EARLY ACCESS REVIEW:
I generally don't play early access games and usually wait out until 1.0 is finished, however this was just sitting in my library looking like a juicy steak that I couldn't resist.
Obviously a homage to Star Fox, Ex Zodiac is looking to be one of the best Star Fox-like games that is not Star Fox or Star Fox 64. This definitely scratches that itch as the gameplay itself feels like a 1:1 creation of Star Fox 64.
Each level is vibrant and deep, each containing smaller secrets you can find to acquire more power-ups. The charm of the original Star Fox is here and you can tell the dev is a big fan.
Besides the "arwing" gameplay, you also get a bike that controls similar to the landmaster and also bonus levels, that plays like a homage to Space Harrier.
Ex Zodic feels like it's made by a mega fan of the rail shooter genre and wants nothing but to do it justice. At the moment there are about 9 stages that can be completed in about hour, but the devs says there's plans for 13 stages.
As the game is unfinished, my feedback would be to incorporate ways to make the game more replayable (e.g. Branching paths with different difficulties, challenges etc) and the moment it's a straight forward level by level game with not much reason to go back unless you want a higher score. Also a slight nitpick more than a complaint, similar to the OG Star Fox, it's hard to read the dialogue while concentrating on the action, so hoping for voice acting in the finished version. Since this is an indie game, maybe the Dev could also follow the trend of indie games and incorporate some kind of endless/roguelike mode as an unlockable after beating the main game.
I generally don't play early access games and usually wait out until 1.0 is finished, however this was just sitting in my library looking like a juicy steak that I couldn't resist.
Obviously a homage to Star Fox, Ex Zodiac is looking to be one of the best Star Fox-like games that is not Star Fox or Star Fox 64. This definitely scratches that itch as the gameplay itself feels like a 1:1 creation of Star Fox 64.
Each level is vibrant and deep, each containing smaller secrets you can find to acquire more power-ups. The charm of the original Star Fox is here and you can tell the dev is a big fan.
Besides the "arwing" gameplay, you also get a bike that controls similar to the landmaster and also bonus levels, that plays like a homage to Space Harrier.
Ex Zodic feels like it's made by a mega fan of the rail shooter genre and wants nothing but to do it justice. At the moment there are about 9 stages that can be completed in about hour, but the devs says there's plans for 13 stages.
As the game is unfinished, my feedback would be to incorporate ways to make the game more replayable (e.g. Branching paths with different difficulties, challenges etc) and the moment it's a straight forward level by level game with not much reason to go back unless you want a higher score. Also a slight nitpick more than a complaint, similar to the OG Star Fox, it's hard to read the dialogue while concentrating on the action, so hoping for voice acting in the finished version. Since this is an indie game, maybe the Dev could also follow the trend of indie games and incorporate some kind of endless/roguelike mode as an unlockable after beating the main game.
it's good, probably the best "starfoxlike" out there rn. early access. it's really quickly paced though and everything's over before you know it. there's this thing where a certain enemy in the level will have a key to a secret stage, so you just have to kill everything and hope you find it. it's not impossible it's just tedious, not to mention that enemy could just whizz by you in a few seconds
Note: This review was written while the game was still in early access.
Back during my futile attempt to learn the Godot engine, I ran into this game as one of the few examples of professional games made in the engine, and decided to pick it up. Ex-Zodiac is, for lack of a better description, a Star Fox clone. The low poly look of the game is meant to invoke memories of the original Star Fox game. The different types of levels, the enemies, even your ship and its controls are clear homages to Star Fox. However, I don't want that to sound like a negative, because I think this game is far better than the original Star Fox, and is a really enjoyable experience. The graphics, while simple, are really well done. The game controls and runs well and the enemy designs are smartly crafted. In addition to the rail shooter Arwing-esque gameplay, there are also open arena sections, a second vehicle to ride in one level and, to my pleasant surprise, the game reveals its also a Space Harrier clone during its secret levels. Even though the game is still in early access, I think what they have put out is solid enough on its own, even if I do have one nitpick. I think the level order as it is now is a bit lopsided, with two "arena" levels both at the end. With the addition of more levels, I think mixing them up would be more ideal. I do also hope they continue to rip off Star Fox and use its branching paths, which is one of the best examples of that system, although that would require a good deal more levels to be added. Even without a final release, I would certainly recommend Ex-Zodiac, and I look forward to each new addition.
