A Generic Vertical Shooter That Fails to Launch
Are you in the mood for a retro styled, pixel arted vertically scrolling shoot ‘em up? Well, in that case, pull up a chair and get comfy, as coincidentally this is exactly what Vampixel Games and Eastasiasoft are delivering in the latest in the long, long line of reasonably priced games – Exo-Calibre.
Sounds suitably promising, doesn’t it? Well, I’m here to see if the game lives up to the name, so let’s blast off and see what is happening…
Exo-Mechs and Haywire AI
We should know by now that a story is never a strong point in these types of games, and so it proves here. Surely it is enough to know that there are enemies who obligingly fly down the screen at us, straight into our gunfire? Well, an attempt has been made to provide a back story, so I’ll try to sum it up.
We are members of the Exo-Calibre Knights, a group of elite pilots who take their Exo-Mechs into battle to defend justice and so on and so forth. The Exo-Tech Corporation makes weapons to defend the Earth, but when the AI drones they deploy go haywire, we have to deactivate them with extreme prejudice. Choose your pilot and sally forth.
The presentation of the game is pretty straightforward, to be honest. It is a vertically scrolling shoot ‘em up, where our chosen hero appears at the bottom of the screen, the enemies appear from the top and the sides, and we need to dispose of anything on the screen that looks at us funny.
The design of the heroes is a bit on the anime side, all big eyes and assets on the (all female) roster, but I’ll let that slide for the moment. Once we are in the game itself, the pilots and all the enemies (bar the bosses) are pretty tiny, and it isn’t unusual to see an enemy fire a bullet bigger than they are! The backdrops to the levels are pretty dull though, and exceedingly generic – a bit of imagination in this area wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Pumping Synth and Generic Action
Sound is okay, with a pumping soundtrack, as the young people might say. The pace of the music matches the action on the screen and so this bit works pretty well. The shooting and destruction sound effects are also pretty good, and there is no doubt that Exo-Calibre sounds better than it looks. .
However, the gameplay isn’t the best and the biggest issue I have with it is that it all feels awfully familiar, with absolutely nothing on the horizon to even raise an eyebrow. Generic backdrops, generic action: don’t expect nothing here that is new. There’s not even a smart bomb to use, which has been a staple of these games for as long as I’ve been playing them.
Instead, we have a “melee” attack that can, if the timing is right, you’re rubbing your lucky rabbit’s foot and have your fingers crossed, can deflect enemy bullets. It is much simpler and easier to avoid the bullets though, as in every bullet hell shooter ever.
Variety in Weapons, Not in Gameplay
The three different heroes available in Exo-Calibre do provide a little bit of variety, as they are all slightly different, mainly in the weapons they use. And progress will see the opportunity to go unlocking new characters, each ready for a try out, so at least there is a choice to how to approach the blasting action.
Having a different weapon type, ranging from a shotgun through to a “linear” weapon type (which fires in straight lines, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn!), is much appreciated and so choosing the one that suits you is a nice touch.
Loot, Levels, and Longevity
Moving through the levels, blasting away as we go, allows for the collection of scrap as a currency, obtained by defeating enemies. At the end of each level we can use this scrap to buy upgrades for the various mechs in place, doing the usual; increasing weapon damage, the amount of health available, the speed and so on and so forth. Of course, every upgrade should mean that we are better able to survive the incoming hordes.
Add to this a few ways to play, either blasting through the story, an arcade mode or even a Boss Rush mode, and you’ll see that there is a spark of longevity to what Exo-Calibre provides.
The real question is, how long can these attempts to extend the life span of the game resist the ultimate blandness of the gameplay? The answer is not long, sadly. Even fairly simple things, like a two player mode, are missing; Exo-Calibre is a single player or nothing effort.
A Boring Blast That Lacks Soul
It all means that if you are determined to play a vertically scrolling shooter, then Exo-Calibre may scratch an itch for a little while. But don’t expect to get too excited by what it delivers. There’s no way this is awful, but Exo-Calibre does commit the cardinal sin for a game – it is just a bit boring.
Your Links
Your Reactions will be Tested in the Cute but Deadly Exo-Calibre on PC & Consoles! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/your-reactions-will-be-tested-in-the-cute-but-deadly-exo-calibre-on-pc-consoles/
Buy Exo-Calibre on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/exo-calibre/9NPSDV7VGZ8V/0010