Every Extend Extra
Encyclopedia
Every Extend Extra is a shoot 'em up
video game by Q Entertainment
for the PlayStation Portable
(PSP).
Every Extend Extra is a redevelopment of the popular freeware game Every Extend, which was a personal project by Kanta Matsuhisa under his "Omega" pseudonym. Q Entertainment, as a 'boutique' developer, built on the concept.
A version for Xbox Live Arcade
, Every Extend Extra Extreme
, was released on October 17, 2007.
's previous synesthesia
-themed titles Lumines
and Rez
, Every Extend Extra's arcade mode sees the player advancing through stages, with each stage featuring different background and enemy designs, music, bosses and pace.
The player is unable to shoot, their only defense being to detonate their ship in the vicinity of the enemy. Enemies appear in randomized patterns, and the aim is to position and detonate at the right moment, setting off a chain reaction of explosions and earning a combo bonus. Blowing oneself up takes away from one's overall 'stock', or number of bombs, with a new bomb being gained after the player gains a certain amount of points, which increases after each new bomb. Earning a considerable combo is key to replenishing the stock of lives, and so gameplay revolves around striking the correct balance between risk and reward.
Every Extend Extra also adds varying explosion types to the Every Extend template, which can link chains in different ways, as well as a "charge" feature. By holding down the explosion button, the bomb is charged; the longer the button is held, the larger the blast radius, expanding the possibility for chaining explosions. Power-ups dropped by enemies increase the speed of both the player and the enemy, as well as the speed of that stage's music.
Each skin is played out to a time limit, with a boss character appearing at a set point towards the end. Rather than attacking the boss directly, the player relies on destroying the required number of regular enemies near the boss to cause a 'hit'.
magazine awarded the game 8/10 in their October 2006 issue. They cited an obtuse initial learning curve and a "defiant obscurity and the resulting barrier to entry" as its main hindrances, but concluded that, overall, the game was "an undeniably exhilarating dance".
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
video game by Q Entertainment
Q Entertainment
Q Entertainment creates, produces, and publishes in digital entertainment content across multiple game consoles, PC broadband and mobile units...
for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP).
Every Extend Extra is a redevelopment of the popular freeware game Every Extend, which was a personal project by Kanta Matsuhisa under his "Omega" pseudonym. Q Entertainment, as a 'boutique' developer, built on the concept.
A version for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
, Every Extend Extra Extreme
Every Extend Extra Extreme
Every Extend Extra Extreme, also known as E4, is a game for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service released on October 17, 2007 for 800 Microsoft Points...
, was released on October 17, 2007.
Gameplay
The main difference between Every Extend Extra and the original game is the music. Much like director Tetsuya MizuguchiTetsuya Mizuguchi
is a video game designer and founder of the video game development firm Q Entertainment. He formerly worked for Sega were he eventually became the head of their United Game Artists division...
's previous synesthesia
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
-themed titles Lumines
Lumines
is a puzzle video game based on sound and light patterns. Created by game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and his company, Q Entertainment, it was first released as a launch title for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on December 12, and released in North America on March 23 and released in Europe on...
and Rez
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...
, Every Extend Extra's arcade mode sees the player advancing through stages, with each stage featuring different background and enemy designs, music, bosses and pace.
The player is unable to shoot, their only defense being to detonate their ship in the vicinity of the enemy. Enemies appear in randomized patterns, and the aim is to position and detonate at the right moment, setting off a chain reaction of explosions and earning a combo bonus. Blowing oneself up takes away from one's overall 'stock', or number of bombs, with a new bomb being gained after the player gains a certain amount of points, which increases after each new bomb. Earning a considerable combo is key to replenishing the stock of lives, and so gameplay revolves around striking the correct balance between risk and reward.
Every Extend Extra also adds varying explosion types to the Every Extend template, which can link chains in different ways, as well as a "charge" feature. By holding down the explosion button, the bomb is charged; the longer the button is held, the larger the blast radius, expanding the possibility for chaining explosions. Power-ups dropped by enemies increase the speed of both the player and the enemy, as well as the speed of that stage's music.
Each skin is played out to a time limit, with a boss character appearing at a set point towards the end. Rather than attacking the boss directly, the player relies on destroying the required number of regular enemies near the boss to cause a 'hit'.
Reception
Every Extend Extra has been well-received. EdgeEdge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
magazine awarded the game 8/10 in their October 2006 issue. They cited an obtuse initial learning curve and a "defiant obscurity and the resulting barrier to entry" as its main hindrances, but concluded that, overall, the game was "an undeniably exhilarating dance".