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Triggerheart Exelica (XBLA)

Published: Tue 29 Jul, 2008 | On:

Do you play games for the story? Do you resent playing the same level over and over again? Do you prefer your games to tax your mental ability rather than your animal reflexes? If you answered yes to any of the preceding questions, stop reading now; Triggerheart Exelica is not for you.

However, there are people out there that have found that the gaming industry has long since left behind their tastes. For all the moaning about Nintendo neglecting "core" gamers, nobody ever considers the fan of the beat 'em up or shoot 'em up genres: arcade junkies who sharpened their teeth on a limited amount of cash.

For these people, Triggerheart Exelica will be a breath of fresh air. It's Bullet Hell, and it's hard. In fact, it's stupidly hard. The kind of hard that ends in broken controllers. Some of the achievements are probably impossible. But whatever doesn't kill you can only make you stronger, right?

Yes, this is a standard shoot 'em up, and like every other shoot 'em up it requires players to memorize everything while still being able to improvise. It's not about finishing the game -- because with unlimited continues that will probably take about ten minutes -- it's about finishing the game with the highest score possible. Those feeling a sense of finality after completing the game after 50 continues and a high score below a million are completely missing the point.

Of course, all shoot 'em ups need some sort of gameplay mechanic to distinguish themselves from their peers. For Triggerheart Exelica, it's the ability to grapple opponents and flail them around. On the default settings it's done automatically, but switching to manual mode -- which anyone who is even considering this game should do immediately -- unlocks hidden depth that rewards skill.

Swinging opponents manually is far from easy, but reaps greater rewards. Enemies can also be locked in place to be used as impromptu shields. It quickly becomes a case of knowing when to fire, to swing, to dodge -- and before too long it all becomes too much to consciously think about and instinct takes over. It's a pure, visceral moment where the world around fades and there is only the bullets.

For those with the patience and dedication, Triggerheart Exelica offers an immensely enjoyable and rewarding experience. Few games can deliver the joy that comes beating a previous high score, if even by a few points. Few games allow for the sense of pride that comes from seeing yourself climb up the high score table and online leaderboards. Few games are this pure.

Triggerheart Exelica is targeted at a dying breed, an archaic dinosaur that has to weep as he watches the very gamers who made him obsolete moan about the industry making them extinct. And, for these gamers, Triggerheart Exelica will be one fleeting but beautiful moment. A diamond in the rough that shouldn't be missed. For these people, purchase is essential.