Back during my futile attempt to learn the Godot engine, I ran into this game as one of the few examples of professional games made in the engine, and decided to pick it up. Ex-Zodiac is, for lack of a better description, a Star Fox clone. The low poly look of the game is meant to invoke memories of the original Star Fox game. The different types of levels, the enemies, even your ship and its controls are clear homages to Star Fox. However, I don't want that to sound like a negative, because I think this game is far better than the original Star Fox, and is a really enjoyable experience. The graphics, while simple, are really well done. The game controls and runs well and the enemy designs are smartly crafted. In addition to the rail shooter Arwing-esque gameplay, there are also open arena sections, a second vehicle to ride in one level and, to my pleasant surprise, the game reveals its also a Space Harrier clone during its secret levels. Even though the game is still in early access, I think what they have put out is solid enough on its own, even if I do have one nitpick. I think the level order as it is now is a bit lopsided, with two "arena" levels both at the end. With the addition of more levels, I think mixing them up would be more ideal. I do also hope they continue to rip off Star Fox and use its branching paths, which is one of the best examples of that system, although that would require a good deal more levels to be added. Even without a final release, I would certainly recommend Ex-Zodiac, and I look forward to each new addition.
Game was recommend to me by my older brother for his high love for video game soundtracks, after him giving me a run on the game i knew i had to buy it for myself. Never had the chance to be around when SEGA was making Space Harrier, however i would see the the arcade machines blast the music at local arcades. This game defiantly touches that spot games like Space Harrier was achieving back in the day!
A fantastic love letter to a classic bygone era with super fun modern touches! A pumping arcade on-rail shooter experience combining elements of many classic titles into one superbly exciting and fun game!
From the universally charming art style to the beat pumping soundtrack this is a treat for the eyes and ears from start to finish, a very promising early access title with so much potential to come. You know it's got a touch of old school cool when you got a bit of carpal tunnel from completing each amazing level! Beyond Impressive!
Having the most amount of fun trying to S rank all levels, look forward to what the developer continues to pump into this game!
A fantastic love letter to a classic bygone era with super fun modern touches! A pumping arcade on-rail shooter experience combining elements of many classic titles into one superbly exciting and fun game!
From the universally charming art style to the beat pumping soundtrack this is a treat for the eyes and ears from start to finish, a very promising early access title with so much potential to come. You know it's got a touch of old school cool when you got a bit of carpal tunnel from completing each amazing level! Beyond Impressive!
Having the most amount of fun trying to S rank all levels, look forward to what the developer continues to pump into this game!
this game got the sauce it got it all. this is as star fox were gonna get and its fuckin goated. only thing is bonus stages kinda be too easy but other than that ex zodiac so far is one of the coolest games i have played in 2023. i cant wait for the next levels bro
Didn't realise this was early access when I bought it - I never buy early access stuff - but for the price I can't complain at all, this is as no bullshit as it gets. You like Starfox? You like Space Harrier? You like going fast to cool music? Then play this. Whenever this hits full release I hope it has more like Stage 4, that one rocks.
Solid with a few missteps, but as it's early access the dev is taking lots of feedback and seems to be implementing it bit by bit before the next major content update. I'd say the biggest thing that needs to be reworked before this gets a full release is the level balancing, as both the main stages and the secret stages vary wildly in difficulty and don't do so in a particularly linear fashion either despite the game currently being two parallel straight lines. The controls do have to be polished as well; while they feel mostly fine right now, they're almost a bit too tight for their own good, particularly in the bonus stages. The lock-on missiles are also a little bit clumsy in terms of implementation so I hope they're reworked as well. The current option of button remapping for it doesn't seem to work as well as I'd hope.
I'm also a little disappointed that the animal picked to be a protagonist ex-member of the organization ZODIAC is the monkey rather than the rabbit or cat, as the cat and rabbit being interchangeable in some nations' zodiacs makes a lot more sense to me for someone leaving an organization than randomly picking the monkey. I can only assume the monkey was picked for vaguely anthropocentric reasons, as at least the headshots for the main characters seem the most clothed/accessorized of the ZODIAC members so far. It's not really a big deal as it's still a fine enough choice, just comes across as a missed opportunity that's a little misguided or shallow. But who knows, maybe there's some random real-life zodiac lore or story stuff that would explain the choice that I'm just not aware of. I suppose we'll have to see if there are other particular reasons for it in the full release.
Meanwhile, the presentation for this game is pretty great so far. Pretty much everything about it looks and sounds awesome, being somewhere between retraux and a proper modern-feeling indie in a good way. The character designs are fun too, though I do hope there will be some way for them to be brought back later on in the game or in side content; right now the ZODIAC characters only show up as brief boss fights with like 4 or so lines of dialogue. While that makes sense for a more retro-feeling game, I do hope the modern sensibilities of more character-focused game storytelling lead to them being brought back somehow even if only in background lore. They clearly show potential!
