Triggerheart Exelica Review (7 out of 10) ...
March 3 , 2008 ... Review by Chad
Triggerheart Exelica (hereafter referred to as Triggerheart) is a tough game to review. You really have to look at it from two different standpoints, twitch-shoot ‘em up players, and your everyday gamer. I’ll post a review score for both camps at the end and explain a little more throughout the review about why I had to split this review.
I’ll start off with some things that everyone can equally appreciate or dislike. The soundtrack is very good for a shoot ‘em up, and you’ll find yourself humming the BGM to yourself after you’ve played the game for a while. The last stage has particularly memorable music. The artwork in the game isn’t exactly my cup of tea however. I have nothing against anime-style artwork, but the cutesy character art is just a turn off for this very serious shoot ‘em up.
Triggerheart is certainly not a game catered for the average gamer out there perusing new XBLA games. I’ll admit that when the game first came out, I was immediately curious because I love the “shmup” genre, as they’re so often called. However, this game actually relies more on a gimmick that starts out sounding like a good idea, but ends up being a huge pain once you get serious about using it.
The game utilizes something called an anchor, which is basically their term for grappling hook. You grab some enemy in front of you, and then you can use it as a shield, or spin it around and launch it at hordes of other enemies. Sounds like a good idea, but the controls for the anchor aren’t pulled off very well when you ultimately have to switch 
them over to manual once you get serious about achieving a high score in the game. On top of dodging bullets, you have to spin this thing around, which requires you to physically move your ship, and you’ll run into bullets so many times that you’ll curse the developer’s souls.
Without relying too heavily on the hook though, the game can be really enjoyable. I got to the point where I got to the last stage (of which, there are only five in the entire game) without using any continues on normal mode. I consider that to be a hell of a feat because the game is incredibly difficult. I could probably beat the game without continuing if I wanted to sacrifice five hours to memorizing enemy patters and how to use my anchor more effectively, but that would drive me insane.
Speaking of, for some reason this game has unlimited continues at the outset of the game. This means that you’ll beat the game in twenty minutes, and probably wonder why you spent $10 on the game. I’ll admit, it’s got a lot of reply value, but if you’re trying to get either of the characters’ “real” endings, you’re in for a very long haul. It’s damn near impossible. So without going into too much depth, I’ll simply say this about the game. Download the free demo and run through the first stage. Then, try to amass 3,000 points-worth of yellow collectables in the first stage on normal or hard mode. If you’re having trouble look up the game on YouTube and watch someone and how they’ve done it. If you can pull that off, buy the game immediately because you’re going to have a great time with it. If you can’t come anywhere near getting that score, stay away from this game as though it were a dog with rabies.
Completion Time – All of 20 minutes.
Achievement information – Damn near impossible to get more than 50 out of the total 200 points. Good luck buddy.
Triggerheart Exelica At A Glance |
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7.0 |
The Good |
Nice gimmick when anchor is set to auto. Offers a challenge that most XBLA games wouldn’t even dream of. Has great music that almost anyone would like. |
The Bad |
Terribly hard to control anchor on manual. Extremly Hard. Art style and graphics may be a large turn off to some. Lacks anything resembling a story. |
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Good |
The Verdict |
Score for shoot ‘em up gods – 7/10 ... Score for those without the “twitch” 3/10 |
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