Triggerheart Exelica
Triggerheart Exelica is a vertically scrolling shoot em' up developed by Warashi, originally released in arcades on the NAOMI in 2006, and later ported to the Dreamcast and Xbox 360 in 2007 and 2008 respectively. An updated version, Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2009. The Xbox 360 version was added to the Xbox One backward compatibility list in 2016, making it playable on all later Xbox models. The game was especially notable for being the second last game ever released for the Dreamcast, six years after it was discontinued.
In 2023, it was re-released for Nintendo Switch by Cosmo Machia. The Switch port is pretty similar to the Dreamcast version because it has the original sound effects and it`s original opening.
Game title screen
| Developer: | Warashi |
|---|---|
| Music: | Masahiro Kajihara |
| Release date: | Arcade: May 2006 Dreamcast: February 22, 2007 Xbox 360: February 27, 2008 PlayStation 2: March 26, 2009 (as "Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced") |
Contents
Gameplay Overview
Controls
Triggerheart uses three buttons.
- A: Shot (can hold for rapid fire, or to pull anchored enemies in)
- B: Anchor
- C: Bomb
If you're playing on a Dreamcast controller, the left and right triggers are used for bombs instead.
Characters
There are two (three in the PS2 version) characters to pick from, each with their own type of regular shot:
- Exelica: Wider shot, but moves slower. Recommended for beginners
- Crueltear: Straight shot, faster movement. Recommended for advanced players
- Faintear: Exclusive to the PS2 version. Twin laser shot, fastest movement.
Weapons
- Shot: Just your typical shot. Hold the button for rapid fire.
- Anchor: Can be used to grab enemies.
You need to keep the anchor attached to an enemy for a certain period of time to actually grab them, indicated by a percentage meter above the enemy. "CAPTURED!" will appear above an enemy when you successfully grab them. Captured enemies will absorb most bullets and damage uncaptured enemies that run into it. The captured enemy loses health as it does this, and if its health reaches zero, it will explode, damaging everything around it.
When you have an enemy captured, you can hold the shot button to bring it closer to you. Additionally, while holding the shot button, you can shake the joystick left and right to swing the enemy around. Release the shot button to stop swinging the enemy.
Alternatively, the console versions have an "auto swing" option, which automates the swinging process when enabled. Grabbing an enemy with this on will immediately pull it in and swing it around, even if the shot button isn't being held.
Releasing the anchor button will cause the enemy to explode as if it ran out of health. Releasing an enemy while swinging it will allow it to travel farther first, damaging everything it hits along the way. Thrown enemies can do some insane damage, enough to even kill some bosses in a few seconds.
You cannot fire your regular shot while carrying an enemy.
- Uncapturable Enemies: Certain enemies cannot be picked up, but the anchor can still latch onto them (in this case, the game will display "OVERLOADED" instead of "CAPTURED"). When an uncapturable enemy is anchored, your regular shot will be aimed at it. The shot can still hit other enemies in its path.
When a grounded enemy is anchored, your regular shot will be aimed at it. The shot will still hit other enemies in its path.
- Bomb: An invincible attack that hits all enemies on screen. Can only be used a limited number of times, indicated by the "B" icons at the bottom of the screen.
Items
(this section could probably use images)
- Score Items: Gold items dropped from enemies. Killing enemies by throwing other enemies at them will cause them to drop more. Score items give extra score as the name implies, but they also add to your item count (blue number on the left side of the screen) and increase your score multiplier. They will fall slowly to the bottom of the screen when the shot button is held. Release the shot button to pick up all score items currently visible. Items will grow if left untouched for a bit. Bigger items are worth more points and will increase the multiplier more. The score item counter resets after finishing a stage.
- V.B.A.S (Variable Boss Attack System): The amount of score items you collect also determines how strong the boss at the end of the stage is. Collecting a lot of items will result in the boss surviving longer, and vice versa, collecting very few items will cause the boss to die faster.
- Power Up: Yellow "P" items. Makes your regular shot more powerful. If already at max power, it gives 10,000 points (not affected by multiplier?) instead.
- Bomb: Purple "B" items. Increases your bomb count by 1.
Scoring
This section should cover a general breakdown of the scoring system of the game. Feel free to put the meat and potatoes here. A great example of a scoring section is the DoDonPachi page.
Strategy
See (Template Page)/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.
This section details some particular strategic information about the game and its gameplay, such as hidden 1UPs and some basic scoring tricks. For anything particularly deep or highly complex, you can probably leave it in the Strategy page.
(Currently evaluating whether or not this specific section should even include information outside of the separated Strategy pages. Worth thinking about as a community.)
Story
In an unknown alien galaxy far away from the Milky Way, a war is waging between a group known C.H.I.L.D.A. and a mysterious race of violent combat mechaniloids known as the Ver’mith. C.H.I.L.D.A. employed their elite squad consisting of humanoid weapons known as Triggerheart units, two of them, Exelica and her programmed sister Crueltear, were busily fighting the Ver’mith during an attack when a portal known as "Gate" opened and sucked both Triggerhearts units in.
Materializing on planet Earth, Exelica and Crueltear soon made this planet their new home as they had no means of return, and losing their reasons to fight as they were also uncapable to know the outcome of the Interstellar Wars.
Some time later a new portal opened and the surviving Ver'mith forces appeared. Intent on making Earth their primary fortress of attack, the Ver'mith quickly eliminated the majority of Earth’s defenses. As the destruction spreads, the once buried fighting instincts within Exelica and Crueltear re-awoke. The last battle against the Ver'mith has begun, but this time the Ver'mith have their own version of a Triggerheart unit known as Faintear (considered Imitate in the Enhanced version).
Development History
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.
Version Differences
- Arcade: The original release.
- Dreamcast: This version adds two new modes, Story Mode, which plays like arcade mode but now with dialogue, and Arrange Mode, which is an extra hard mode with no continues and stronger enemies. This version introduced the auto swing option, which is also used in all of the other console releases.
- Xbox 360: Slightly improved visuals compared to the other versions. Also the only version with online rankings. For some reason this version only has Arcade Mode, the other modes are missing.
- PlayStation 2: This version has redubbed character voices, expanded story and adds a new character (Faintear), meaning the other Faintear is an Imitate. There`s was some sort of special edition box that included the game and as well a Nendroid of Exelica.
Trivia
- Cool facts and random tidbits go here!
Gallery
See (Template Page)/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.
Video References
If the game already has an existing entry in the Video Index, please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.
References & Contributors
Release dates and version differences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triggerheart_Exelica
Some information on the PS2 version: https://wikiheartexelica.fandom.com
Most of the gameplay information (besides stuff related to the PS2 version) is Funguy161's own research :3
