Ex-Zodiac Early Access Preview

Ex-Zodiac is a fast-paced rail shooter arcade game that has been out in early access for a while now. We have the game review code and were able to experience the game after it has been updated several times. While the game is already a nearly complete and worthwhile experience, we are publishing this article as a preview and not score the game. But we present you the strengths and weaknesses of the game. It is expected to be a complete game in 2024 at the latest.

Ex-Zodiac is made to take the audience to the past when arcade game machines were still popular and rail shooters were catching people’s eyes. It wants to fill the void of Star Fox games, at least to some extent. At first glance, it does not seem that the small developer of this game can produce something similar to the big names of this genre. But they have been able to launch their game successfully by understanding their limitations. Even though Ex-Zodiac is short and its production process has not yet been completed, it is a valuable creation among independent titles.

Ex-Zodiac is pure action. You control fictional vehicles (usually spaceships). Of course, because the game is a rail shooter, you don’t have control over its navigation path but must maneuver around and escape from bullets and various obstacles. The game scenes are always overwhelming and, rarely, you can easily take a breath. Your enemy’s bullets will be sent to you in many different ways, but fortunately, the smooth controls of the game are your friend. Moving the ship with the mouse is very responsive and smooth, and on the other hand, the thrust feature allows you to move forward with acceleration in a limited time to escape dangers.

You can use three different types of bullets to fight and destroy enemies. One is a simple laser shot, the other is interceptor bullets that are activated by holding down the fire button. Finally, you have limited powerful bombs, which are especially useful during battles with large enemies or in very crowded scenes. All these make it not too difficult to pass the levels if you pay enough attention to your surroundings. The game gives you a rank for ending each level, so if you want to get higher grades, you probably have to do each level several times. We hope that in the final release, a leaderboard will be added so that players around the world can compare each other’s scores.

One of the strengths of the game is its Boss fights, which await you at the end of each level. These bosses are usually giant machines that take some time to defeat because of their various shooting and fighting methods. Especially since if your ship runs out of health you’ll be back at the beginning of that boss fight. It should be noted that the game only gives three chances to restart from checkpoints, and if you fail, you will return to the beginning of that level.

As we said, this game is reminiscent of old titles. Therefore, You’ll see low poly and simple 3D visuals, which are nostalgic. For this reason, the game does not need powerful hardware to run smoothly. Fortunately, in the display settings, you can adjust the frame rate or resolution in such a way that the game looks more like a nineties title. Also, the sounds you hear, from shootings to retro game music, are just like classic games.

The only major flaw that can be seen at the moment is its unimportant game story. At the beginning of each stage, you are faced with a few lines of text that specify the purpose of that mission. After you enter that level, which is usually an eye-catching planet with interesting backgrounds, the endless dialogues of characters begin. It is good that they are silent because they are not important at all and do not add anything to the value of the story. On the other hand, it is bad for them to be silent because if you try to read the texts, you will be seriously injured amid enemy attacks or environmental obstacles.

Ex-Zodiac is highly recommended for fans of classic arcade games, especially the Star Fox series. But maybe it’s better to wait until the game is fully done and then get it. The game currently has a few stages, but it is complete in terms of the features of a fun game, and it can be purchased for only ten dollars, which is a great price.