Game Review: Exo-Calibre

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series XS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

We've reviewed a lot of shooters recently at A-to-J Connections, but not too many of them have the charm and character of the game we're going to look at today. Exo-Calibre is an anime-themed vertical shooter developed by Vampixel Games, and published by EastAsiaSoft. It's out now on all major platforms, and we're going to be taking a look at the game on the Nintendo Switch here. There's a lot to go over in this one, so let's get straight to the review!

Exo-Calibre places you into the shoes of a member of an elite trio of mech pilots known as the Ex-Calibre Knights. Their mech suits are just one product of the Exo-Tech Corporation, and all hell breaks loose when the AI drones and machines they also produce start attacking humanity at large. Only the Ex-Calibre Knights are able to stop the AI menace, so they set off to do exactly that. It's an admittedly simple set-up, but it's more than I was expecting to find in a game like this. More often than not shmups have stories that exist solely in instruction manuals and eShop descriptions, so seeing one told in-game is always refreshing. Much of the story comes via opening and closing cutscenes that bookend the game, and there are several dialogue scenes throughout the levels themselves that give you a bit of background as to what the Ex-Calibre Knights' current mission is. It's all rather light-hearted, but that's where a lot of the charm lies. The stakes might be high on paper, but our heroes aren't too busy for a joke or two along the way. Now that we've covered plot and story, let's move the discussion to gameplay.

​Upon starting a run of Exo-Calibre, you're given a choice of which of the Knights you're going to play as. There are plenty of differences between the three as far as aesthetics go, but their main differences lie in their individual weapons. All three have guns that fire differently, and cater to different styles of play. Caliburn has a weapon that fires straight ahead, Galatine has a weapon that spreads out at the midway point into a long and wide spray of shuriken, and Arondight has a weapon that fires a web of projectiles in an arc that doesn't go out nearly as far as the others'. I personally found that Galatine suited my style of play best, but other players will want to try them all out before making their choice. There sadly aren't any secondary weapons in the game, but there is a melee attack that also serves as a dodge roll of sorts. There are some enemies that seem to be more susceptible to melee attacks over bullets, but chances are you'll mainly be using the move to dodge otherwise impassible walls of enemy fire. Each character can also accelerate in a way that quickly moves the screen upwards, but I found this to be of limited use in-game. That's pretty much it as far as player actions go, but it's far from all the game has to offer.

Exo-Calibre is a vertical shooter that features long stages that are broken up into three smaller sections that act as checkpoints. The first two sections of each stage are endurance rounds against waves of enemies, and the final round is always a boss encounter. Most enemies can be taken out by your standard weapon, though there are some quirks in certain stages that change things up a bit. There will occasionally be laser beams you'll have to either destroy via their source or dodge through, enemies that just absorb your bullets, and some sections that feel like they belong to a billet hell game. Boss encounters also offer a break from the routine, and can be pretty challenging overall too. No matter the character you choose, they can all take three hits of damage by default before dying. Dying doesn't have to be the end of your current run, though it will take you back to the start of the current section of the level you're in. You have unlimited lives when playing in Story Mode, but you can get a Game Over in Arcade Mode if you have no more extra lives to fall back on. This isn't a horrible mechanic on its own, but it flies in the face of what most people expect form a shooter. Most games in the genre let you keep playing from where you died, only restarting you if you continue. Exo-Calibre also makes the weird choice of making you watch all the cutcenes from that section of the level again when you restart. It's an odd gameplay choice for sure, and probably the most annoying single aspect of the game as far as I'm concerned.

There really isn't much else to the game to discuss beyond character upgrades, so I guess we'll tackle those here. Since there aren't any powerups in the game to speak of, the only thing that enemies drop in the game comes in the form of scrap that can be used to purchase upgrades between levels. These upgrades allow you to boost your weapons shot and damage capacity, increase your speed, and add an extra hit or two to your HP. You can also purchase additional lives, but those are only important in Arcade Mode. No matter how good you are, I don't think it's possible to get even half of all the upgrade in any single run. Not only is it hard to amass the amount of scrap needed for the higher upgrades, but you actually lose a bit of the scrap you've collected in a level each time you die. The upgrade system is a neat mechanic, but I think it's poorly utilized overall. These upgrades are also locked to your current run, and reset whenever you start up another playthrough. I'm not sure if the game would be better if it incorporated a roguelike system of permanent upgrades, but it feels like it's stuck in an in-between mode since it also doesn't feature traditional powerup mechanics.

I don't really have a lot to say regarding Exo-Calibre's sound and visuals, so I'll cover them both quickly. I personally found both to be near perfect, with the edge given to the graphics. Exo-Calibre has a 2D pixel art style that looks awesome in gameplay and cutscenes. The anime aesthetics are sure to draw players in, and I dug the Bubblegum Crisis-esque character designs. The enemies also all look unique, and the bosses are all impressive too. The action also never slowed down one bit, and I played the game purely on the Nintendo Switch in Handheld Mode. Sound fares just as well too, and shooter fans will have find another soundtrack that is full of pulse-pounding bangers that they'll want to add to their video game playlists. My only real gripe is that I wished the game had a few vocal quips here and there to truly capture the action classic arcade vibe, but that's more of a nitpick than anything.

How long one sticks with Exo-Calibre really depends on the player, but you do get a lot of game for just $6.99. There are lots of unlockables here, including other gameplay modes and even a secret character. I mainly discussed the Arcade and Story Modes here, but there are also Boss Rush and Time Attack modes too. They're pretty much what you'd expect as far as gameplay goes, and all four of the gameplay modes come with their own leaderboards. I'm not really one to keep track of high scores, but I know that plenty of players are, and the game does keep track of such things. The only thing that Exo-Calibre is missing is a multiplayer mode, and that's yet another oversight that I can't really wrap my head around as far as gameplay decisions go.

Even though I’m of the mind that some of Exo-Calibre's quirks don't always work, I still think that it's a must-buy for shmup fans in general, and those who like anime-styled games in particular. Its fast and furious gameplay is sure to give players their vertical shooter fix, and it even offers balanced difficulty that is challenging but fair. The characters are also endearing, and the entire plot setup makes me hope that a sequel is in the cards. My advice is to pick this one up on whatever platform you can, and put a stop to AI once and for all. On that note, I guess I'll see you all in the next one!

Check Out Exo-Calibre on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/exo-calibre-switch/

---

Story: A
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A+
Music/Sound: A
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A cool anime-inspired vertical shooter that's sure to draw in fans and newcomers to the genre alike.
+ The story and characters have a lot of charm to them, and the lighthearted vibes of the story keep the game flowing smooth.
+ Has some of the best pixel-based graphics I've seen in a modern game, and an awesome soundtrack too.
+ Several levels, and four gameplay modes, mean that there's a lot here for players to sink their teeth into.
+ An absolute steal at just $6.99.

Cons:
- There are some gameplay choices, such as respawning and the upgrade mechanic, that feel far from perfect.
- The lack of a secondary shot, or a screen-clearing bomb, makes this game feel a bit incomplete at times.
- Would've benefitted greatly with a multiplayer mode.
- Like most shooters, the longevity of this game will be determined by how much players care for the genre itself.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

---

I'm surprised I didn't mention how crazy this game's premise is in today's AI landscape.

#ExoCalibre