, When difficulty and no online are the game's biggest flaws, you've got little room to complain about, the achievements bring the challenge many steps further, and the fun I have with this game is uncomparable, I suggest it to anyone as it's available on XBOX LIVE Arcade.
OVERALL SCORE 9,5/10
if you've read this far, you're patient and amazing, expect my DeathSmiles 2X in-depth review soon., also, I did not talk about the game's story or characters because I did not want to spoil anything for anyone, I want everyone to have the chance to discover, learn and experience it exactly like I did, it has fantastic story and characters, but it is entirely for you to discover.
