Title screen of Triggerheart Exelica for the XBOX Live Arcade.
The XBOX Live Arcade version of Triggerheart Exelica was an updated version of the original arcade game and is the second console port of the game. It was released on February 27, 2008 with a cost of 800 Microsoft points for the XBOX360 console.
Since August 2nd, 2016 and up to August 31st, 2023, the game was available on the XBOX One and XBOX Series X/Series S as one of the "Backwards Compatible" games for the consoles, with a cost of $9.99 dollars before it was delisted from the online store.
Story[]
Original artwork of the XBLA release (2008)
Far away...
In a system so distant that the light from its stars will never reach Earth...
A war was drawing to a close.
Exelica and Crueltear - humanoid weapons system called Triggerhearts developed by C.H.I.L.D.A., an interplanetary defense organization - were sent to join the fight against the autonomous combat unit known as the Ver'mith.
In the midst of the battle, just as they had taken the upper hand over the Ver'mith, Exelica and Crueltear were accidentally sent to Earth using an emergency teleportation gate activated by the Ver'mith.
Finding themselves on an unknown planet and without the strength to return home, the injured Triggerhearts were despondent as they did not even have the means to learn the outcome of the battle.
They had just about recovered from their wounds and had finally begun to consider Earth as a haven ... when it happened.
A nightmarish vision filled the sky.
The remains of the Ver'mith forces had arrived.
The gate had re-opened...
Although the Ver'mith forces had departed at the same time as Exelica and Crueltear, the gate's instability had caused a lag in their arrival.
The Ver'mith had chosen Earth as their new base of operations.
The invasion had begun.
Exelica and Crueltear knew they had no choice but to fight to protect their new home.
Features of the XBOX Live Arcade version[]
Gameplay screenshot.
XBOX Marketplace Descriptions[]
In the classic vertically-scrolling Japanese arcade shooter Triggerheart Exelica, each weapon has a different combat style, but both can perform unique anchor shots. Anchor an enemy ship, capture it to use as a shield, or throw it back into the fray to cause massive damage. With five levels, three difficulty settings, and all the usual Xbox LIVE leaderboards and achievements, Triggerheart Exelica is a fast-paced, full-featured arcade shooter masterpiece!
Mankind's newest and best weapon is the Triggerheart, a humanoid weapons system with a human-like personality. When the Ver'mith attack, only the Triggerhearts Exelica and Crueltear have the power to destroy the enemy. In the classic vertically-scrolling Japanese arcade shooter Triggerheart Exelica, each weapon has a different combat style, but both can perform unique anchor shots. Anchor an enemy ship, capture it to use as a shield, or throw it back into the fray to cause massive damage. With five levels, three difficulty settings, and all the usual Xbox LIVE® leaderboards and achievements, Triggerheart Exelica is a fast-paced, full-featured arcade shooter masterpiece!
- Unique anchor shot element: The Triggerhearts can anchor enemies, capture them to use as a shield, or toss them back into the field of battle to cause havoc.
- V.B.A.S. (Variable Boss Attack System): The game dynamically reacts to your skill level. If you have a low score, the bosses will be slightly easier to defeat. Carry a higher score, and the bosses become more challenging.
- High-def graphics: Fully compatible with HDTVs, the graphics bring the top-down shooter genre to a new level of intensity.
- New music: New background music willl have you grooving to the rhythm as you destroy the Ver'mith.
XBOX One / Series X / Series S Store Description[]
Triggerheart Exelica is a vertically scrolling Japanese arcade shooter with a little bit of everything: fast-paced action, scalable difficulty, massive hordes of Ver'mith, and cute humanoid weapons who can either shoot down enemy ships or capture them as shields or projectiles. Help Exelica and Crueltear save the universe!
Single Player, 5.1 Surround Sound, HD (High Definition). Ready for more? Upgrade to the full version of Triggerheart Exelica to access all five levels of fast-paced, vertically scrolling action. Choose your difficulty setting, select a character and take on the forces of the mysterious Ver'mith. Of course, the full version also includes leaderboard rankings for each character and difficulty level, plus achievements to show off your skill! This game requires the Xbox 360 hard drive or the 512MB Memory Unit for storage. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Warashi's Official Site Description[]
Triggerheart Exelica XBLA logo
TRIGGERHEART EXELICA
Now available for Xbox 360 Live Arcade!!