Aaaanyway, I don't think it's right to give this a rating just yet since it's still early in its development and has yet to work out the sorts of kinks you'd see closer to a full release. It's fun to be sure even with its light amounts of content, and I'm certain that with time it'll be all the easier to recommend to people as it becomes more and more whole and polished.
I'm also a little disappointed that the animal picked to be a protagonist ex-member of the organization ZODIAC is the monkey rather than the rabbit or cat, as the cat and rabbit being interchangeable in some nations' zodiacs makes a lot more sense to me for someone leaving an organization than randomly picking the monkey. I can only assume the monkey was picked for vaguely anthropocentric reasons, as at least the headshots for the main characters seem the most clothed/accessorized of the ZODIAC members so far. It's not really a big deal as it's still a fine enough choice, just comes across as a missed opportunity that's a little misguided or shallow. But who knows, maybe there's some random real-life zodiac lore or story stuff that would explain the choice that I'm just not aware of. I suppose we'll have to see if there are other particular reasons for it in the full release.
Meanwhile, the presentation for this game is pretty great so far. Pretty much everything about it looks and sounds awesome, being somewhere between retraux and a proper modern-feeling indie in a good way. The character designs are fun too, though I do hope there will be some way for them to be brought back later on in the game or in side content; right now the ZODIAC characters only show up as brief boss fights with like 4 or so lines of dialogue. While that makes sense for a more retro-feeling game, I do hope the modern sensibilities of more character-focused game storytelling lead to them being brought back somehow even if only in background lore. They clearly show potential!
Aaaanyway, I don't think it's right to give this a rating just yet since it's still early in its development and has yet to work out the sorts of kinks you'd see closer to a full release. It's fun to be sure even with its light amounts of content, and I'm certain that with time it'll be all the easier to recommend to people as it becomes more and more whole and polished.
about 12:50 pm
beat 12:03 early access 0.6.22
it was fun, i cant wait to play the rest of the game when its done
beat 12:03 early access 0.6.22
it was fun, i cant wait to play the rest of the game when its done
Early access review: It does its job well enough, but as a big fan of rail shooters, Star Fox especially, I can't help feeling something's 'missing' in the core gameplay. Something about the shooting feels a little finicky, and the double laser powerup barely shows up, which makes firing away feel a little less satisfying. Also the controls in the Space Harrier bonus levels feel wayyyy too touchy.
This is hardly an indie replacement for a new Star Fox in my eyes, or any kind of evoloution of the formula. The barrier between reference and ripoff sometimes blurs the line with the amount of stuff pulled from Star Fox 64, making me wonder why I shouldn't just replay that instead.
It's fun enough, but it's hardly the Undertale to a new Mother game if you catch my drift. I really want Rail Shooters to make a comeback, so I hope the developer can really fine-tune this.
This is hardly an indie replacement for a new Star Fox in my eyes, or any kind of evoloution of the formula. The barrier between reference and ripoff sometimes blurs the line with the amount of stuff pulled from Star Fox 64, making me wonder why I shouldn't just replay that instead.
It's fun enough, but it's hardly the Undertale to a new Mother game if you catch my drift. I really want Rail Shooters to make a comeback, so I hope the developer can really fine-tune this.
i wish sega would put high quality arcade ports on steam
As of now it's only a Demo, but it's really cool and looks amazing. The demo is free, so you can try it out.
I beat the Early Access iteration of Ex-Zodiac while sitting with my family, who were watching Food Network Star. The premise of the show is that a roster of chefs compete in various challenges head-to-head, and the last chef standing gets their own Food Network series. Interestingly, the contestant who went home on tonight's episode did so because they lacked a unique point of view which their hypothetical show could hinge on, despite being immensely skilled technically.
That's sort of how I feel about Ex-Zodiac. It's not a finished game, it's not a "Food Network Star" just yet. This pre-release, this competitor form (to stretch the metaphor further), is a technically successful Star Fox-like rail shooter. It plays quite well. But right now, to me, it mostly lacks a unique point of view.
Ex-Zodiac is obviously and clearly owed entirely to Star Fox (with the occasional straight-up Space Harrier mission thrown in). And given Star Fox 64 is my favorite game ever, really good indie Star Fox is a great thing. But I've not gotten sick of 64 to this point and I don't expect to - I'm happy to just endlessly return there.
