Exerizer
Encyclopedia
Sky Fox also known as Exerizer (in Japanese
: エクセライザー), is an arcade game
created by Nichibutsu and licensed by Jaleco
in 1987
as a sort of semi-sequel
to Exerion
(1983).
The music from the game has been included in the 1988 soundtrack
compilation Game Sound Jaleco -G.S.M. Jaleco 1-.
.
is of a vertical shooter
in the style of Gorf
, but with 8-way movement across the screen. At the player's disposal to fight the approaching enemies, some of them made in pseudo-depth 2.5D
graphics, is a small space fighter capable of firing two types of projectiles: slow rockets (unlimited) and fast energy shots (limited, but draining the ship's energy).
The game features several types of waves (stages) and the player progresses through most of them by either exterminating all enemies or just surviving their attacks for long enough time: one of them has a more typical Space Invaders
-style gameplay against rows of space monsters (here led by a Sorceress
-like enemies), another puts the player against female ninja-type enemies riding the backs of either giant serpents or centipedes, and still another features a flight through an asteroid field. The boss
stages include a flying saucer, a mother ship
that is launching groups of fighter aircraft, a female warrior on a winged dragon, and finally an enormous flag ship spacescraft. The player's ship can be upgraded by collecting bonuses appearing after destroying certain enemies. There are 20 levels in total.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: エクセライザー), is an arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
created by Nichibutsu and licensed by Jaleco
Jaleco
is a Japanese video game publisher and developer established in 2006.The original Jaleco Ltd was founded in 1974. In 2006, it decided to become a pure holding company by renaming itself Jaleco Holding and splitting its video game operations into a newly created subsdiary that took its former name...
in 1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
as a sort of semi-sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Exerion
Exerion
Exerion is a vertical shoot 'em up released by Jaleco in 1983 and licensed to Taito for distribution on the United States.Exerion is a shoot 'em up game featuring parallax effects and inertia simulation, something notable for 1983. The player travels around strange scenarios shooting aliens...
(1983).
The music from the game has been included in the 1988 soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
compilation Game Sound Jaleco -G.S.M. Jaleco 1-.
Story
A "super rocket ship" is sent to defeat a fleet of giant female aliens, led by the titular evil "SKY FOX", before they conquer and colonize the planet EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Gameplay
The gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
is of a vertical shooter
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...
in the style of Gorf
Gorf
Gorf is an arcade game released in 1981 by Midway Mfg., whose name was advertised as an acronym for "Galactic Orbiting Robot Force". It is a multiple-mission fixed shooter with five distinct modes of play, essentially making it five games in one...
, but with 8-way movement across the screen. At the player's disposal to fight the approaching enemies, some of them made in pseudo-depth 2.5D
2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
graphics, is a small space fighter capable of firing two types of projectiles: slow rockets (unlimited) and fast energy shots (limited, but draining the ship's energy).
The game features several types of waves (stages) and the player progresses through most of them by either exterminating all enemies or just surviving their attacks for long enough time: one of them has a more typical Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
-style gameplay against rows of space monsters (here led by a Sorceress
Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, also known as The Goddess and Teela Na, is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise.-Original MOTU mini-comics:...
-like enemies), another puts the player against female ninja-type enemies riding the backs of either giant serpents or centipedes, and still another features a flight through an asteroid field. The boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
stages include a flying saucer, a mother ship
Mother ship
A mother ship is a vessel or aircraft that carries a smaller vessel or aircraft that operates independently from it. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental aircraft to altitudes where they can conduct their research , or ships that carry small submarines to an area of ocean to be...
that is launching groups of fighter aircraft, a female warrior on a winged dragon, and finally an enormous flag ship spacescraft. The player's ship can be upgraded by collecting bonuses appearing after destroying certain enemies. There are 20 levels in total.