Console: Xbox 360®
Release Date: February 27, 2008
Cost: 800 Microsoft Points
Genre: Vertical Scrolling Shooter
Players: 1
Distributor: Warashi, Inc.
New Cutscenes[]
- New ending based on the arcade version.
Compatible with Hi-Vision (D4)[]
- Complete vertical screen mode (90º and Reverse 90º)
- High Definition graphics and redesigned characters.
Online Leaderboards![]
- Separate Ranks for each Difficulty Level
- New & Improved Scoring System
Arranged Soundtrack[]
- Brand new musical arrangements from the original composer, creating an entirely different atmosphere from the Arcade and Dreamcast versions.
July 01, 2008 Live Update![]
- Fix score item upper bounds problem.
- Fix the game control setting problem.
- The user data will be individually saved.
- Fix upper and lower cut screen problem in gameplay with RGB-cable and other than 680x480 (4:3 aspects) resolution.
- If you play under 1280x1024 resolution will be good image quality improved than before.
- Expand Leaderboards. It can save to 9999999th place, (Leaderboards are reset and restarts.)
Errors and Censorship[]
Although the new improvements and features, the XBLA version of Triggerheart Exelica featured a few elements that sparked some controversy among both Triggerheart and shmup fandoms.
¿Where's the Title Screen off-voice?[]
- Unlike the Arcade, Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 ports of the game where the System Voice can be heard saying "Triggerheart Exelica" at the title screen, the XBLA port lacks of the voice sample, an explanation could be the logo is in english, however, the arcade and Dreamcast versions does have the english name below the katakana-written title.
¿Where are the Story and Arrange Modes?[]
- Unlike the Dreamcast version, the XBLA version lack of both Story and Arrange Mode as the game was redesigned as a revision of the original arcade game.
¿Sister no more?[]
Exelica calling Crueltear by her name instead of "Sister".
- In the english subtitles, Exelica calls Crueltear by her name, while the voice sample says "Nee-san" (姉とし) clearly, it could be a translation error.
Censorship for Crueltear[]
Close-up or Censorship?
The TH32 seems to became a victim of censorship not once, but twice.
- The illustration used in the Stage 3 Clear result screen was changed for an entirely different one, this also happen during her encounter with Faintear Imitate in Stage 3. Maybe someone consider that pic too sexy for the game.
- The "Normal Ending" appears to have been censored in the XBLA version. In the Arcade and Dreamcast versions, as she's falling backward (the hand-drawn cinematic) her entire body is displayed and you can clearly see her crotch (yeah, she has on a swimsuit deal, but there's barely any coverage), while in the XBLA version, the image starts out more zoomed in on her face and never pans out enough to show her entire body.
- Fortunately, her Normal Ending was uncensored in Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced. However, the Stage 3 Clear illustration of the XBLA was kept in the PS2.
- Ironically, the 2023 Switch re-release reutilizes the mentioned censorships from the XBLA.
Lost in Translation[]
One of the most common errors in the game. Examples can be found everywhere
- When Crueltear is captured by Ver'mith Ennda at the end of the "Normal Ending Route" of Exelica, she screams "Yamete!!" (やめて = Stop!!), but is wrongly translated as "No! Let her go!".
- Another example can be found in stage 3 before the fight with Faintear Imitate, Exelica says "Sonna" (そんな = Oh, no...) but is translated as "B-But!".
Winners get the losers' theme[]
- Unlike the Dreamcast version where the Game Over screen is silent in the Story Mode's True Ending route, the Game Over screen of the XBLA version plays the theme after completing the True Ending route of the game. What an odd way to win.
- That issue was fixed in Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced as the True Ending in Arcade Mode is now silent meaning the successful completion of the game.
XBOX One Backwards Compatiblity[]
XBOX One Store page for Triggerheart Exelica.
On July 28th, 2016, Twitter (now "X") member Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb announced the release of Triggerheart Exelica as one of the Backwards Compatibility titles for the XBOX One console and it was released on August 2.
This 2016 release coincides with the 10th anniversary of the original arcade game.
