Ex-Zodiac
- July 21, 2022
- Pixeljam
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Ex-Zodiac" is a single-player Science Fiction Shooter game with a fabulous story and awesome gameplay, featuring 8 main levels and 6 bonus levels, major bosses at the end of each level, and a 16-bit style soundtrack. The game boasts exceptional visuals in a retro, colorful, low-poly style and encourages replayability with re-mappable controls. Join the Discord community for updates and feedback on the existing 2-level demo.
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Reviews
- Captures the nostalgic feel of classic Star Fox games with vibrant low-poly graphics and an excellent soundtrack.
- Gameplay is fast-paced and engaging, with a mix of challenging levels and unique boss fights that keep players on their toes.
- Offers a variety of mechanics, including multi-target lock-on shots and bonus stages inspired by Space Harrier, enhancing replayability.
- The dialogue often appears during intense gameplay, making it difficult to read and follow the story.
- Some levels can feel short, and the overall game length may leave players wanting more content.
- Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially with enemy attacks that are hard to predict or avoid.
- music152 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its energetic and catchy soundtrack, blending elements of jazz, prog rock, and 90s synth sounds, which perfectly complements the gameplay and visuals. Composed by +tek, the soundtrack is described as a nostalgic homage to classic titles like Star Fox, with many players expressing a desire to purchase it separately. Overall, the music enhances the game's vibrant aesthetic and engaging mechanics, making it a standout feature.
“The music is top notch, fitting the genre and action, blending jazz and prog rock with 90's synth sounds.”
“From the universally charming art style to the beat pumping soundtrack, this is a treat for the eyes and ears from start to finish.”
“The soundtrack is fantastic, and the graphics complement the retro feel of the game.”
“The music is okay but the 'voices' sound like frogs talking at lightspeed and there's no way to turn it off without turning off all the sound effects.”
“Exzodiac seemingly channels Sonic the Hedgehog (mainly Mania) musically/aurally while it’d benefit from sounding more like Starfox, maybe Metroid, perhaps even something like Shadow of the Colossus or Abzu, composition-wise that is.”
“The songs are nothing that remarkable.”
- graphics121 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their vibrant, low-poly aesthetic that pays homage to the classic SNES era, particularly reminiscent of the original Star Fox. Reviewers highlight the charming art style, excellent optimization, and the nostalgic feel of the visuals, which are complemented by a fantastic soundtrack. Overall, the graphics are described as stylish, colorful, and well-executed, making for an engaging visual experience that enhances the gameplay.
“The graphics nail that early 16-bit '3D' aesthetic while still being detailed enough to show off unique enemies and locations.”
“Ex-Zodiac's graphics are a fantastic callback to the early 3D polygons on the SNES thanks to the ol' Super FX chip.”
“It beautifully captures the SNES Star Fox aesthetic with its low-poly ships, vibrant colors, pixellation, and dithering patterns, which look amazing at this high frame rate.”
“The ground is checkerboard and looks like a vaporwave aesthetic instead of the vegetation on an alien world.”
“It has the aesthetic of the original SNES Star Fox, but has some of the mechanics and play modes of Star Fox 64, and doesn’t utilize them effectively, resulting in a disjointed hodgepodge of various elements.”
“The best way I can describe it is that this is how people likely imagined how the world of Star Fox looked with the low-poly visuals that left much to be desired.”
- gameplay117 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Ex Zodiac is a fast-paced homage to classic rail shooters like Star Fox, blending elements from both the SNES and N64 iterations while introducing new mechanics and levels that enhance the experience. Players appreciate the smooth controls, engaging level design, and the nostalgic aesthetic, though some critique the reliance on familiar mechanics and the need for more variety in enemies and gameplay elements. Overall, the game offers a fun and challenging experience, particularly for fans of the genre, with a solid replay value driven by score-based mechanics.
“Gameplay is fun and a mix of OG Starfox and 64, and includes sick space harrier bonus levels, which is a huge plus.”
“The gameplay is tight... like really tight.”
“Absolutely captures the Starfox SNES vibes it's going for with pitch-perfect aesthetics and gameplay.”
“The missile lock-on mechanic feels a tad bit weak; it does lock on to enemies, but I feel that the mechanic doesn't do it well enough as it ought to.”
“I really like the look of this, but the controls are floaty, the hitboxes are hard to see, it's hard to tell when an enemy projectile is actually going to hit you, and the lock-on mechanics are bad.”
“You won't find that here; all of the gameplay design is tailored to the same kind of 3D rail shooting you saw on the store page.”
- story61 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Ex-Zodiac" is described as simple and straightforward, focusing on the protagonist, Kyuu, as she battles the terrorist group Zodiac across various missions. While the game pays homage to classic titles like Star Fox with its charming graphics and nostalgic elements, many players feel that the narrative lacks depth and cinematic flair, often getting lost amidst the action. Reviewers express a desire for more immersive storytelling and character development, suggesting that the current dialogue and mission structure could be improved to enhance the overall experience.
