Drive through the vastness of space!
It's that time again for a new episode of Chichuki Plays, the show where I go hands-on with upcoming games and show them off. Usually it's about an hour or so but I don't want to spoil too much of the game for you. This time, we're looking at Ex Zodiac on Steam. This game feels like a love letter to Star Fox and other classic rail shooters on the SNES and I'm all for that!
Join protagonist Kyuu as she fights to free the worlds of the Sanzaru Star System, overrun by the intergalactic terrorist organization known as Zodiac. Right off the bat, the music in the game screams 90's SNES games and that's awesome. The bright colors and character designs feel right out of the 90's as well. If you have ever played Star Fox you will feel right at home with Ex Zodiac.
Before each level, you get a mission briefing giving you the lowdown of what's going on in each stage. During the video, I wanted to read what the characters were saying but it felt like they were going by just a bit too fast for my liking. For whatever reason at the start, the missile lock-on is not set to a button so reminder that you'll have to set it. Having a lock on attack makes the game feel so much smoother in my opinion. Like in Star Fox, you can find upgrades throughout the various levels like laser power, bomb pickups, and health upgrades. You will need these because some of the bosses in the game are pretty tough. You have a barrel roll like maneuver that reflects projectiles. It took me a few attempts to realize that some boss attacks couldn't be dodged and needed to be reflected. If you happen to game over, and you will, your progress is saved and you start over at the most recent planet which is nice. You don't have to start over from the start of the game. You'll also find microchips strewn about that will unlock bonus stages. The cool thing about these bonus stages is that they feel like their right out of 3D World Runner on the NES. That's another nice touch, paying homage to classic games.
The variety of planets is really cool too. One level could be an ice world whereas another could be a solar planet. AND you aren't just flying your air ship. My favorite level was when Kyuu was driving a motor cycle in a cyberpunk-like planet. I was really impressed with the vast variety in Ex Zodiac. Ex Zodiac is a fun throw back to classic rail shooters of the 90's like Star Fox and does a great job paying homage to the genre! Also you score bonus with me because there's no Slippy being a royal pain throughout!
Make sure you check out the hands-on video below!