Ex-Zodiac
Developer : MNKY
Publisher : Pixeljam
Platform : Steam - Early Access
The year is 1993, and 7-year-old me is already obsessed with video games. It was still going to be years until the family got a computer, and before I would be able to entre the realm of 3D gaming fulltime, and not just at my friend’s places. So, to see my Super Nintendo pumping out such amazing graphics with the release of Star Fox was mind blowing, and something that has stuck with my for the past 30-some years. The aesthetic of those solid-coloured polygons has stuck with me, and to see them reproduced in Ex-Zodiac is a dream come true.
Gameplay
Ex-Zodiac is a rail shooter where you take control of Kyuu and do battle against the forces and leaders of the evil Zodiac organization. Through each of the game’s 20 stages (10 main stages plus 10 bonus stages so far) you blast everything in sight while avoiding enemy fire and obstacles, collecting power-ups, and aiming for a high rank. It is nothing revolutionary, but it doesn’t have to be, it’s a winning formula which is executed amazingly.
The game plays more like Star Fox 64 even though it is aping the look of Star Fox for the Super Nintendo. Like Star Fox 64, you can charge your shots and lock onto enemies, but instead of your charge shot being a single big shot, it’s a volley of missiles which can lock on to multiple targets. You can also increase the number of missiles for the volley by collection missile expansions throughout the levels. I do wish that there was an indication on the HUD that would tell you how many missiles you have, just as a quality of life feature. There is also the classic double laser power-up, as well as the screen clearing bombs. I really wish the weapon upgrades would carry over from stage to stage. I wonder if the reason they don’t carry over is because unlike Star Fox, you don’t have to ‘beat’ the game in a single sitting? That would make sense to me, because if they did carry over it would make the game a whole lot easier.
At the end of each stage, you battle a member of Zodiac in an epic boss fight! Each of the bosses are unique experience, and I like how different their ships are from each other and how the battles play out. It is here that you can really tell the early access nature of the game, because the balance of the bosses seems to be a bit all over the place. As development goes on, I can see the bosses receiving more balance paces (you can already see a few in the update notes), so this is something I wont hold against the game.
Most of the levels are on rails in your starship, as well as one where you are riding a hover bike through a city. A couple other levels are like Star Fox’s all range levels, were you fly around defending and destroying select targets. The bonus stages, accessed by finding computer chips dropped by enemies, play like Space Harrier with Kyuu armed with a massive blaster and flying forward on foot at crazy speeds, blasting everything that gets in her way. It’s nice to see such a variety in the gameplay and level structure, and it helps keep things feeling fresh as you battle against Zodiac.
The game is not easy, which I really like. I enjoy testing my skills against waves of enemies, the geometry of the stages, and against the massive bosses. I am also a fan of the ranking system, which gives me more than enough of a reason to replay the levels again and again, chasing that S ranking!
Presentation
There are a couple of graphic modes to choose from: a retro mode and a hi-res mode. The retro mode ups the jagged lines, and very much mimics the look of Star Fox on our old CRT televisions. The hi-res mode smooths everything out, and honestly, I find it the better way to play the game. While the retro mode really invokes the past, and pulls at those nostalgia heartstrings, the hi-res mode makes the game a lot more readable, and thus a lot better to play. I feel it really comes down to personal taste, and I can see both options getting lots of play.
The sound effects are fine; nothing amazing, but they get the job done. The music is much the same, and maybe I just haven’t played enough, but none of the tunes have got stuck in my head. I do enjoy the classic Star Fox jibber jabbering voices, and I’m so glad that it was included instead of voice acting.
The stages have a good variety to them. They range from the classic snow and fire worlds, to asteroid belts, space battles, and even the streets of a futuristic city. With the inclusion of the Space Harrier inspired bonus stages, Ex-Zodiac has a great variety of levels, and I am looking forward to seeing what is coming next!
Conclusion
I am excited to see what is coming next for Ex-Zodiac, and I highly recommend spending the $15 to experience this modern blast from the past! There is at least one more stage to come, and I hope there is even more to come after that, because I am having a great time with this title.
