IndieGo #27 Neon Blight and Ex-Zodiac

Across the half decade of video game history, shooting at on-screen foes is ubiquitous. It’s likely the most prevalent action across the medium. But just because its pervasive don’t mean it’s always engrossing. Some games unquestionably offer better implantations that others. Today, we’ll look at two titles build around battering enemies with bullets. Both Neon Bright and Ex-Zodiac demonstrate that a steady rate of fire can still quicken pulses.

Neon Blight, Bleeding Tapes, $15.99

At the time of the writing, Neon Blight has a ‘mostly negative’ rating on Steam. That assessment is reasonable. With a tragically clumsy user interface and bugs that effect everything from NPC navigation, in-game actions, and a sense of balance, the title feels more like an Early Access release that thoroughly tested retail build. But developer Bleeding Tapes is consistently patching the game. And, if you are able to overlook the jank, Neon Blight reveals some clever design decisions.

First, the game isn’t just another twin-stick shooter with roguelike traits. You’ll venture into multi-room dungeons, dropping enemies with an assortment of different firearms. Unsurprisingly, when defeated foes drop their guns, you can pick them up and use them. Your standard issue six-shooter might have unlimited ammo, but its projectiles don’t pack much of a punch as a salvaged shotty.

Instead, you can haul these firearms back to your own in-game gun store. There, you’ll set a price and put them of display. The process isn’t radically different than selling Steam cards. If you stay below the market price, your wares will eventually be procured by those disobedient NPCs once you open the store. And yes, you’ll have to hit a button to ring them up. Pleasingly, the game’s models variables like consumer ratings, so if you set your prices too high, expect to get review bombed. Apparently, shoppers might even try to steal your goods. As far as I’ve seen, there’s no merchant justice in the game, which is odd given Blight’s cyberpunk stylings.

The game’s gunplay is remarkably well designed. When you’re in dungeon tackling various sub-quests, each room usually has at least a few adversaries. Pleasingly, they’re not very alert and it’s gratifying to empty an entire magazine on opponents before they return fire. When they do attack, gun-toting enemies might launch a procession of projectiles, clusters, or even firework-like outbursts that require bullet hell-style evasion. Luckily, your character can dash out of harm’s way, which offers a generous supply of I-frames and a quick cooldown.

Thankfully, firefights don’t completely overwhelm since bullet speeds are slow. Move away from foes and its even possible to slip through the narrow space between bullets. Instead, Neon Blight’s gunplay is challenging because the game tosses multiple enemy types at you. Sure, you might be able to evade the groups of gun-toting foes but it’s harder to dodge fire when smaller opponents without weapons chase you down with frenzied determination.

Opponents drop more than guns. Periodically, you might be able to add a metal detector into your loadout of five available tools. Areas have a few hidden coins lying about so if you’re interesting, you can follow the beeping beacon to dig them up. Nicely, there’s a light on the sensor, so deaf players won’t miss out on the treasure hunting. Expectedly, Neon Blight’s boss battles escalate the challenge levels, requiring precise timing as you elude waves of red bullets, melee attacks, and other offensive attacks.

Sadly, I’ve witnessed an assortment of promising games get dropped by developers before they realized their ambitions. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen with Neon Blight because there are some smart design decisions that built into a compelling gameplay cycle.

Recommended for: action fans who favor innovative ideas over performance.

Ex-Zodiac, MNKY, $9.99

Sadly, Nintendo seems to have disowned Star Fox. Save for the recent release of Star Fox 2 on the Super NES Classic Edition, the franchise largely abandoned its roots after 1997’s Star Fox 64. Star Fox Adventures and Assault for the GameCube de-emphasized the shooting segments for Zelda-like action, while Star Fox Command turned things into a tactical game. Sure, Star Fox Zero looked to resurrect the 3D flying and shooting formula. But ultimately the title disappointed by requiring players to use the Wii U’s gyroscopic functionality.

Solitary developer MNKY (aka Ben Hickling) understands the disappoint of long-time Arwing aficionados. Sure, Ex-Zodiac doesn’t quite have the torii gate-like structures to fly through. Instead, the title sends players across low-poly planets populated by obstacles like wind collectors, lofty obelisks, and narrow channels between blocky buildings. At present, the Early Access release contains six different stages with plans for a full twelve to complement the game’s astrological theme. And yes, there’s banter from anthropomorphic animals as well as barrel rolls, refabricating the delights of the original SNES title.

Smartly, there’s just enough variation to keep Nintendo’s lawyers from getting litigious. Intermittently, Ex-Zodiac will also reference Space Harrier. You’ll lose your ability to ‘paint’ targets and let loose with a cascade of homing missiles. Just like SEGA’s classic title, you’ll release a squall of rapid-fire projectiles, as you evade enemies and their bullets that emerge from the foreground. These sequences inject a dose of variety, even if they’re far easier than the rest of the game.

As protagonist Kyuu skims the surfaces of planets or tackles the freedom of space, Ex-Zodiac dutifully follows the structure of arcade-style, three-dimensional space shooters. Enemies come in three different varieties. Subordinates fly around in fanciful formations, defying players to get a lock on them. Larger foes like walkers require a few hits to eliminate, with glowing panels indicating where you should be aiming. Finally, there are the game’s boss battles that punctuate each stage. Delightfully, these showdowns remix the level’s musical theme, as you evade their tempestuous attacks while trying to target their weak points.

While your animal allies don’t explicitly state it, Peppy’s advice of “do a barrel roll” and “use bombs wisely” remains as prudent as ever. I’d also include “stay on-screen”, as you ship tends to veer from the periphery. Occasionally, you’ll need to oversteer to pick up the game’s weapon-augmenting power-ups. If a bit of magnetism was applied to Kyuu’s ship to pull in these perks, the action could rival the polish of Miyamoto’s original. As it stands, the tempo of each stage is near flawless, as you repeatedly shift from eliminating enemies to taking evasive action to avoid crashing into the environment or a projectile. Like Star Fox, there’s the impression that you’re flying over biospheres, as foes attempt to topple objects and impede your attack.

Had someone sat me down in front of Ex-Zodiac and told me this was an early version of Nintendo’s handiwork, I’d believe them. At present, Hickling’s title is amazingly close to recreating the low-poly shooting action of Star Fox. Amazingly, Ex-Zodiac even beats Nintendo’s last four efforts, which feel like a true accomplishment.

Recommended for: Anyone who has ever yearned for a proper Star Fox follow-up.