Triggerheart Exelica's unique mechanics add an original and refreshing twist to the classic Bullet-hell stereotype.
The titular Exelica is one of several remaining, female, humanoid weapons otherwise known as Triggerhearts. In the wake of an invasion of Earth by the extra-terrestrial forces of the Ver'mith, Exelica ventures into battle alongside her trusted compatriot Crueltear in an effort to stop the invasion.
At first glance, Triggerheart Exelica is what appears to be a standard run-of-the-mill Bullet-Hell shooter. Players choose to take on the role of either Exelica or Crueltear before blasting their way through five vertically-scrolling stages and navigating a hail of bullets prior to confronting a Boss at the end of each level. Upon closer inspection however, it immediately becomes apparent that there is more to the game than initially meets the eye.
What separates Triggerheart Exelica from a good number of other Bullet-Hell shooters out there is the game's 'anchor' system. Both Triggerhearts are capable of tethering themselves to foes through the use of an anchor, which enables them to swing the tethered enemy in a circular motion around the character to protect themselves from enemy fire, or to use the said enemy as a ram by deliberately swinging or throwing them into other opponents. While most small, airborne enemies can be used in any of the above ways, the larger ones can only be latched onto. Doing so slows the triggerheart's movement speed, but enables them to concentrate their fire on the opponent in question and keeps the character facing the anchored enemy as long as the anchor remains in place. Defeating opponents by exploiting the anchor rewards the player with significantly more points than that which would have been obtained had the player resorted to using their character's standard form of attack common to all Shoot 'em ups. This unique mechanic elevates the game above other, more conventional Bullet-Hell titles whilst essentially turning Triggerheart Exelica into a Shoot 'em up in which the player is doing very little shooting.
Adding an additional layer of depth to the experience is the Variable Boss Attack System, which adjusts the difficulty of the current level's Boss to match the player's performance up to that point in the game, with particular regards to the players' life stock and score at the time of encountering the Boss. Each Boss possesses several forms, with each form providing the Boss with a different plethora of attacks with which to assault the player. The player can force the Boss to change its current form by simply depleting its life bar. Failing to maintain a high score causes Bosses to offer less resistance in the form of simplified bullet patterns and by shortening the length of the battles considerably by utilizing only some of their forms, with the latter limiting the player's scoring opportunities during the Boss encounter. It therefore becomes vital for the player to make the most of the anchor and conserve their lives to maximise their score prior to reaching the final phases of each stage.
The game's soundtrack is heavy on its use of Techno music appropriate to the sci-fi setting of the game. Although most of the stage BGM tracks are relatively subtle in nature, each one seems to fit its corresponding level well, with the opening stage's track 'Exelica Dancing at Dawn' standing out in particular as being particularly memorable.
Triggerheart Exelica's biggest pitfalls are its short length and lack of support for local or online multiplayer, the latter of which is standard among most Shoot 'em ups. Players who are unconcerned with perfecting their score and clearing the game on a single credit are likely to be let down by the former.
Ultimately Triggerheart Exelica is a fairly enjoyable title that is likely to be better appreciated by devoted fans of the genre, rather than those merely looking for a simple arcade game with which to bolster their Gamerscore.