eXceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package

About

eXceed 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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

eXceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package screenshot

+12

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 390 reviews

music92 positive mentions

emotional2 negative mentions

Incredible bullet patterns and gameplay that rewards skill and memorization, making it a great challenge for both newcomers and veterans of the genre.
The soundtrack is outstanding, featuring a mix of metal and electronic music that enhances the overall experience.
Visually appealing with colorful graphics and well-designed characters, providing an engaging aesthetic that complements the gameplay.

The game suffers from technical issues, including low resolution and frame rate drops, which can detract from the overall experience.
Some players may find the story and character dialogue lacking depth, as it often feels like an afterthought compared to the gameplay.
The game can be quite short, with only a few stages, which may leave players wanting more content and replayability.

music
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
38%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised, particularly for its heavy metal and synth elements, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack by Saitama Saisyu Heiki as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. While some players noted that the gameplay may not be groundbreaking, the energetic and engaging soundtrack elevates the game, making it a must-have for fans of the genre. Overall, the music is described as epic, fitting, and a significant draw for players, often considered worth the price of admission alone.
- “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.”
gameplay
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
3%
The gameplay of Exceed 3rd is characterized by its solid bullet hell mechanics, featuring familiar Touhou-inspired patterns and a grazing system that enhances scoring. While some players find the gameplay straightforward and reminiscent of other shmups, it is praised for its smooth controls, engaging challenge, and a fantastic soundtrack that elevates the overall experience. Despite some critiques regarding its simplicity and lack of depth compared to other titles, it remains a fun and accessible entry point for newcomers to the genre.
- “The gameplay is fun and challenging, the graphics are pretty good too and the music is absolutely fantastic.”
- “Great fun bullet hell/shmup, unlike Exceed 2nd this one is pretty stock standard in its gameplay formula but great nonetheless.”
- “Epic music + high difficulty + screen filled with loads of deadly and colorful projectiles = exhilarating gameplay.”
- “The game only displays in a 4:3 pillarboxed aspect ratio (and the gameplay area is a very tiny 9:16).”
- “Honestly, just buy it for the soundtrack. You can find better shmups in terms of gameplay all over Steam these days. It still holds up alright gameplay-wise, but combine it with the banger of a soundtrack and it elevates it to something I'd check out if you're a fan of the genre. If you're new to shmups and don't care for the soundtrack, I'd go elsewhere.”
- “Gameplay: could have done better as in the starting it was quite generic and plain.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
48%
6%
The graphics of the game receive a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the beautiful visuals, colorful explosions, and improved artwork compared to previous titles in the series. While some users note low-resolution sprites and occasional issues with character design, the overall aesthetic and animation quality are highlighted as appealing, particularly in the context of the bullet hell genre. The combination of attractive artwork, engaging character sprites, and a well-crafted soundtrack contributes to a visually satisfying experience.
- “It has an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, great gameplay, and beautiful visuals.”
- “The game is easily the most graphically advanced entry in the series to date and boasts a visceral soundtrack that accompanies the on-screen action.”
- “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, as 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 resolution graphics.”
- “The resolution continues to be really low in addition to the well below amateur level of graphic and sound design.”
story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
7%
The story in this game is a soft reboot featuring a tournament among vampire girls and a dragon girl in a magic school, with a plot that many find silly and lacking depth. While the voice acting is praised, the narrative is often described as forgettable and nonsensical, serving primarily as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players have the option to turn off the story elements, allowing them to enjoy the gameplay and music without distraction.
- “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 storyline is simple but amusing and fitting.”
- “The plot to Exceed 3rd is that you're a cute dragon girl going to magic school and one day someone declared that there was going to be a tournament where you have to kill all your friends to be the lord of the world.”
- “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.”
- “It all sounds very exciting, but in reality, it is a pretty boring story, and thankfully we still have the option to turn off dialogue.”
- “The storyline is about what you'd expect from a shmup: absolute swill.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
29%
29%
The game offers significant replayability due to its high skill cap and multiple difficulty settings, encouraging players to improve and tackle challenges at higher levels. However, its relatively short length and lack of alternate characters may limit replay value for some players. Overall, while the game is brief, the potential for replayability remains strong, especially for those seeking to master its mechanics.
- “The high skill cap and different difficulty settings make for great replayability.”
- “Given the high difficulty even on easy, there's the potential for lots of replayability as you improve and take on the higher levels.”
- “5 levels, 4 difficulties, lots of replay value.”
- “Quite short (stages and bosses are in general shorter than what one can find in Touhou and the likes), even though the replayability is mentioned.”
- “To my knowledge, there are no alternate characters (with different attacks) like in Exceed - Gun Bullet Children, noticeably limiting the replayability.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Character development in the game is highlighted by a mix of strong character designs and effective voice acting, contributing to an overall appealing aesthetic. While some reviews note that character design can be bland, others appreciate the nostalgic, old-school style and the engaging soundtrack, which enhances the characters' presence. The shift to a simplified gameplay style is also seen as a positive evolution in character interaction.
- “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.”
- “Good character design.”
- “Character design is often quite bland.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
- “There is little to no growth in the characters throughout the game.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, featuring a hilariously clever title and an intentionally funny script that complements its overly dramatic story. The 16-bit graphics and exceptional soundtrack further enhance the comedic experience, making it a standout in its genre. Overall, the humor is well-received, with a light-hearted approach that avoids being offensive.
- “One of the most hilarious game names ever, and the soundtrack is so damn good, especially 'Intersect Thunderbolt.'”
- “The overly dramatic story proves unintentionally hilarious, the graphics are 16-bit eye candy, and the soundtrack once again sets the bar for games in this genre (really, it's incredible).”
- “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.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for having a lackluster story compared to its predecessor, leading to a less engaging experience. While the excitement of the premise is acknowledged, the overall narrative fails to resonate, though players appreciate the option to turn off dialogue.
- “No real flaws aside from a boring story compared to the second installment.”
- “It all sounds very exciting, but in reality, it is a pretty boring story, and thankfully we still have the option to turn off dialogue.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the shift away from the tedious coloring 弾幕 system in the third game, favoring a more streamlined and enjoyable gameplay experience reminiscent of the Touhou series. This change reduces the grinding typically associated with earlier mechanics, enhancing overall enjoyment.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization has been criticized for being subpar, with a frame rate cap of 30fps and significant drops to around 15fps on mid-range machines from 2015, particularly during particle-heavy events like boss deaths.
- “Capped at 30fps, and poorly optimized; I experience framedrops to around 15fps on 2015 mid-range machines when specific particles appear, such as when a boss dies.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it nearly unplayable on older hardware.”
- “Even on high-end systems, the optimization feels lacking, leading to frequent stutters and frame drops.”