So I need some original concept which takes the incredibly strong bones of Ex-Zodiac and fleshes them out (probably should stop mixing my cooking metaphors and my flesh metaphors). And I see it in fits and spurts. In the Radiant Silvergun, Treasure-styled bosses and their screen-filling 'WARNING' text. In the multi-target lock-on system. In the exceptional land vehicle stage, which is far more Akira than Star Fox Landmaster, which I really enjoyed.
Above all, I'm excited to see Ex-Zodiac grow, iron out its issues, and develop from a really solid Star Fox "clone" with excellent fundamentals into something that stands fully on its own two feet.
That's sort of how I feel about Ex-Zodiac. It's not a finished game, it's not a "Food Network Star" just yet. This pre-release, this competitor form (to stretch the metaphor further), is a technically successful Star Fox-like rail shooter. It plays quite well. But right now, to me, it mostly lacks a unique point of view.
Ex-Zodiac is obviously and clearly owed entirely to Star Fox (with the occasional straight-up Space Harrier mission thrown in). And given Star Fox 64 is my favorite game ever, really good indie Star Fox is a great thing. But I've not gotten sick of 64 to this point and I don't expect to - I'm happy to just endlessly return there.
So I need some original concept which takes the incredibly strong bones of Ex-Zodiac and fleshes them out (probably should stop mixing my cooking metaphors and my flesh metaphors). And I see it in fits and spurts. In the Radiant Silvergun, Treasure-styled bosses and their screen-filling 'WARNING' text. In the multi-target lock-on system. In the exceptional land vehicle stage, which is far more Akira than Star Fox Landmaster, which I really enjoyed.
Above all, I'm excited to see Ex-Zodiac grow, iron out its issues, and develop from a really solid Star Fox "clone" with excellent fundamentals into something that stands fully on its own two feet.
hard as shit even by shoot em up standards
a snacky experience that i'm looking forward to being fully completed. the ost by +TEK drew me in, and the gameplay doesn't disappoint! it's not complicated or groundbreaking (or very long, for that matter), its just a solid, fun time.
Low poly star fox
Sim, é bom
Sim, é bom
This is a review of build 0.6.23. As of this writing, Ex-Zodiac is still in early access.
Played the demo to this back in 2020, and while it certainly left an impression, I hadn't checked in on Ex-Zodiac in a while. A lot of progress has been made since then. While that first demo's two levels made for an excellent proof of concept, the 0.6.23 build actually looks like it could be a full fledged game in its own right, albeit a relatively short one at only six stages. Still, the level of production is absolutely crazy, and one glance at Ex-Zodiac will tell you that developer Ben Hickling not only has a deep reverence for classic on rails shooters (the Star Fox inspiration is worn with pride), but totally understands what makes them appealing.
Only one problem: I don't buy early access games. I want to support indie devs, but I also have a really hard time finding the motivation to play a game that is mid-way through development, it just doesn't interest me. So despite the temptation to drop ten bucks and grab Ex-Zodiac in this half-complete state (the final game will have 12 levels), I've largely satiated myself by listening to +TEK's incredible soundtrack, which itself is every bit a love letter to Konami's early 90s soundscape as Ex-Zodiac's gamplay is to Star Fox and Panzer Dragoon. However, the uncontrollable urge to just cough up some cash and play this game proved to be too much, and I'm here to tell you that Ex-Zodiac's current build lived up to my expectations in every regard.
Controls are highly responsive, and I never felt like I was hit with a cheap shot once during the course of the game. The difficulty balancing also feels finely tuned, with the challenge of each level increasing juuust the right amount. You have a limited number of tools in your arsenal, and they'll be familiar to anyone who has payed this kind of game: a standard laser which deals the most damage but requires manual aiming, a weaker homing shot that locks on by holding the fire button, a limited number of missiles to do AOE damage when things get chaotic, and a barrel roll for deflecting and dodging enemy fire. This small toolkit doesn't allow for a lot of experimentation, opting instead to keep things simple and arcadey, but Ex-Zodiac does such a great job at presenting the player with fun set pieces and obstacles that you'll never feel like you want more.
The game has a very modern-retro aesthetic, with brightly colored geometric shapes, simplistic models, and a whole lot of dithering, which of course doesn't read the way it ought to given the fact you'll be playing this on a modern display. It's still a good look, though, and if you really want to, you can turn the dithering off. The character designs are incredibly charming and the sprite art is excellent, and as I've mentioned before, the soundtrack is phenomenal. Every part of this games aesthetics appeals to me. You can even unlock bonus stages that are just straight up Space Harrier. I don't think I can ask for more than that.
