Exo-Calibre review

There’s an abundance of vertically-scrolling shooters available, but more are always welcome — provided that they’re good. The latest to hit the scene is Exo-Calibre, developed by Vampixel Games and published by eastasiasoft. Anime-inspired, it challenges players to shoot their way through a number of colourful stages as one of three exuberant pilots. But ultimately, it does little to genuinely impress.

Jump into Exo-Calibre and you’ll find that it has two modes available from the off: Story and Arcade. Story mode gives you more health and unlimited lives, making completing all six of the game’s stages considerably easier. Arcade mode, on the other hand, still has the same story scenes found in Story mode, but it’s much tougher. In any case, the story itself isn’t likely to capture your attention.

Basically, AI drones have gone haywire, and our pilots, being the Ex-Calibre Knights, are the ones who have to stop them. Cue lots of twee and clichéd dialogue scenes sandwiched between the shooting action. Even worse, if you lose a life, checkpoints are generally placed just before these dialogue scenes, making you watch them all again.

The action itself is pretty decent, though. Each of the three pilots available here has their own unique fire pattern, making it worth giving them all a go. They’re all capable of performing a melee attack, too; useful for hitting enemies at close range and even returning some bullets. A nifty boost ability which shoots you forward at speed also allows you to avoid enemy bullets, as well as race against obstacles that might block your path.

What you won’t find here are screen-clearing bombs or power-ups, both staples of the genre. Instead, you occasionally come across pieces of scrap which can be collected, which will allow you to power up your Ex-Calibre Knight between stages. Exo-Calibre feels somewhat fresh, all in all, then, but it’s just not the most interesting shooter to play. Its stages feel bland, and the enemies you fight are rather samey. Like in most shooters, its bosses are the highlight of the experience.

For those that do get on with it, however, there are multiple additional pilots to unlock, as well as two additional modes: Boss Rush and Time Rush. Considering the game’s budget price, there’s plenty of content here to make you feel like you’ve got your money’s worth.

Exo-Calibre is far from being a bad game, then, but there are much better available in the shooter genre. It’s colourful, has a nice soundtrack and can be fun in small doses, but it’s not likely to ever enter anyone’s personal list of the best vertically-scrolling shooters.

This review of Exo-Calibre is based on the Switch version, with a code provided by the game’s publisher. It’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and PC.