Compatibility with XBOX Series X / Series S[]
Although the Backwards Compatibility feature for the XBOX One had finished after launching several titles, Microsoft has confirmed that the XBOX Series X and Series S will be 100% compatible with all the previous XBOX consoles, this means Triggerheart Exelica is included in the list and is fully compatible with the console.
No more XBOX360 in Games with Gold[]
Since October 1st 2022, Microsoft phased out all the XBOX360 games from the Games with Gold promotion, killing and putting the nails on the coffin for any hopes of acquiring Triggerheart Exelica (along with any other XBOX360 game) for free. Also, Microsoft pulled the plug on Games With Gold replacing it with XBOX Game Pass Core on September 1st, 2023.
Delisting from the XBOX Store[]
On August 31st, 2023, Triggerheart Exelica was delisted from the XBOX Store. The reason behind was the acquisition of the game's IP by Cosmo Machia, as Exelica's rights were passed to them, followed by the announcement of the upcoming Nintendo Switch release. As Cosmo Machia informed Microsoft Studios about the rights passing, the game was pulled from the XBOX Store, combined with the demise of the XBOX 360 Marketplace on July 29th, 2024 which will make impossible to re-download/re-install the game for those who've previously bought it on the XBOX360 console. XBOX One and Series X/S who bought the game before the delisting date can reinstall it despite being delisted.
Emulation in Xenia[]
In July 15, 2019, the XBOX360 emulator Xenia was able to emulate the trial version of Triggerheart Exelica. According to user mirrornoir, the game is playable but with some issues.
- Clipping/distortion effect on level geometry or textures.
- Explosion effect literally explodes the 3D geometry outwards.
- The 1-staged demo is playable but it might be slow in some computers.
Curiosities[]
- The XBLA port is the only one where the "Triggerheart Exelica" title screen off-voice is absent.
- The XBOX Live Arcade port is the only console version that utilizes online leaderboards instead of the traditional high score rankings.
- A new voice sample for the System Voice was added as we can hear her saying "Let's Go" each time we increase or decrease the voice volume in options
- This is the only port where the game spells Horizontal correctly, unlike the Dreamcast and PS2 ports where it says "Horizonal".
- It is also the only console version where the player can switch between the original Arcade/Dreamcast soundtrack or the arranged one.
- This was the last version where Yuko Ishibashi voiced Faintear Imitate.
- It is also the only port where an ending is censored.
- Ver'mith Ennda's appearance in the True Ending route shares a parallelism with that of Shienryu in the final stage of Shienryu as both antagonists attack their subordinates. While Dio is destroyed by Shienryu, Faintear Imitate survives Ennda's attempt to kill her, only breaking her Control Core.
- Another "Exclusivity" of this port is the playing of the Game Over theme at the end of the True Ending route.
- The copyright of this version only has the years 2006 and 2007, which were the same of the Dreamcast release, rather than adding the updated 2008.
- The game's new "structure" was later reassigned as the Arcade Mode in Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced. However, the game speed was reduced, and Crueltear's ending was uncensored.
- The XBLA arranged soundtrack and sound effects were re-used in the PS2 version.
- The main menu wallpapers and interface were also reutilized in the Enhanced port.
- The wallpapers "Default 1", "Exelica", "Crueltear" and "Faintear" were re-used in the PS2 version. However, Faintear's wallpaper was renamed as "Imitate" since the wallpaper name was used for the original TH44.
- "Default 2" wallpaper was also omitted in the PS2, due to the inclusion of Faintear's wallpaper.
- The XBOX One Store credits the game publishing to Microsoft Studios, while Warashi is credited as its developer.
- The Store catalogues the game in the Action & Adventure category instead of Shooter.
- The wallpaper of Crueltear used on the XBOX One Store's background and the pre-start up after selecting the game is from the downloadable Enhanced wallpapers from Warashi's now defunct official site (Seems like someone at Microsoft has a thing for the TH32.)
- The Arcade Mode from the Switch release of Triggerheart Exelica retakes the "structure" of the XBLA port just like Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced did.
- The Switch release reutilizes Ishibashi's recorded lines for Imitate.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Triggerheart Exelica XBLA (XBOX One Re-release).jpg (171 KB)")
.jpg "Triggerheart Exelica (Original XBLA Release).jpg (600 KB)")