If you want to play as a monkey girl who shoots cops, you should buy Ex-Zodiac. If you want to play an on-rails shooter with an extremely Konami soundtrack, you should buy Ex-Zodiac. If you want George (that's me) to play a full, finalized release of Ex-Zodiac, then you should buy Ex-Zodiac. Ten dollars is a good deal for this. I don't want to rate a game that's in early access, because the content and quality is subject to change, but the 0.6.23 build is a straight 5/5 from me.
Played the demo to this back in 2020, and while it certainly left an impression, I hadn't checked in on Ex-Zodiac in a while. A lot of progress has been made since then. While that first demo's two levels made for an excellent proof of concept, the 0.6.23 build actually looks like it could be a full fledged game in its own right, albeit a relatively short one at only six stages. Still, the level of production is absolutely crazy, and one glance at Ex-Zodiac will tell you that developer Ben Hickling not only has a deep reverence for classic on rails shooters (the Star Fox inspiration is worn with pride), but totally understands what makes them appealing.
Only one problem: I don't buy early access games. I want to support indie devs, but I also have a really hard time finding the motivation to play a game that is mid-way through development, it just doesn't interest me. So despite the temptation to drop ten bucks and grab Ex-Zodiac in this half-complete state (the final game will have 12 levels), I've largely satiated myself by listening to +TEK's incredible soundtrack, which itself is every bit a love letter to Konami's early 90s soundscape as Ex-Zodiac's gamplay is to Star Fox and Panzer Dragoon. However, the uncontrollable urge to just cough up some cash and play this game proved to be too much, and I'm here to tell you that Ex-Zodiac's current build lived up to my expectations in every regard.
Controls are highly responsive, and I never felt like I was hit with a cheap shot once during the course of the game. The difficulty balancing also feels finely tuned, with the challenge of each level increasing juuust the right amount. You have a limited number of tools in your arsenal, and they'll be familiar to anyone who has payed this kind of game: a standard laser which deals the most damage but requires manual aiming, a weaker homing shot that locks on by holding the fire button, a limited number of missiles to do AOE damage when things get chaotic, and a barrel roll for deflecting and dodging enemy fire. This small toolkit doesn't allow for a lot of experimentation, opting instead to keep things simple and arcadey, but Ex-Zodiac does such a great job at presenting the player with fun set pieces and obstacles that you'll never feel like you want more.
The game has a very modern-retro aesthetic, with brightly colored geometric shapes, simplistic models, and a whole lot of dithering, which of course doesn't read the way it ought to given the fact you'll be playing this on a modern display. It's still a good look, though, and if you really want to, you can turn the dithering off. The character designs are incredibly charming and the sprite art is excellent, and as I've mentioned before, the soundtrack is phenomenal. Every part of this games aesthetics appeals to me. You can even unlock bonus stages that are just straight up Space Harrier. I don't think I can ask for more than that.
If you want to play as a monkey girl who shoots cops, you should buy Ex-Zodiac. If you want to play an on-rails shooter with an extremely Konami soundtrack, you should buy Ex-Zodiac. If you want George (that's me) to play a full, finalized release of Ex-Zodiac, then you should buy Ex-Zodiac. Ten dollars is a good deal for this. I don't want to rate a game that's in early access, because the content and quality is subject to change, but the 0.6.23 build is a straight 5/5 from me.
This dev is going places. If you're a person who's like "Star Fox is so good why don't they make more Star Fox?" HERE YOU FUCKING GO. You have 0 excuses not to play this one.
10 bucks on Steam and you get a great game with baller music to match.
10 bucks on Steam and you get a great game with baller music to match.
Loved every second of it, the game-play is great, and the music and visuals speak to me on a spiritual level
Nintendo thinks a Star Fox sequel needs to reinvent the wheel to justify its own existence. Nintendo also has released four and a half New Super Mario Bros. games.
Game is good but not finished so no rating yet.
Game is good but not finished so no rating yet.
Manages to resurrect and modernize not only some of the best parts of STAR FOX, but also SIN & PUNISHMENT, SPACE HARRIER, and hell, it even has a level with massive F-Zero vibes!
Sucks to say the current 10 dollar Steam experience only nets you 6 main levels and 6 bonus stages, with no actual ending possible since it's still early access.
If you want a tight, challenging 3D sci-fi score runner, this is the best one any developer has made in ages. Hope the team fills it out with more worthwhile content, and FAST.
Sucks to say the current 10 dollar Steam experience only nets you 6 main levels and 6 bonus stages, with no actual ending possible since it's still early access.
If you want a tight, challenging 3D sci-fi score runner, this is the best one any developer has made in ages. Hope the team fills it out with more worthwhile content, and FAST.
Ok i only played the demo, but i think i have enough of a keen eye to know that the main character is a hot monkey