eXceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package
- August 2, 2012
- Tennen-sozai
Get on SteameXceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package is a bullet hell shooter game set in a dystopian world. As the player, you control a member of the seemingly benevolent organization, Neuroshect, fighting against supernatural enemies. The game features intense battles, a variety of weapons and characters, and a dark, intriguing storyline.
PC
Reviews
- eXceed 3rd - Jade Penetrate Black Package is a well-crafted bullet hell shooter with engaging gameplay and a fantastic metal soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- The game features a variety of challenging bullet patterns and boss fights, making it enjoyable for both newcomers and seasoned players in the genre.
- The visuals are vibrant and the character designs are appealing, contributing to an overall fun and immersive experience.
- The game suffers from technical issues such as low resolution graphics and occasional frame rate drops, which can detract from the gameplay experience.
- Some players find the difficulty curve to be inconsistent, with certain stages and bosses feeling unfairly challenging without prior knowledge of their patterns.
- The story and dialogue can feel shallow and uninteresting, leading some players to skip through the narrative elements to focus on the gameplay.
- music121 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its high-energy metal and synth compositions that enhance the gameplay experience. The soundtrack, primarily composed by Saitama Saisyu Heiki, is described as "face-meltingly good" and a significant draw for players, often compared favorably to other titles in the genre. While some critiques mention occasional inconsistencies in music looping, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature that elevates the game's appeal.
“Beneath the layer of waifu bait, there is a solid gameplay shmup and an even better brutal synth metal soundtrack from the great Saitama Saisyu Heiki that just hearing it makes you want to play another game.”
“The soundtrack is face-melting good and blends well with the fast-paced, bullet hell gameplay.”
“The music is excellent, offering some rad tunes; it's some metal stuff.”
“Worse, the game's menu music sounds, laughably, like some sort of crappy rip-off of The Exorcist and that's the best music this game has to offer.”
“The music is not looped properly; it would end the track fading into silence then start it again, which feels disturbing.”
“I'm not impressed by the music either.”
- gameplay59 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its solid bullet hell mechanics, drawing inspiration from the Touhou series, with a focus on grazing and scoring systems that enhance the experience. Players appreciate the smooth controls, vibrant visuals, and an exhilarating soundtrack that complements the fast-paced action, although some find the initial mechanics somewhat generic. Overall, the game successfully combines challenging gameplay with engaging mechanics, making it a standout title in the shmup genre.
“Epic music + high difficulty + screen filled with loads of deadly and colorful projectiles = exhilarating gameplay.”
“The gameplay is fun and challenging, the graphics are pretty good too, and the music is absolutely fantastic.”
“Exceed 3rd is my favorite of the series, a solid and challenging danmaku shooter that includes some of my favorite mechanics of the genre.”
“The game doesn't really explain the mechanics too well, but once you get the hang of them, it's quite fun - survival is about point-blanking for max damage and using your special at the right time.”
“Gameplay: could have done better as in the starting it was quite generic and plain.”
“It does have a few complaints here and there - like too simple scoring mechanic and higher difficulties being less interesting than in other games.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their attractive anime artwork, colorful explosions, and improved visual elements compared to earlier titles in the series. While some users note the low-resolution sprites, they appreciate the overall aesthetic and high production values, highlighting the game's clean visuals and well-crafted animations. Despite some technical limitations, such as a non-functional screenshot feature, the visuals are considered a significant highlight, contributing to the game's appeal.
“The artwork is better than Zun's abominations too.”
“On the Steam store page description, it lists high production values with outstanding graphics, music, and gameplay as one of its main selling points.”
“The visuals are also outstanding, colorful explosions and huge walls of enemy fire - it's just what you'd want from a game like this.”
“Again, as a game that was released back in 2009, the screenshot feature in the Steam version doesn't work; it only gives a black picture without any image of the character artwork sprites or conversation text window. This is quite a shame since the character artwork sprites and visual novel aspects in this game are one of the main highlights.”
“Really low-res graphics.”
“By the way, if you're like me and you don't play games if the graphics are terrible, the trailer makes the visuals look deceptively bad.”
- story29 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered silly and forgettable, often taking a backseat to the gameplay, which is the main focus of the shmup genre. While some players appreciate the voice acting and find the character dynamics interesting, the plot itself—featuring vampire girls in a tournament or a school war—lacks depth and coherence. Overall, the narrative is seen as a minor aspect of the experience, with many players opting to skip it in favor of the action and gameplay.
“The gist of the story is that the most powerful characters in the world are fighting to see who's fit to rule them all.”
“The story is interesting, the gameplay is fluid, and the difficulty curve is well balanced, so it should be easy enough for newcomers and difficult enough for veterans.”
“So far as I can tell, this game's story is that various vampire girls are competing in a to-the-death tournament to see who among them gets to become a 'cardinal lord,' though what that really is not well explained.”
“And finally, as far as the plot goes, they rebooted the series and turned it into some sort of school war where the top students fight for a chance to compete in a tournament for a chance to become some monster big shot or other.”
“Like the predecessors, Exceed 3rd has a pretty forgettable story, and you'll probably turn off the dialogue after playing for about half an hour.”
- character development4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its appealing designs and strong voice acting, contributing to an enjoyable old-school aesthetic. Reviewers appreciate the shift towards a more simplified gameplay style that enhances the overall experience, while the soundtrack is highlighted as a standout feature.
“I love all the character designs and especially the voice acting; stage 2 I think had the best OST in the game.”
“I have a fetish for the old-school aesthetic of this game; the character designs and voice acting, soundtrack by SSH, and that overall doujin taste are very pleasing for me.”
“Soundtrack is awesome, character design is pretty good for a 2009 game, and it's nice to see this 3rd game do away with the tedious coloring system in favor of a much more simplified gameplay that leans towards a more Touhou-ish playstyle.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its high skill cap and various difficulty settings, encouraging players to refine their skills. However, the lack of alternate characters with unique attacks may limit the diversity of gameplay experiences.
“The high skill cap and different difficulty settings make for great replayability.”
“There is a lot of replay value in this game.”
“To my knowledge, there are no alternate characters (with different attacks) like in Exceed - Gun Bullet Children, noticeably limiting the replayability.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its hilarious title and an enjoyable soundtrack, particularly the track "intersect thunderbolt." While it incorporates elements of moe typical of doujin games, the humor is intentional and well-executed, making for a lighthearted experience.
“One of the most hilarious game names ever, and the soundtrack is so damn good, especially 'Intersect Thunderbolt.'”
“Being a doujin game, the dread specter of moe is ever present, but none of it seems particularly offensive, and the script is actually kind of (intentionally) funny.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the shift away from the tedious coloring 弾幕 system in favor of a more streamlined gameplay experience, which enhances the overall enjoyment and reduces grinding. The game's soundtrack and character design also receive positive mentions, contributing to a more engaging atmosphere.
- emotional1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the emotional impact of the game is generally well-received, some users feel that the story lacks depth and excitement, particularly when compared to its predecessor.
“The emotional depth of the story feels lacking, especially when compared to the previous installment.”
“I found the characters' emotional arcs to be underdeveloped and unengaging.”
“The game tries to evoke emotions, but it ultimately falls flat and feels superficial.”