“The story for Ex-Zodiac is simple; it has nothing too complicated to follow, and that is fine. Its gameplay is where it truly shines.”
“You play as monkey-girl space pilot Kyuu, on a quest to defeat the forces of the terrorist group Zodiac, currently causing havoc all over the Sanzaru system.”
“New world, new story, and new characters but old nostalgic feeling.”
“I know there's a story here, but I missed 90% of it because the characters were talking during the action.”
“The story is not there, and the two main characters have no character.”
“I bought this thinking it would be like Star Fox 64, but it is not. You won't feel as immersed as in Star Fox; there are no buddies flying the mission with you, and no dialogue when a mission ends.”
- replayability19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong replayability, with players appreciating the potential for high scores, hidden levels, and strategic gameplay elements that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some users note that the current content is limited, they believe it serves as a solid foundation for future enhancements, suggesting that replay value will increase as the game develops. The balance of difficulty and the presence of secrets and branching paths further contribute to its engaging replay experience.
“This game is well worth your money with some good replay value.”
“Star Fox wasn’t just about score, and its replay value in score attack centered around secrets, branching paths, strategic use of weapons, and communicating to the player how they can improve.”
“I love the replayability in this and so far I really enjoyed every bit of this game; the difficulty is just right, not too hard, but also not easy.”
“It doesn't quite have the replayability and charm that 64 has (though it comes fairly close in a few places) but it's better than what Nintendo has done as of late and still stands up on its own as a fine rail shooter.”
“The scoring system is very well done and provides a lot of replay value learning the enemy patterns so that you can string together as many kills as possible on screen at once for a higher score going for S rank.”
“Easy to learn but difficult to master, which lends itself to replayability.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, featuring stylized graphics that maintain smooth performance without overheating hardware, achieving 60fps with a charming low-poly aesthetic. Players can also choose a lower frame rate for a nostalgic experience, though switching to high resolution may require a restart to avoid stuttering. Additionally, the inclusion of secret collectibles and a scoring system encourages replayability and performance improvement.
“Great stylized graphics that don't heat up a video chip, as many modern low-graphic games, but are very well optimized.”
“Unlimited by the technical wizardry of the Super FX chips, Ex-Zodiac combines excellent score-chasing level design with silky-smooth performance.”
“The low-poly aesthetic is lovely and flows excellently at 60fps, but for purists, the game lets you set it to 15fps to capture the Star Fox SNES performance.”
“If you do switch to hi-res, be warned that a game restart may be necessary to resolve stuttering issues (likely a caching issue, should only happen once).”
“The low-poly aesthetic is lovely and flows excellently at 60fps, but for purists, the game lets you set it to 15fps to replicate the Star Fox SNES performance.”
“Unlimited by the technical wizardry of the Super FX chips, ex-Zodiac combines excellent score-chasing level design with silky-smooth performance.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as largely irritating and unmemorable, especially when compared to the more epic and relaxed vibes of Star Fox 64. However, the music is highlighted as a standout feature, being catchy and significantly contributing to the overall atmosphere. The game is noted for its surreal aesthetic, reminiscent of classic titles, but ultimately falls short of creating a lasting impression.
“A great atmospheric Star Fox-like rail shooter.”
“The Star Fox 3 we never had, with a more surreal atmosphere compared to 64's more down-to-earth look.”
“The music is fantastic and quite catchy, which can truly make or break the atmosphere of these games.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding the writing both funny and enjoyable, often eliciting audible laughter. However, some users have encountered a humorous bug that leaves a ghosting effect on the display, which can be resolved through specific troubleshooting steps.
“Super funny though, audibly chuckled.”
“The writing is funny and enjoyable.”
- character development3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
While the character designs are praised for their creativity and appeal, many users feel that the personalities and interactions of the characters lack depth and development. There is hope that these aspects will be improved in the final release, as the current banter and interactions are seen as insufficient.
“The character designs are also great - the pig zodiac was a slam dunk.”
“I also like the character designs, but I just wish their personalities were more fleshed out. I'm going to choose to believe that will be worked on in the final release.”
“I also like the character designs, but I just wish their personalities were more fleshed out. I'm going to choose to believe that this will be worked on in the final release.”
“I really like the character designs, but the character interaction and banter of Star Fox is missing.”
- stability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates good stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, with no significant bugs or glitches reported. However, some users have experienced a recurring freeze at a specific point in the first stage, indicating a potential issue that the developer needs to address.
“Runs great on Steam Deck.”
“Something odd is happening; the game freezes at the same point in the first stage every time I retry, whether it's windowed or fullscreen, with vsync or without.”
“I'm really hoping to see the developer iron this out, because the game is gorgeous, the controls, gameplay, and overall difficulty are handled wonderfully, the music is brilliant, but I've encountered no bugs or glitches so far.”
